Riley Goodman 'going to be very good' after strong fall on mound

Heading into South Carolina’s scrimmage against Charleston last Thursday, head coach Paul Mainieri had no plans of pitching Riley Goodman. He had already seen plenty from him throughout the fall.

But Goodman insisted on throwing one more time as he “begged” Mainieri to let him pitch one inning. Mainieri obliged, and Goodman got the start against the Cougars, going one inning as planned.

The right-hander found himself in a bit of a jam, though, as Charleston loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning. But he got out of trouble as he struck out the next two batters.

“That was the biggest jam he’s been in all fall, I think,” Mainieri said, “and he pitched out of it, which was a good thing.”

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina baseball!

Goodman struck out three and walked one while giving up a hit as the Gamecocks pounced on Charleston in an 8-1 win at Riley Park. And for Goodman, it concludes what was a strong first fall coming back from Tommy John surgery.

“We were ready to shut him down for the fall because he’s got a long rehab coming off Tommy John surgery, all the rehab,” Mainieri said. “And then he pitched a couple times for the Blowfish at the end of the summer. But he’s been terrific the whole fall.”

Goodman missed his entire freshman season and will have four years of eligibility remaining as he heads into 2026. He pitched towards the end of the summer with the Lexington County Blowfish, going 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in eight innings of work.

As he entered the fall, he got back into a routine of building up his arm before scrimmage action began, then pitched sensationally each time he took the mound. In seven innings over three starts, he allowed no runs on two hits and struck out 11 with three walks.

Goodman consistently threw in the mid to upper 90s in his outings, getting up to 96-97 miles per hour on many of his punchouts.

“He pretty much dominated every time that he was out there,” Mainieri said.

Become part of The Insiders Forum with GamecockCentral. Start for $1 your first week, and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.

It’s another step in the road to recovery, but it’s certainly a big one for him, especially with great results this fall. Opening Day and the 2026 season are still over three months away. Next up for Goodman is to take some time to recover before the team begins preseason work after the holidays in January.

“He’s getting a little gassed,” Mainieri said. “It’s the right time to shut him down and let him take a blow for a few weeks before he starts working back into a plan to get ready for the spring.”

At the start of the fall, Mainieri felt there were 10 pitchers who he considers to be starting pitcher candidates for this season. Since then, he hasn’t specified more of his thoughts on how that race is going. But if one thing is clear as the fall comes to an end, Goodman is right in the thick of that battle.

“He’s going to be very good,” Mainieri said. “He’s been outstanding.”

Visit GamecockCentral’s exclusive Gamecocks-only, no-trolls message board!