Mark Kingston gives early returns on a few South Carolina portal pickups
South Carolina returns a good chunk off of a roster that won 40 games and went to a Super Regional, but the Gamecocks did try and bolster it through the portal.
The focus was heavily tilted to the offensive side of the ball, but when all was said and done there were double-digit portal players in for the 2024 season.
And two of the bigger ones–outfielders Austin Brinling and Kennedy Jones–are in line to start in the outfield.
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“Obviously they were brought here because they were proven. That’s the difference you get these days with the transfer portal. You get guys who have proven numbers,” Mark Kingston said. “And they’re two guys who are going to be right there in the mix for playing time and impact.”
Brinling was a prototypical leadoff man for North Florida last season, hitting .386 from the left side with a 1.040 OPS and 60 runs scored. He walked in 14.3 percent of his plate appearances while striking out in just 8 percent.
Jones might be the most high-profile transfer from a national perspective, coming over after two really good years at UNC-Greensboro. The righty hit .357/.445/.598 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI while walking 26 times to 44 strikeouts.
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Those two guys will be heavily involved in the offensive game plan while Kingston thinks a few other guys like Blake Jackson and Parker Noland can chisel out roles as well.
Jackson .277/.433/.413 last season at Charlotte while Noland was a veteran bat out of Vanderbilt, hitting .277/.367/.455 with nine homers and 39 RBI in 2023.
Jackson, Jones and Brinling will all compete for what could be a very crowded outfield competition this fall.
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“I look at Parker Noland and Blake Jackson as two more portal offensive guys among others who will really have a chance to help us. Again, most of our offense is back but there are a couple of spots we will need to replace. Maybe you replace a former player like Braylen Wimmer,” Kingston said.
“But there’s also going to be competition and at-bats for innings in the outfield even with returning starters. That’s the beauty of this roster. There’s a lot of talent, there’s a lot of talent, there’s a lot of experience. So as a coach you sit back, continue to help them develop and let guys earn jobs.”
The most high-profile arm South Carolina brought in through the portal was Charleston’s Ty Good, the CAA Pitcher of the Year in 2023.
Good, a right-hander, finished the year with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP over 82.1 innings in 15 starts. He averaged 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings and walked 4.8 per nine.
What his role looks like will be determined by the next few months. But he’s a veteran arm on what is a pitching staff shrouded with questions at the moment.
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“He was his conference’s pitcher of the year. So you know you’re getting a proven guy that’s been in high-leverage, Division I games where he’s had great success. What role he carves out for himself this year is up to him. Whether as a starter or as a key bullpen guy, that’ll be up to him and the guys around him,” Kingston said.
“We love his competitiveness. He has really good offspeed pitches. That fastball will be in that 89 to 91 range with a pretty good down angle. The one thing we heard time and time again is when the stakes get bigger, he gets better. When he’s playing in front of 10,000 people here at Founders I can’t wait to see it.”
