What to watch for: South Carolina fall scrimmages
South Carolina baseball is back for a few weeks.
The Gamecocks start an intriguing slate of fall scrimmages Friday afternoon (3:30 p.m.) with plenty of storylines to watch as things crank up.
Here’s what GamecockCentral has its eyes on as scrimmages start.
Portal bats
The Gamecocks need to make a marked improvement offensively compared to the last few seasons and tried to kick start it with the addition of some portal bats.
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Caleb Denny won’t play this fall, but other potential starters like Gavin Casas, Jacob Compton, Jonathan French, Dylan Brewer and Will McGillis will.
I’m going to be very interested to see how those guys adjust to the SEC and how they all fit as pieces to the puzzle in the lineup.
Freshmen impact players
South Carolina won’t have as many freshmen playing this year compared to last, but there will be a few who chisel out roles. The Gamecocks enrolled their two highest-ranked players in pitcher Eli Jerzembeck and third baseman Ethan Petry.
Austin Williamson is another arm who could fight for innings this season. There are a few other guys who will certainly compete for time as well from this freshman class.
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The fall is the first indication of which freshmen might be able to help early, and which freshmen play well will be something to pay attention to as the next few weeks go along.
Who competes to hit leadoff
The Gamecocks are losing all-SEC hitter Brandt Belk, who slashed .340/.420/.500 last season largely from the top spot in the order.
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South Carolina doesn’t have a surefire successor and the fall will be the first steps towards finding it. Braylen Wimmer, who returns for his fourth season in the program, could hit there along with maybe a Dylan Brewer or Denny, when healthy.
There are a few candidates, and a few more who could pop up during fall scrimmages.
How the infield settles
The good news is the Gamecocks have options. Casas and Compton could each play first along with a few other guys. Braylen Wimmer and Michael Braswell will compete at short.
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McGillis can play virtually everywhere and Petry will handle a lot of the duties at third base with Kevin Madden still recovering from an elbow injury.
The Gamecocks don’t need to have a set-in-stone group right now but getting a clearer picture of infield roles can be good coming out of fall ball.
Bullpen arms
South Carolina has a good crop of potential starters, but the Gamecocks need to get a good idea of what its bullpen could look like.
The bullpen combined for a 6.8 ERA and 1.72 WHIP last season and needs to be better. There are options, but the Gamecocks will use the fall to see what they have in terms of relievers for the 2023 season.
