Gamecock Digest

South Carolina Adds Catcher from National Championship Runner Up

Alex Joyce

LSU base runner Hayden Travinski is out at home as Texas A&M catcher Max Kaufer holds onto the throw on a safety squeeze play during the SEC Tournament elimination game Friday, May 26, 2023, at the Hoover Met.
LSU base runner Hayden Travinski is out at home as Texas A&M catcher Max Kaufer holds onto the throw on a safety squeeze play during the SEC Tournament elimination game Friday, May 26, 2023, at the Hoover Met. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA

Ever since the season ended, the Gamecocks knew they would have to replace Johnny Bench Award winner and Consensus All-American Cole Messina for next season. They have seemed to fill that role with new transfer commit, Max Kaufer.

Kaufer joined Texas A&M as part of their 2023 class and went on to play a big role for the Aggies as a freshman from IMG Academy. After missing fall camp in 2023, Kaufer enrolled mid year and ended up becoming the Aggies primary backstop.

Starting 36 of 46 games in 2023, including the final 24 games, Kaufer had some struggles at the plate hitting .183/.221/.343 his freshman year, but showed promise for a 18 year old freshman. However, Kaufer saw his number of starts dwindle from 36 to seven in 2024, and only appeared in 14 total games.

In 2024, Kaufer was better offensively for the Aggies (.250/.500/.516). The calling card of his game, however, is his play behind the plate as he has a career .991 fielding percentage.

During the offseason, Kaufer is currently in the Cape Cod Baseball League playing for the Brewster Whitecaps. Though a limited sample size (2 games), his batting stats look great so far .500/.571/.833.

If Monte Lee, associate head coach/hitting coach, can unlock Kaufer's abilities as a batter, South Carolina could've found the perfect replacement for their potential second round pick, Messina.

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Alex Joyce
ALEX JOYCE