Baseball head coach Paul Mainieri and staff have brought in 12 new position players from the transfer portal for the upcoming 2026 season. Following an uninspiring 28-29 (6-24 SEC) season, Mainieri had his first real experience with the transfer portal since coming out of retirement in 2024.
Including the loss of key outfielders Ethan Petry and Nathan Hall in the 2025 MLB Draft, 15 players departed from the program this offseason. And with only three incoming freshmen joining the team this season, South Carolina relied on the portal to fill those roster needs.
Pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Terry Rooney expressed his excitement toward the hitters brought in on the “College Baseball Show Coach's Corner” in January.
“There were even times last year that we might out-hit a couple of teams in our league, but we lose by four or five because you give up a double, you give up a home run, so we felt like we needed to get some physicality,” Rooney said.
Infield impacts from portal
Fifth-year infielder Logan Sutter transferred from Purdue after spending two seasons with the Boilermakers. Sutter made 93 starts with a .349 batting average and a .672 slugging percentage over the two years. Additionally, Sutter had 15 home runs and 22 doubles in 2025 and looks to be competing for a position at first or second base.
Junior infielder Patrick Evans has potential to make the starting nine on Opening Day after an impressive fall and preseason performance. With sophomore first baseman Beau Hollins out with injury and no timeline for returning, Evans could find his opportunity rather early.
The Florence-Darlington Tech transfer had a massive sophomore season in 2025, hitting .453 with 10 home runs, 75 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases.
“I think Patrick Evans is one of our nine best players. I just have to find a place to play him,” Mainieri said on “The Morning Show” podcast on Jan. 29.
With sophomore infielder KJ Scobey making the move to shortstop in the offseason, junior infielder Dawson Harman has emerged as the next potential third baseman in 2026. Harman transferred from the College of Central Florida, where he slashed a .370 batting average with 24 home runs and 1.336 on-base plus slugging last season.
Sophomore infielder Erik Parker came in from Georgia, where he saw limited action as a freshman. Parker made 16 appearances and hit .250 with 10 runs scored.
Despite the limited action, Parker came in with high praise from the South Carolina coaching staff.
“He’s certainly somebody that we believe is going to come in and make an immediate impact somewhere,” Rooney said on the “College Baseball Show Coach's Corner" episode. “He’s got a chance to play a bunch of different positions for us, to be quite honest.”
Rounding out the infield transfers is redshirt junior Jack Reynolds from Gulf Coast State College and Clemson. Reynolds made only 17 appearances last season and had four home runs and a .283 batting average.
Outfielders to watch
One of the few names already noted as a solidified everyday starter for the Gamecocks is junior outfielder Tyler Bak. After spending two seasons at Wofford, where he hit .311 with two home runs and 14 doubles, Bak came in as one of the top outfield prospects for the spring.
Mainieri has named Bak as the everyday center fielder and potential leadoff hitter going into Opening Day.
“I just think Tyler Bak is one of those players that’s going to be the glue to our team,” Mainieri said. “He’s very good defensively, and he’s a table-setter.”
Senior Ethan Lizama, a transfer from Western Kentucky, also arrived as a potential starter in the outfield. Lizama had impressive numbers last season, batting .336 with 15 home runs, 18 doubles and four triples.
Senior Luke Yuhasz has also emerged as another contender for an outfield position after a solid fall. Yuhasz spent three seasons at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he slashed a .309 batting average, a .942 on-base percentage and a .558 slugging percentage in his time there. Additionally, he had six home runs and 11 doubles in 2025.
Sophomore Caleb Hoover comes in as both an outfielder and first baseman but has spent most of the preseason in the outfield. Hoover spent one season at Grayson College, where he hit .340 with 16 home runs, seven doubles and 49 runs batted in as a freshman.
Rounding out the outfield transfers is junior Aaron Jamison. Transferring in from Fort Scott Community College, Jamison hit .392 with 12 home runs and 52 runs batted in for 2025.
Behind the plate transfers
The catcher position posed many issues for Mainieri last season and continued into the fall. While the Gamecocks returned two catchers from last season, there was an emphasis on finding catchers who could boost the offense.
Junior catcher Reese Moore came in after spending three years at Iowa. Moore was injured most of the fall and into the preseason so has not fully earned the starting role over fifth year catcher Talmadge LeCroy.
As a sophomore, Moore was All-Big Ten first team after hitting 16 doubles, two triples and nine home runs in 2025.
Senior catcher Jake Randolph found himself earning more reps in the fall, with Moore and sophomore catcher Gavin Braland both out with injuries. Randolph transferred from Presbyterian, where he had 32 runs batted in, six doubles and two home runs, with a .329 batting average in 2025.
What's next?
Check out the newcomers when the Gamecocks begin the season on Feb. 13 against Northern Kentucky. First pitch at Founders Park is scheduled for 4 p.m.