Baseball

[Bubba Fett]

Starts Friday! Hoo-rah!

I'm forever hopeful, but....

Looking at our pitching, and considering the loss of McCoy, my expectations for us getting out of the SEC cellar are not high. Somebody give some good news. Lie to me if you must.

 

[JohnnySolo]

Anybody have the current line up?

 

[Fried Chicken]

Good news is we either turn it around or we should be looking for a new coach and hopefully can get the guy to fix it. Nowhere to go but up. So sad that’s where our baseball program is but it’s the truth.

 

[Piscis]

Hard to believe how South Carolina baseball has gone from the penthouse to the outhouse. Baseball seems like a sport where maintaining at least some semblance of quality is most attainable. The facilities are nice enough, there is enough talent in the state to be decent at least, what is the problem?

 

[rockingamecock]

A tough football season, a disastrous basketball season, and now it looks like baseball is going to suck.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Y'all ain't making me feel any better about our chances.

 

[JohnnySolo]

A lot of opinions and no one knows the pitching or batting lineup. Why don't you post it and point out the weaknesses.

 

[Bubba Fett]

A lot of opinions and no one knows the pitching or batting lineup. Why don't you post it and point out the weaknesses.

Opening Weekend Rotation vs. Northern Kentucky:

Riley Goodman, redshirt freshman RHP, named opening day starter. He missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery.

Amp Phillips, junior RHP, transfer from USC Upstate, named Big South Newcomer of the Year in 2025.

Brandon Stone, junior RHP returnee, bullpen guy forced into starting duty. last year was 2-7, 6.50 ERA.

Other arms in the mix:

Transfers:
Alex Philpott (sidelined to start the season but could return)
Josh Gunther
Bradley Hodges
Cullen Horowicz
Josh Gregoire (potential closer)

Returnees/bullpen pieces:
Parker Marlatt
Cooper Parks

We can hope that these guys do well, and we should, but our pitching weakness is glaring. Lack of pitching is probably why we're forecast to be at or near the bottom of the SEC.

We have a lot of transfers. I don't think the opening weekend lineup has been released but best guess:

Beau Hollins at 1B (.308 in 2025)
KJ Scobey at SS (.257 in 2025)
Talmadge LeCroy at C (missed most of 2025 due to injury)
Dawson Harmon at 3B?
Tyler Bak at CF?
Logan Sutter at 2B?
Reese Moore at C behind LeCroy

And then all these guys are in the mix for infield/outfield spots:
Ethan Lizama
Jake Randolph
Luke Yuhasz
Patrick Evans
Erik Parker
Caleb Hoover

How good we will be at the plate is an unknown.

 

[SouthernBelly]

Starts Friday! Hoo-rah!

I'm forever hopeful, but....

Looking at our pitching, and considering the loss of McCoy, my expectations for us getting out of the SEC cellar are not high. Somebody give some good news. Lie to me if you must.

20-10 conference record and they take the series against Clemson.

 

[Bubba Fett]

20-10 conference record and they take the series against Clemson.

Don't lie to me that hard! LOL Wouldn't that be awesome!

 

[18IsTheMan]

It is simply stunning me that we were picked 15th in the conference.

We went from elite and on the verge of being a dynasty to arguably the worst in the conference.

 

[Pinkgimp]

The Ray Tanner tenure at AD may actually be the most destructive time in USC sports history. For the men’s sports that pay the bills it absolutely is just that. The board of trustees oversaw the whole dumpster fire and rubber stamped it all.

 

[Piscis]

The Ray Tanner tenure at AD may actually be the most destructive time in USC sports history. For the men’s sports that pay the bills it absolutely is just that. The board of trustees oversaw the whole dumpster fire and rubber stamped it all.

Is Ray Tanner the antiChrist of South Carolina sports?

 

[iohbird]

I watched them against CoC in Charleston in the fall. I think pitching and defense are vastly improved. Those two facets can keep you in games. There's a good chance that Hollins won't start on Friday due to his injury - that's the bad news.

 

[SouthernBelly]

Don't lie to me that hard! LOL Wouldn't that be awesome!

Dang, lol. Didn't even have to speculate that was a lie.

 

[Forkcock]

Go Cocks!

 

[sclawman77]

It is simply stunning me that we were picked 15th in the conference.

We went from elite and on the verge of being a dynasty to arguably the worst in the conference.

All roads lead back to Ray Tanner. He got us to the pinnacle and then led us into the abyss with garbage coaching hires.

 

[sclawman77]

The Ray Tanner tenure at AD may actually be the most destructive time in USC sports history. For the men’s sports that pay the bills it absolutely is just that. The board of trustees oversaw the whole dumpster fire and rubber stamped it all.

Yep, wouldn't you know our most successful coach would end up running the men’s major programs into the toilet. We have Pastides to thank for that huge promotion first and foremost.

 

[rockingamecock]

Today's game appears to be on SECN+

 

[Forkcock]

I couldn't not get the 2nd game to play on my ESPN app.

 

[Cockofdawn]

A tough football season, a disastrous basketball season, and now it looks like baseball is going to suck.

