The South Carolina baseball team finished its 2022 season with a 27-28 record and a 13-17 SEC record, missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in the last three full seasons. This offseason, the team was busy trying to create chemistry amongst veterans, incoming transfers and freshmen, hoping it will bring the program the success it's used to.
From trips to a military base to integrating former rivals into the squad, the team found many ways to grow closer.
Head coach Mark Kingston gave four of the team's veterans, junior pitchers Will Sanders and Jack Mahoney, senior pitcher Noah Hall and senior infielder Braylen Wimmer, credit at the team's Media Availability on Jan. 26 for taking on leadership roles and welcoming new players to the team.
"This team has really bought into knowing that it's a lot of new guys, and so, it was up to older guys who have done a tremendous job of welcoming them in," Kingston said.
Wimmer said the team's transfers and freshmen have "all meshed pretty well" with its returning veterans.
"I think they've come in and they've forgotten the past and they want to help us win," Wimmer said. "They're all on board with South Carolina baseball."
Among the new transfers are senior outfielder Dylan Brewer, junior pitcher Ricky Williams and senior catcher Jonathan French — all of whom transferred from Clemson during the offseason. On paper, these moves may have ruffled some Gamecock feathers, but many of the players said they have quickly integrated themselves with the rest of the team.
Sanders said that he perceives the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry as one perpetuated by fans more than anyone else and has grown close with Williams.
"Ricky is one of the best people I've met in my life," Sanders said. "I never met him before the fall, and he surprised me just how he goes about his work. He's quiet, but he's very nice."
One way these veterans and other members of the team built chemistry in the off-season was by traveling to Fort Jackson, the home of a U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Center. As part of its training, the team ran through an obstacle course, repelled a tall wall and participated in a number of team-building mental challenges.
Mahoney said he enjoyed seeing a new side of his teammates in an environment that was outside of the weight room.
"It was really funny seeing a lot of these tough guys in the locker room, who can move a squat bar like nobody's business kind of get over a wall, look down at heights and see them not really want to go down that thing," Mahoney said.
Sanders said that opportunity allowed him to see how his teammates reacted in situations of high pressure, such as ones they might face in games.
"How are you going to react when there's 12,000 fans screaming at you, and you got to get a bunt down or you got to execute a pitch? It all comes down to how you handle adversity and what your values are,” Sanders said.
According to Mahoney, players on the team hang out with each other frequently, and the team's chemistry is unlike how it was throughout the last season.
"Just from day one, there’s kind of been a bond in that locker room maybe that we didn’t have last year, and, obviously, it reflects it on the field,” Mahoney said.
While Kingston said the team will experience struggles during the upcoming season, he believes that having a close team will prepare them for what is ahead.
"Sometimes that secret ingredient is just a close-knit team that can handle adversity together," Kingston said. "This looks to be a talented, close team."
The Gamecock baseball team will start its 2023 campaign Feb. 17 when UMass Lowell comes to town. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the game can be streamed on SEC Network+.