With the 2022 season around the corner, the South Carolina baseball program will rely on newcomers to replace the talent that left during the off-season.
The Gamecocks lost four starting position players and five reserves, as well as two starting pitchers and three relief pitchers after the 2021 season. The six transfers coming in will join the team in looking to reach the College World Series for the first time in a decade.
After losing infielders Brennan Milone and Jeff Heinrich to the transfer portal, the Gamecocks picked up Virginia Tech senior infielder Kevin Madden. He had a productive year in 2021, batting .313 with four home runs and 37 RBI.
For a team that is in need of contact-oriented hitters, adding Madden could help South Carolina this season.
The Gamecocks also landed fifth-year outfielder/first baseman Brandt Belk from Missouri. During two seasons with the Tigers, he earned second-team All-American honors in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season where he hit .457 with two home runs and nine RBI.
Fifth-year outfielder Andrew Eyster said he's excited for what Belk can do with the team in 2022.
"He got to play here last year when he was at Missouri and so we kind of saw what he could do. He's just got a natural ability to square up the ball," Eyster said. "I'm not going to say where he's going to hit in the order, but I'm sure he'll be up there pretty high. He's a guy that we expect to get at-bats and get on base a lot and ultimately score a lot of runs and get a lot of RBIs as well."
South Carolina continued to strengthen its outfield with senior outfielder Matt Hogan's commitment. Hogan, who spent the last three seasons at Vanderbilt, did not receive consistent playing time, as he compiled 19 at-bats.
Throughout the time in the Cape Cod League, Hogan hit .227 in 88 at-bats with the Chatham Anglers. He finished with 20 hits, four home runs, 10 RBI and five stolen bases.
"(Hogan's) a great guy in the clubhouse. He's a ton of energy, great makeup, great teammate, brings speed to the table, brings another left-handed bat to the table," head coach Mark Kingston said. "So, he'll obviously be a very serious option in center field for us come spring time."
On the pitching side, South Carolina added junior right-hander Noah Hall, who pitched two seasons at Appalachian State.
Similar to former Gamecock right-hander Brett Kerry, Hall has shown that he's a virtual pitcher who can log innings as both a starter and reliever. Last year, Hall threw 49.2 innings with a 3.99 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 23 walks while going 5-1 with three saves.
After playing two seasons at Chipola Junior College, junior southpaw pitcher Michael Esposito committed to South Carolina after finishing as the No. 10 JUCO prospect in Florida.
Despite not pitching in 2020, Esposito had a solid season in 2021, striking out 30 batters in 14.1 innings pitched while going 1-0 with two saves and a 1.26 ERA.
South Carolina added another junior right-handed pitcher, James Hicks, from the transfer portal. Coming from Crowder College, he made massive improvements during the COVID-19 shutdown, resulting in success.
Originally listed at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds in 2020, Hicks added 25 pounds of muscle and his average velocity jumped from 84-86 miles per hour to 88-90 miles per hour while topping out at 94 miles per hour.
With his mechanics improved, he finished 11-3 with a 4.28 ERA, 89 strikeouts, eight complete games and a 1.22 WHIP in 90.1 innings pitched for the Roughriders in 2021.
Junior left-handed pitcher Julian Bosnic said he's excited to see what Hall and Hicks can do for South Carolina's pitching staff this season.
"I think those are two guys that are going to be big pieces here, that they don't throw a straight fastball, everything moves in every which direction," Bosnic said. "I think those are going to be two pieces for us that are going to help us a lot this year."
The Gamecocks will open the season on Feb. 18 against UNC Greensboro at Founders Park.