Agreed. This is a true Women’s basketball school. Maybe the Softball team will duplicate last year, however even that team has struggled so far.

 

[Cockofdawn]

I couldn't not get the 2nd game to play on my ESPN app.

I watched it, it was sad, a win is a win, but it was against North Kentucky state technical college. And it took a Krazy 8th inning rally from behind and a Walk off homer in ninth. That was the Cocks only lead in the game. But like I said, it was a win. (Bad base running and clutch hitting early

 

[Fried Chicken]

Bak played well. Transfer from Wofford. Huge 2-out hit in the 8th to tie the game.

 

[Dabo's Weenie]

I watched it, it was sad, a win is a win, but it was against North Kentucky state technical college. And it took a Krazy 8th inning rally from behind and a Walk off homer in ninth. That was the Cocks only lead in the game. But like I said, it was a win. (Bad base running and clutch hitting early

Actually, they led 3-2 after7... but then couldn't stand the success and gave up 3 in T8.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Can't hit Northern Kentucky Community College pitching doesn't bode well for the future.

 

[Anon866265]

Donati should’ve stepped up to bat last year and got us a new baseball catch, sad to see what this program has become.

 

[Cybercock]

Good grief. Who are the radio announcers.?
They make Todd Ellis look like an award winning broadcaster

 

[Fried Chicken]

Scobey with the walkoff last night. That last AB of the game was atrocious. A walk ties it and he’s swinging at pitches a foot off the plate.

Bak was a great addition. But it’s going to be another long year.

 

[Dabo's Weenie]

Well, there goes the perfect season.

Maybe someone who was there can correct me, but it looks like the lack of quality hitting, and especially timely hitting, have continued into this year.

The situational numbers are atrocious.

Here's hoping they get it sorted sooner rather than later.

 

[CockofEarle…]

Starts Friday! Hoo-rah!

I'm forever hopeful, but....

Looking at our pitching, and considering the loss of McCoy, my expectations for us getting out of the SEC cellar are not high. Somebody give some good news. Lie to me if you must.

The check in in the mail.

 

[Cybercock]

0 for 7 RISP today.

 

[Cockofdawn]

This team is a perfect USC men’s program!! Why is everyone disappointed?? This is expected!!!

 

[cocean]

Young season, already cooked

 

[Dabo's Weenie]

No worries, nothing to see here - Ray says all of this with men's sports is "cyclical".

So... when do they cycle up?

 

[Fried Chicken]

No worries, nothing to see here - Ray says all of this with men's sports is "cyclical".

So... when do they cycle up?

He and Maineri with some all time classic quotes today. Love what Tanner did in building the program. Despise him for allowing it to go to hell, as well as everything else but women’s basketball.

 

[SC95]

Ray Tanner is in the College Baseball Hall of Fame, yet he couldn’t manage to hire a competent baseball coach. That’s one decision Tanner should have gotten right. Instead, he struck out.

 

[atl-cock]

Ray Tanner is in the College Baseball Hall of Fame, yet he couldn’t manage to hire a competent baseball coach. That’s one decision Tanner should have gotten right. Instead, he struck out.

I'll go along with that on Kingston and Manieri, but not with Holbrook.

 

[RL09]

Good news is we either turn it around or we should be looking for a new coach and hopefully can get the guy to fix it. Nowhere to go but up. So sad that’s where our baseball program is but it’s the truth.

The really puzzling part regarding this decline, if there was a program Ray Tanner could have hired a good coach, you would have thought it was the baseball program, his baseball program, but to be polite, Tanner's hires have been underwhelming.

 

[RL09]

Is Ray Tanner the antiChrist of South Carolina sports?

for men's sports, perhaps

 

[Fried Chicken]

The really puzzling part regarding this decline, if there was a program Ray Tanner could have hired a good coach, you would have thought it was the baseball program, his baseball program, but to be polite, Tanner's hires have been underwhelming.

Yeah. I’ve never faulted him for the Holbrook hire as nobody hated it at the time and he was expected to be a good coach, even turning down opportunities (Tennessee) to stay at SC as an assistant. And we actually had better talent during his tenure as evidenced by the players sent to MLB. But that was his downfall…he just focused on Talent. Meanwhile Coastal wins a CWS with the type of gritty players we had a few years previous. Need a mixture of guys like Walker, JBJ (MLBers) and gritty guys like Wingo and Morales. The sure-fire prospect failed…fine but we needed to correct it right then.

The big head scratcher was Kingston. Deep down we were just hopeful but that hire was questionable and concerning from the start. He really never accomplished anything as a HC. If anything, we got exactly what we should’ve expected from his teams. The same as he always was. It blew my mind that this was the best we could get.

Maineri just felt like a lazy hire. Made a splash with a former CWS Champion I guess, but certainly not the kind everyone was impressed with. The game has changed so much. Coaches are retiring due to the NIL and we’re hiring a short-term guy with no NIL experience? Crazy. The reality is, Tanner probably just wanted to hire Monte Lee, which is even more unforgivable. Maineri was just the bridge to that. It’s mind-blowing to be honest. It’s so sad to see his legacy tarnished but what he did as AD, or rather what he was unable to accomplish just can’t be ignored.