Gamecock baseball will look a lot different in the 2023 season with five players headed to South Carolina after entering the transfer portal.
Junior infielder and designated hitter Chris Veach will be joining the Gamecocks after transferring from Presbyterian College. He is one of three in-state transfers for next season. Veach was a key hitter for the Blue Hose in the 2022 season and scored one run in the game against the Gamecocks.
He batted .322 and recorded a hit in 14 of the 16 games he started. He also homered in back-to-back games against Campbell University on March 25-26.
“Thank you to all the coaches that reached out and the coaches that helped me,” Veach tweeted. “I’ve decided to transfer to the University Of South Carolina.”
Another junior, right fielder Dylan Brewer, will be transferring to South Carolina from Clemson University. In 2021, Brewer hit .207 with 10 home runs and played an essential role in Clemson’s outfield.
Brewer was an important offensive leader for the Tigers. He hit a two-run home run and a grand slam in the same game against North Carolina State University on April 2.
"I’m going to be closer to home and I feel like I just need a change,” Brewer said to The Big Spur's John Whittle. “I’ve lost myself over the last three years, and I’m trying to find myself again as a ball player. I feel like Carolina is the best fit for me. I know a few guys on the team and I feel like it’s the right place.”
Redshirt junior catcher Jonathan French will be joining his former Clemson teammate, Brewer, at South Carolina. French hit .248 with 13 runs and five home runs including a three-run home run in his first career game against Cincinnati last season.
"Offensively, they see some power. They see the potential for me to be a great hitter. Then with a few minor tweaks in my approach and slight mechanical change I can grow into being the hitter they see me as," French told Gamecock Central. "Then defensively they see I can lead a pitching staff. They see I can block well and receive well. They see a guy that they don't have to worry about this season."
Coming from Memphis University, junior first baseman Jacob Compton will be a supportive addition to South Carolina's infield next season. He started in 53 of the 55 games in the 2022 season and hit a team-best 11 home runs with a .291 batting average.
Lastly, transferring from the University of California-Berkeley, senior right-handed pitcher Nick Proctor will add depth and a strong throwing arm to South Carolina's pitching staff.
During his time with the Bears in the 2021 season, Proctor made 21 appearances on the mound including three starts. He also had a 5.94 ERA and worked a season-high 4.1 scoreless innings on Opening Day against Pacific University. In 2022, Proctor pitched to a 4.11 ERA.
With five new transfers coming in, head coach Mark Kingston and the team will be looking to get back to the postseason next year after missing out in the super regionals for the 2022 season.