Paul Mainieri on pitching development: 'We have everything available to us to help these kids'

Problems were apparent. That much became clear when South Carolina’s pitching staff went through a season as challenging as the one just past.

In seeking to fix the problem, Paul Mainieri’s first step was to determine who would return and who wouldn’t. Only six will be returning next season. The rest are gone and replaced by brand-new arms.

In total, the Gamecocks will have 14 pitchers coming in from high school, junior college and the transfer portal. Through recruiting, Mainieri and his staff went out and got what they wanted with new pitchers who throw harder, a lot of whom sit in the mid to upper 90s with their velocity.

“Well, first of all, we focused on stuff,” Mainieri said during his offseason press conference on July 16. “We needed to get some harder throwers and guys with good breaking balls and things like that.”

On paper, this should be a much-improved group in 2026. But there will be one question looming in the distance until next season begins: How much improvement will there be as far as development goes?

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In the aftermath of last season ending, Mainieri shared there wouldn’t be any staff changes. He specifically said pitching coach and recruiting coordinator, Terry Rooney, who led the Gamecocks to their worst ERA (6.41) in program history, wouldn’t be going anywhere.

With fall practice starting on Oct. 7, Mainieri said Rooney and Director of Player Development Chris Gordon will “work really hard” with the pitchers and “do the things that are necessary” to help them develop.

“We have all the technology. We have everything available to us to help these kids develop into the very best pitchers that they can be,” Mainieri said. “Obviously, pitching was a weakness for us last year. The guys that are back with us, we think, are going to contribute in a big way.”

Mainieri also pointed out that it can take time for pitchers to develop good command. He used specific examples of former players who went through similar situations to get his point across.

READ HERE: Main takeaways from Paul Mainieri’s offseason press conference

Brad Lidge, who would become the Philadelphia Phillies closer during their 2008 World Series run, didn’t break out until his junior year at Notre Dame under Mainieri. He also name-dropped Sandy Koufax, who won three Cy Young Awards and was a first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer in 1972.

“One of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time, Sandy Koufax, didn’t develop good command till he was 26 years old,” Mainieri said.

And Mainieri would be right. Before Koufax’s best years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he walked more than 50 batters in four straight seasons from 1957-60, including 100-plus in two of those years. Again, he went on to become a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Circling back to the present, though, Mainieri ensured the staff will work with the pitchers when they’re allowed to start doing so. One of the other things he prioritized in rebuilding the pitching was bringing in proven guys.

“Hey, look, I think Amp Phillips is a proven winner. I think that Josh Gregoire is a proven winner. Alex Valentin is a proven winner. Bradley Hodges is a proven winner,” he said. “They’ve shown they can do it now. It’s just a matter of them doing it consistently.”

Even though most of the arms on staff will be new, Mainieri is still excited about the pitchers who are returning for another season. He knows there’s plenty more in the tank for them to be successful.

“Now it’s time for those guys to make a leap forward. And if they can do it, we’ve got something special there, too,” Mainieri said. “So looking forward to working with these guys. I think it’s gonna be a fun year and can’t wait to get started.”

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