How South Carolina baseball's incoming transfers performed during 2025 season

What had been a disappointing 2025 season for the South Carolina baseball program ended on Tuesday night. The Gamecocks’ postseason lasted just one game, as they fell 11-3 to Florida in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

The first year of the Paul Mainieri era at South Carolina featured a new-look roster that included 15 incoming transfers from the NCAA Division I and junior college ranks. Here’s how these Gamecocks performed in their debut seasons in garnet and black.

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Infielders

Cayden Gaskin (from Northwest Florida State College) – Gaskin was primarily used as a late-inning replacement or pinch hitter, as he appeared in 20 games and started in just six of them. He hit .276 (8-29) on the season, while scoring six runs and driving in seven. He was, however, at the center of multiple clutch moments throughout the year. His lone home run of the campaign clinched a run-rule win over USC Upstate on April 8, and South Carolina claimed a series-opening win over No. 1 LSU on a wild pitch that blew by Gaskin in the batter’s box.

Henry Kaczmar (Ohio State) – Kaczmar occupied a consistent presence in South Carolina’s lineup, starting 53 games at shortstop. His .315 batting average and 28 RBIs placed third amongst the Gamecocks’ qualified hitters; he added six home runs, 33 runs scored and a .394 on-base percentage (second on the team). But he experienced some struggles in the field, making nine errors on 118 fielding attempts. Kaczmar’s .951 fielding percentage ranked tied last for South Carolina players with 30 or more starts.

Max Kaufer (Texas A&M) – Kaufer initially transferred to South Carolina for a shot at more playing time behind the plate. But by season’s end, he was third on the depth chart behind an injured Talmadge LeCroy and true freshman Gavin Braland. In 24 appearances (including 11 starts), Kaufer went 6-45 (.133) with one home run, one RBI and seven runs scored.

Nolan Nawrocki (Clemson) – One of two transfers who previously played for the Gamecocks’ biggest in-state rival, Nawrocki began the season as the team’s go-to option at second base. He would later relinquish the role to Jordan Carrion, who maintained it for the rest of the year. Nawrocki hit right on the Mendoza line (.200), drove in seven runs and scored five more.

Outfielders

Nathan Hall (Clemson) – