What’s new with Gamecock baseball? Five things to know for Opening Day

Another South Carolina baseball season begins Friday afternoon. Another year filled with hope and dreams of Omaha.

The Gamecocks, looking to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2012, begin play at 4 p.m. against Miami (Ohio) at Founders Park, the first of a 10-game homestand to start the 2024 season.

Here are five new things to expect from the Gamecocks this season.

1. A new pitching rotation

How will South Carolina’s pitchers perform this season? The promise of this 2024 season hinges on how well an inexperienced group of arms steps up after massive turnover.

South Carolina lost 60% of its pitching production from last season, including its trio of weekend starters: Jack Mahoney, Noah Hall and Will Sanders.

On Thursday, USC head coach Mark Kingston announced the opening-series weekend rotation as Eli Jones (Friday), Dylan Eskew (Saturday) and Roman Kimball (Sunday).

Jones, a right-handed junior, is the only one who started a game last season. A sinker-first pitcher, Jones mainly came out of the bullpen, holding a 3.95 ERA while putting up a 63-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Eskew came to South Carolina last year as a junior college transfer and only took the mound five times for the Gamecocks. Meanwhile, Kimball (a former Notre Dame transfer) missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in a real game in almost two years.

“They’ve all earned it,” Kingston said. “Eskew is probably our most-improved pitcher on the staff right now. Eli Jones has just been a steady force for us who has been getting better and better, so he’s earned the right to be that first guy. And Roman Kimball is really talented and had great moments in intra-squad (scrimmages).”

Another guy who was in the mix and will likely see starts down the road is Matthew Becker, a left-handed junior who started 11 games last year and put up a sub-5.00 ERA. Kingston said he is dealing with a “minor lat issue” and probably won’t pitch this weekend.

2. New assistant coaches

Now in his seventh season leading South Carolina, Kingston will have two new voices on his bench.

The big one: pitching coach Matt Williams.

After Justin Parker left for the same job at Mississippi State, Kingston snatched Williams from Liberty. The pitching coach with 19 years experience has had stops at Spartanburg Methodist, UNC Wilmington and then Liberty, where the Flames reached the NCAA Tournament in each of Williams’ first three seasons.

“I think he’s awesome,” Jones said. “He’s done a really good job building a routine with each and every one of us. It’s specific to everybody and helps us stay regimented.”

Added Becker: “I really love him … For me, personally, (he’s helped with) the mental side and staying on top of the highs and staying on top of the lows. Can I just stay right in the middle? He’s helped me greatly.”

The other addition was Joey Holcomb, who will serve as an assistant hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. He spent the past two seasons at Campbell, which won the the Big South last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where it played in the Columbia Regional.

3. A new spot for Ethan Petry?

Last season, during his sensational freshman campaign that included 23 home runs and a long list of accolades, Petry mostly played in right field. In preseason scrimmages, he’s been in right field, at third base and even first base.

After noting that infielders Gavin Casas and Tyler Causey are dealing with “nagging issues,” Kingston said the Gamecocks have been working Petry at first base recently in case Casas or Causey can’t go during the opening series.

“We’re confident and comfortable (with him there),” Kingston said.

As long as Petry’s in the lineup, the Gamecocks probably don’t care too much where he’s at defensively.

4. A somewhat new outfield

If Petry does indeed start the season at first base, that would open up a spot in right field — a spot that might go to a newcomer.

It is expected that fifth-year outfielder Dylan Brewer — who transferred from Clemson to USC ahead of the 2023 season — will start in center. It’s also expected that Blake Jackson, a Charlotte transfer who will likely bat leadoff, will start in either left or right field.

That would leave another corner outfield job open, which could go to either UNC Greensboro transfer Kennedy Jones, North Florida transfer Austin Brinling, junior Evan Stone or maybe even freshman Ryan Bakes, who has shown off his power this preseason.

“(There’s) a tremendous amount of depth out there and very high-level competition,” Kingston said.

5. A new voice in the booth

Providing the color commentary for the South Carolina baseball games this season will be Stuart Lake, a former Gamecocks assistant and Charleston Southern head coach.

It will be the first time since 1999 that Tommy Moody won’t be calling South Carolina games. Moody, a former USC baseball player and radio personality in Columbia, died in October at the age of 72.

This weekend, Kingston said, the Gamecocks will honor Moody.

“The one thing I can say is I know he’ll be watching over us,” Kingston said. “When you see us get good breaks during the year, I think we can look up and say, ‘I think Tommy had a hand in it.’ ”

OPENING WEEKEND SERIES

• Friday vs. Miami (Ohio), 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

• Saturday vs. Miami (Ohio), noon (SEC Network Plus)

• Sunday vs. Miami (Ohio), 1:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

USC BASEBALL SCHEDULE

A look at the early-season schedule for the Gamecocks.

• Feb. 16-18, vs. Miami (Ohio)

• Feb. 20, vs. Winthrop

• Feb. 21, vs. Queens

• Feb. 23-25, vs. Belmont

• Feb. 27, vs. Garner-Webb

• March 1, vs. Clemson

• March 2, vs. Clemson (at Segra Park)

• March 3, at Clemson