Areas South Carolina's Baseball Team Must Address This Offseason
South Carolina's Baseball team accomplished many things this past Spring, most notably making it to Super Regional round for the first time since 2018. However, South Carolina's program understands that simply making it to a super regional for the first time in five years isn't the expectation from the fanbase; rather, making it to Omaha every four years or so is the ultimate goal.
For the Gamecocks to put themselves in a position to do that in 2024, multiple facets of the team must be addressed this offseason.
Identify An Alpha-Male Middle Infielder
In the field, this is probably South Carolina's most significant question mark as of mid-June, after Michael Braswell transferred to LSU and with senior leader Braylen Wimmer likely moving on to pursue his MLB dreams. Will Tippett is a good starting point for the Gamecocks as he possesses excellent fielding ability and speed and also showed progression with his bat at the end of last season.
High school signees Lee Ellis and Tyler Zedalis could also factor in here, depending on how the 2024 MLB Draft unfolds. Still, in my opinion, South Carolina needs to find someone in the portal to directly address the hole or allot themselves some more roster flexibility.
Find Another SEC-Caliber Starting Pitcher
This was by far the Gamecocks' biggest position of need at the conclusion of the 2023 season, with Jack Mahoney, Will Sanders, Noah Hall, and James Hicks all expected to sign with teams after the MLB Draft. South Carolina has already softened the blow by landing the 2023 CAA Pitcher of the Year in Ty Good, along with Liberty's Garrett Gainey.
Matthew Becker and Roman Kimball are other options that already reside on the roster, with freshmen like Edward Cooper and others that could join the program later this year. Still, it would serve South Carolina well if they got one or two more experienced starting caliber arms out of the portal.
Figure Out Gavin Casas Situation
Regarding critical players from the 2023 Super Regional squad, one player seems split right now on whether he'll return, and that's first baseman Gavin Casas. Casas was an excellent portal pickup this past offseason, but should he move on, he will leave the Gamecocks with a massive void in terms of power at the plate behind Ethan Petry and Cole Messina. His return could be vital for South Carolina's batting lineup this offseason.
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