The South Carolina baseball team is set to host Army, Navy and Air Force over the weekend for the school’s first-ever Salute to Service Weekend at Founders Park.
"These kids that go to these three institutions have made a decision to volunteer themselves, to put themselves in harm's way, to be the custodians of our way of life," head coach Paul Mainieri said. "We take for granted so many new things that we have in our life, like being able to go out and play college baseball games."
Before stopping at Notre Dame, LSU and now South Carolina, Mainieri spent six seasons coaching at the Air Force Academy. Over his six seasons as head coach, Mainieri led the program to a 152-158 overall record, becoming the second-winningest coach in Air Force history in 1994.
This past weekend, redshirt freshman Riley Goodman, junior Amp Phillips and junior Brandon Stone all started on the mound and will fulfill those roles over the weekend once again.
The top bullpen arms for South Carolina through the first five game include junior Josh Gunther, who pitched 4.2 innings in Game 1 with seven strikeouts against Northern Kentucky.
Junior Alex Valentin also made appearances on Friday as a closer and Saturday in a more extended relief role, going 3.2 innings with six strikeouts.
While the weekend saw the bats go cold for the Gamecock offense, the production increased during the midweek.
Sophomore shortstop KJ Scobey leads the team with eight hits and a .435 batting average so far. Following Scobey, junior catcher Reese Moore (.429), fifth year catcher Talmadge LeCroy (.421) and junior outfielder Tyler Bak (.300) round out the top hitters for the garnet and black so far.
This weekend's series is another opportunity to showcase what the Gamecocks have to offer before they take on Clemson the following weekend.
Army
The Gamecocks open up the Salute to Service Weekend with a 1 p.m. game against Army. The Black Knights were swept by No. 19 Clemson during Opening Weekend.
Led under head coach Chris Tracz, Army finished the 2025 season with a 25-25 (14-11 Patriot League) overall record. The Black Knights return some of their top hitters in senior infielder Thomas Schreck and senior catcher Jack Quinlan.
Schreck started all 50 games last season and led the team in batting average, hitting .335 with a .943 OPS. Quinlan followed closely behind with a .319 batting average and a .533 slugging percentage in his 40 starts.
South Carolina was thought to face senior right-hander Andrew Berg Friday afternoon for Game 1 but will face senior right-handed pitcher Trey Ates instead.
Navy
The Gamecocks then turn around and play against Navy Saturday at 2 p.m. Led by head coach Chuck Ristano, Navy finished the 2025 season with a 26-25 (14-11 Patriot League) record and has three returning players who were named to the 2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Baseball Team.
Two of the players named include junior infielder Evan Brown and sophomore catcher Ty DePerno. Brown played in 51 games for Navy in 2025 and finished with a .292 batting average, 30 RBI and a .416 slugging percentage. DePerno was also awarded preseason honors after a solid freshman campaign last year. DePerno hit .307 as a true freshman with five homers and a .438 slugging percentage.
Junior right-hander Matt Archibald made the Game 1 start Saturday and could be the projected starter against the Gamecocks. Archibald made 13 appearances for the Midshipmen in 2025, boasting a 3.64 ERA with 66 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .133 batting average.
Air Force
The Gamecocks' final opponent to close out the Salute to Service Weekend will be Air Force. In 2025, the Falcons had a 20-34 (12-18 Mountain West Conference) record.
The Falcons return some top hitters in senior catcher Walker Zapp and junior utility player Luke Elmore. Zapp made 51 starts in 2025 and hit .330 with a .579 slugging percentage while Elmore had a .304 batting average, six home runs and 37 RBI.
Air Force, led by head coach Mike Kazlausky, opened up the 2026 season at the Desert Invitational MLB Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Junior left-hander Ethan Dillinger made the start against UConn Sunday, giving up five earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
Starting last season, Mainieri and the Gamecocks honored veterans on Sunday home games. Additionally, as a sophomore, pitcher Jake McCoy worked alongside Purple Heart Homes, pledging $23 for every one of his strikeouts he had last season. McCoy raised $1771 for the foundation, which helps to raise awareness for veteran housing needs.
But now, this weekend series marks an even more thoughtful approach to honor past, present and future service members.
"We're going to honor the cadets and the midshipmen for the service that they will provide in the future," Mainieri said. "Hopefully, it'll send a message to them that they are appreciated by their peers, by the people of South Carolina, that we understand what they're doing for us, and we want to honor them."