South Carolina (6-3) is set to compete against its in-state rival No. 15 Clemson (8-0) this weekend in the latest Palmetto Series matchup. The Gamecocks host the Tigers at home Friday night before traveling down the road to Segra Park Saturday, closing out the series at Clemson Sunday.
Since the Palmetto Series was established in 2015, South Carolina leads 6-1 over Clemson overall. However, baseball has not taken the series win against the Tigers since 2023.
The Gamecocks have been swept the last two years in a row and will look to earn the first series win in the second year under head coach Paul Mainieri.
"Obviously this weekend means a lot to us, you know, we didn't have a good year last year ,and we let some games get away from us in this early part of the season," Mainieri said. "I want our fans to believe in us, and I want players to believe in us, most importantly."
Clemson head coach Erik Bakich discussed the upcoming rivalry series and called the series "the greatest rivalry college baseball has to offer."
"There's no better rivalry than Clemson and South Carolina," Bakich said. "As everyone knows, it's something that we have the utmost respect for, for this rivalry, and the way we prepare for it and put a target on it all year long."
Top arms for the weekend
While the batting order and lineups have been far from consistent, the last two weekends have seen the same three starters on the mound until now.
Mainieri announced that junior right-hander Josh Gunther will make the start Friday night against No. 15 Clemson at Founders Park. Gunther has made two appearances so far this season, both from the bullpen on Fridays. Gunther struggled against Army in the 9-5 loss last weekend, but he had seven strikeouts in his Opening Day relief appearance against Northern Kentucky.
"I know how much this series means to all the Carolina fans and Clemson fans likewise," Gunther said. "I'm just really excited to get the opportunity to pitch against a good team and go out there and compete and try to give the guys the best chance possible to win this game."
Up until junior right-hander Amp Phillips made his second start of the season against Navy on Feb. 21, no other Gamecock starter had made it past four innings before being pulled. Phillips has gone 9.2 innings so far this season with five walks and 10 strikeouts, and he will start Saturday against the Tigers at Segra Park.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Riley Goodman will make the start Sunday at Clemson after making both Friday starts for the Gamecocks the first two weekends. Goodman has eight strikeouts and six walks in his first two starts.
Junior right-hander Brandon Stone has moved from his Sunday starting role to the bullpen for this upcoming rivalry series. Along with junior Alex Valentin, they will be some of South Carolina's most important bullpen arms. Valentin has made three appearances so far with nine strikeouts, no earned runs and two saves in 7.1 innings pitched.
"I thought we had three really good games last year, and unfortunately, we just didn't get the job done towards the end of the games, last couple innings kind of determined the outcome of those games," Mainieri said. "I feel like our bullpen is more equipped now. If we get into that position, hopefully we'll be able to finish the job."
Ranked No. 71 in MLB's Top 100 Draft Prospects List, junior right-hander Aidan Knaak enters his second year as the Friday night starter for Clemson after boasting a 9-1 record with 110 strikeouts in 2025. In his two starts this season, Knaak has 14 strikeouts and four walks with no earned runs in eight innings pitched.
Both Saturday starts have been made by Tennessee transfer Michael Sharman. So far as a redshirt senior, Sharman has pitched 11 innings with 14 strikeouts while giving up one walk and one earned run.
Talan Bell missed the beginning of the 2025 season with injury but started both midweek and weekend games in the second half of the season. Now in his sophomore year, the left-hander has made both Sunday starts in 2026 with a 3.60 ERA in only five innings pitched.
Junior left-handed pitcher Justin LeGuernic has been Clemson’s top reliever so far this season with seven innings of work, including a five-inning bullpen appearance against Army, where he had six strikeouts and no walks to earn the win.
Who’s hot at the plate?
Freshman Will Craddock has had a impressive start in his first five games as a Gamecock. Craddock made his first career start against Gardner Webb on Feb. 18 and has made every start since at first base, second base and designated hitter. Craddock leads the team with a .500 batting average paired with nine hits and six RBI.
Fifth-year catcher Talmadge LeCroy has been praised for his leadership behind the plate and in the dugout and has continued to back up that leadership offensively as well. LeCroy is batting .471 with two home runs, a team-high 16 hits and seven RBI. Most importantly, LeCroy is currently batting .500 with runners in scoring position.
Other contributors that South Carolina will rely on in the rivalry include sophomore shortstop KJ Scobey and junior centerfielder Tyler Bak. Scobey has started every game at shortstop, and has 14 hits and two home runs.
While Bak has slowed down offensively since the start of the season, he picked up in the Gamecock's midweek game against Queens on Wednesday, going 3-5 with a home run in the bottom of the ninth to keep the Gamecocks within one.
"Talk is cheap, you know, you just got to go out there, you got to play, and you've got to play well," Mainieri said. "The guys that come through in clutch situations are going to be the guys that the rest of the team is going to have the most respect for."
Nate Savoie leads the Tigers with a .467 batting average after making starts behind the plate, in left field and as designated hitter. The sophomore has three home runs and 11 RBI through eight games.
Redshirt junior infielder Luke Gaffney follows close behind, batting .464 for the Tigers, and he leads the team with a .559 on-base percentage. Senior catcher Jacob Jarrell has already notched four home runs in the last seven games, including a grand slam vs. Charlotte. Jarrell is batting .292 and has 12 RBI.
Juniors Tryston McCladdie and Jarren Purify round out the top Clemson bats. McCladdie has made starts at third base and has spent time in center field for Clemson in his eight starts, batting .400 with a .500 on-base percentage. Purify boasts a .367 batting average and three RBI in 2026 so far.