South Carolina players in the summer leagues: June 25

South Carolina doesn’t have a ton of players playing summer baseball but there are a few Gamecocks–current and future–who are getting at-bats and innings right now.

A few weeks into the summer, let’s take a look at how those guys are doing. 

Cape Cod League

Virginia Tech transfer Tyler Dean has made two appearances (2.1 innings) for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League. He’s allowed four hits and three runs, just one earned run, though with three strikeouts to three walks.

Ty Good only made two starts (5.2 innings) in the Cape Cod League this summer with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. He gave up seven runs (four earned) on six hits and five walks. He did strike out five in the process. Good is the reigning CAA pitcher of the year. 

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Newly committed Kennedy Jones is hitting .216/.318/.405 in 37 at-bats for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League. He has four doubles, one homer and 10 RBI despite a lower average, walking six times and striking out 10 times with six runs scored.

According to Cod Baseball Analytics, Jones’s expected average based on the metrics is .342, which largely indicates he’s hitting into some bad luck. 

Coastal Plains League

Redshirt freshman Zander Buchan is hitting .222/.300/.389 over 20 plate appearances with the Lexington County Blowfish. He’s scored four times and has one homer, a solo shot, while walking twice. Buchan notched nine strikeouts. A switch-hitter, Buchan redshirted last season.

After burning his redshirt late into the season, right-handed pitcher Connor McCreery has thrown six scoreless innings to start his summer with the Blowfish. The Gamecocks’ pitcher with good stuff has struck out five to no walks with just four hits allowed. He has hit two batters but is sporting just a 0.670 WHIP with teams hitting .200 against him.

Gamecocks lefty Jackson Phipps started one game so far for the Macon Bacon, giving up five earned runs over 0.2 innings and walking six. He struck out one batter. 

Gamecocks 2023 signee Thomas Powell is fresh out of high school and has started the summer 2-for-19 with a run scored and a RBI with the Blowfish. He hasn’t walked but has struck out seven times with two stolen bases. He might need some time to adjust to college baseball but can develop into a good outfielder during his time at South Carolina. 

South Carolina transfer portal commitment Dalton Reeves is hitting .314/.409/.429 this season with the Lexington County Blowfish in 44 plate appearances. He’s hit one double and has one home run. Reeves has six RBI and has walked seven times to seven strikeouts. Reeves is a transfer from Presbyterian.

Sam Simpson, who started a few midweeks for South Carolina coming off Tommy John surgery, only made two starts this summer for the Blowfish, struggling over 3.2 innings. He allowed 10 earned runs on seven hits and six walks while striking out five.  

Austin Williamson has thrown nine innings over two starts with the Blowfish this summer, giving up six earned runs on 13 hits with four strikeouts to two walks. That equates to a 6.00 ERA and a 1.670 WHIP while teams are hitting .333 against him. 

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Other leagues

South Carolina transfer portal commitment Austin Brinling is having a strong summer so far fro the Florida Collegiate League, hitting .296 with a .849 OPS over 34 plate appearances. He’s hit one double and a triple with seven RBI. The Gamecocks’ leadoff candidate has walked six times to three strikeouts and stolen nine bases. He also made this nice catch in centerfield.

T1 | Austin Brinling (@GamecockBasebll) with an impressive catch at center to end the top of the first! pic.twitter.com/0yiCQp6owm

— Leesburg Lightning (@FCSL_Lightning) June 21, 2023

Transfer portal commitment Garrett Gainey is in the middle of a really good summer for Winchester in the Valley Baseball League. He’s made four starts (22 innings) with a 1.23 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He’s struck out 26 to just four walks and has allowed just 18 hits and no home runs. 

Another transfer portal commitment, outfielder Blake Jackson, is playing really well in eight games with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. Through 32 plate appearances, he’s hitting .440/.563/.640 with a double and two triples.

Highly-rated signee and infielder George Wolkow is playing for the Green Bay Rockers this summer, going 7-for-35 to start his summer with four runs scored, an RBI and four walks. He’s struck out eight times with two stolen bases. That’s a slash line of .200/.282/.200. Wolkow, a top 100 draft prospect, also competed last week in the MLB Draft combine. 

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