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Diamond Dawgs adding another South Carolina Gamecock pitcher in Brendan Sweeney

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk06/26/25RobbieFaulkOn3
Brendan Sweeney
Brendan Sweeney (Photo by Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

A second South Carolina pitcher is on the move to Starkville out of the transfer portal.

Nearly a week after Tyler Pitzer announced his transfer to Mississippi State, Gamecock reliever Brendan Sweeney is also transferring, a source told On3Sports. The 6’6, 200 pounder comes to MSU after spending one season in Columbia.

Sweeney had a lot of ups and downs in his season with the Gamecocks. He earned the right to be the team’s closer and would pitch in 23 games with six saves on the season. He finished 1-3 with a 8.53 ERA. Sweeney threw 25.1 innings and gave up 32 hits, 24 runs and 13 walks while striking out 34. Coincidentally, Sweeney’s best game came against the Diamond Dawgs when he threw a season-high 3.0 innings perfect innings with four strikeouts in the Gamecocks’ Friday night win.

Sweeney throws a sinking fastball that was sitting in the mid-90s with solid secondary pitches like a curveball and slider. He came to Carolina after playing two seasons of Junior College baseball. The Edmond, Okla., native started at Eastern Oklahoma State and started in seven games with 16 total appearances where he finished 4-3 with 40 strikeouts.

After transferring to Blinn Community College in Texas in 2024, he helped his team to the JUCO National Championship as he went 9-2 in 17 starts and struck out 67 batters with three complete games. He pitched 83.2 innings and walked just 19 batters while he had a 4.84 ERA.

Sweeney is the 13th addition from the transfer portal for the Bulldogs and new head coach Brian O’Connor. Pitching coach Justin Parker has brought in two players from his previous coaching stop at USC and he’s also added Virginia lefties Tomas Valincius and William Kirk as well as RHP Maddox Webb (The Citadel) and Jackson Logar (James Madison).

State has landed three others from Virginia in OF James Nunnallee and Aidan Teel as well as INF Chone James. MIF Ryder Woodson (North Carolina State), OF/1B Vytas Valincius (Illinois), 1B Blake Bevis (Ball State) and C Kevin Milewski (Seton Hall) are also in the boat.

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