Mark Kingston believes offense has chance to be 'pretty good' with veteran core returning
There weren’t many weak points in South Carolina’s lineup last year. One through nine, each hitter was a tough out.
The Gamecocks had some of the most dangerous hitters in the country last year. They gave even the best pitching staffs some problems. And the good news for them? Most, if not all of those guys, are coming back.
“Most of the people will look at us and say, ‘Damn, they’ve got a chance to be pretty good,'” head coach Mark Kingston said. “We return most of that offense and we’ve added some really good players both in the freshmen class and in the transfer portal.”
[Become a GamecockCentral member for $1]
South Carolina lost its top of the order hitters in Will McGillis and Braylen Wimmer to the pros, and Michael Braswell, who transferred to LSU. But those are the only real big losses from last year’s lineup.
The heart of the order will be back, including Ethan Petry, Cole Messina, Talmadge LeCroy and Gavin Casas. When combined, those four hit .307 with 63 homers, which was more than half of the entire team’s total last year.
The biggest returner is Casas, who Kingston believed might’ve moved on to the pros.
When healthy, Casas was super productive for the Gamecocks. He slashed .259/.407/.569 with 19 homers and 56 RBI. He showed up when it mattered most, winning the NCAA Columbia Regional MVP award last June.
Top 10
- 1
Kirby Smart
Jab at Johnny Manziel
- 2
Paul Finebaum
Warns of SEC letdown in March Madness
- 3Hot
AP Poll Top 25
Massive shakeup
- 4
New No. 1
Women's AP Poll Top 25
- 5Trending
College Baseball Top 25
Upsets rock rankings
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“Gavin could have been drafted pretty decent. He could have moved on to the next level and play baseball right now, but he wanted to come back. He wanted to have an even great year, he wanted to leave a more lasting legacy than just one year here at South Carolina,” Kingston said.
[Win South Carolina-Florida football tickets]
As a whole, Kingston believes he’s got a good core of hitters that can do a lot of damage this upcoming season. But it’s not just the talent that has stood out to him. It’s also the veteran leadership they bring that could be vital for success.
“Last year at this time, Cole was coming off a freshman season where he really struggled. Now, he’s coming off a season where he was first-team All-SEC. So he has a different hair about him. He now knows he’s one of the key pieces in this whole thing,” Kingston said.
[Get the On3 app! Stay connected with GC!]
“I think, LeCroy, you can say the same thing about. All these guys, I see more confidence and again, they’re by far not to their physical potential yet. They all have a lot of growth they can continue to experience and get better. They’ve all been working hard, they’ve been extremely good leaders for our new guys.”
