In head coach Paul Mainieri’s first season back in college baseball since retiring in 2021, the Gamecocks are coming off one of the worst seasons in recent history. After finishing with a 28-29 (6-24 SEC) record, the staff brought in a record number of new players in hopes of finding immediate impact on the field in 2026.
Out of the 37 players on the roster, 24 players are new additions from the transfer portal. Ten players from last season returned, and only three freshmen round out the rest of the roster.
D1Baseball, one of the nation’s top college baseball rankings and news sites, ranked South Carolina’s 2025 portal class as eighth in the nation back in October. D1Baseball has the Gamecocks finishing 15th in the conference in its SEC Preview.
Mainieri discussed his coaching philosophy and what he communicates to the players following a rough 2025 season.
“I tell my players the same that I tell myself: 'You know, all you can do is look yourself in the mirror and know that you did the very best that you can,'” Mainieri said. “But it’s up to us to recruit the players that, if we coach them right and we inspire them and motivate them right, that we should play better than we did last year.”
Mainieri names starting rotation for Opening Weekend
Just weeks before Opening Day, Mainieri and the program took a hard step back following the injury of junior left-handed pitcher Jake McCoy, who was the Gamecock’s top arm and potential Friday starter.
Following the news of McCoy’s injury, it was announced that junior pitcher Alex Philpott would also not be available for Opening Weekend. According to Mainieri, while surgery is not required for Philpott’s injury, he will not be ready in time for the season opener. Mainieri said he hopes that Philpott could be ready for conference play starting in March if his recovery goes according to plan.
Redshirt freshman Riley Goodman has been named the Opening Day starter for Friday night after missing the 2025 season with injury. Goodman made his first outing in the fall in a scrimmage against the College of Charleston and has been one of the staff’s most consistent arms.
Junior USC Upstate transfer Amp Phillips has earned the Saturday starting role after an impressive fall season. Phillips gained the attention of Mainieri after his start against Clemson in the NCAA Regional with the Spartans, where Phillips went six innings with nine strikeouts.
Mainieri was between two final arms to take the Sunday start for Opening Weekend between junior right-handers Brandon Stone and Josh Gunther, with the role ultimately going to Stone.
Stone transferred to South Carolina last season and played multiple roles for the pitching staff in 2025. Stone made seven starts for the Gamecocks, as well as eight bullpen appearances.
Gunther was recently named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Watchlist, an award given at the end of the season to the top relief pitcher in Division I baseball. While Gunther did not earn the starting role, Mainieri has a clear plan for the Wake Forest transfer.
“You know, the starting pitchers, if they go four innings, five innings, you’re going to be happy,” Mainieri said. “Well, that’s going to be only half the game, so what’s more important, the first four innings or the last four innings? So, when I bring Gunther in, it’s not going to be for an inning, it’s going to be for an extended outing.”
While everyone else moves to a bullpen role, junior Josh Gregoire has emerged specifically as an option for the closing role.
Projected infield starters
One of Mainieri's most crucial offseason wins was retaining sophomore infielders KJ Scobey and Beau Hollins.
Scobey made the transition to shortstop in the offseason after starting at third base his freshman year and has been named the starter for 2026.
Despite Scobey earning the starting role, sophomore infielder Erik Parker has shown impressive skills in the fall and is someone Mainieri is already looking to use in future seasons. With Scobey being a draft-eligible sophomore this year, maintaining players such as Parker is something Mainieri plans to do.
Hollins suffered a shoulder injury before the team began preseason scrimmages and has been out up until Feb. 6. Despite being out with an injury, Hollins emphasized the team’s goals for the season.
“Obviously, to us, the sky’s the limit,” Hollins said. "We want to go to Omaha; that’s our goal, and that’s what we’ve worked on all offseason.”
While Hollins was injured, junior Patrick Evans moved to first base and could be the name Mainieri goes to if Hollins is still unavailable. Evans has also scrimmaged in the outfield.
Fifth-year infielder Logan Sutter was named a Preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and while Mainieri has not specifically named a starting second baseman, Sutter is the clear choice for the role.
Mainieri mentioned how he was “fairly convinced” that junior infielder Dawson Harman would be the team’s primary third baseman going into the season. Harmon transferred from the College of Central Florida, where he hit .370 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI.
Redshirt senior catcher Talmadge LeCroy was named as the starting catcher for the 2026 season even with the additions of junior catcher Reese Moore and senior catcher Jake Randolph from the portal. The designated hitter role is still up for grabs heading into Opening Day.
Potential outfield names
Mainieri has mentioned now he plans to put “the best nine” on the field, and the outfield could reflect that plan.
The only outfield position that Mainieri has named a starter for is centerfield, with junior Wofford transfer Tyler Bak earning that role. Bak comes into the spring with high praise from the coaching staff and could be the team’s new leadoff hitter.
Senior transfers Ethan Lizama and Luke Yuhasz have also spent most of the preseason working in the outfield and are some of the top names that could play a role in 2026. Junior Aaron Jamison, a JUCO transfer, has also shown improvement, according to Mainieri.
Sophomore outfielder Caleb Hoover rounds out the potential candidates who could see action for the Gamecocks as well.
What’s next?
South Carolina opens the 2026 season starting Feb. 13 with a three-game series against Northern Kentucky at Ray Tanner Fielder at Founders Park. First pitch for the Friday doubleheader starts at 1 p.m., with Game 2 starting 45 minutes after game one. The game will be streaming on SEC Network+.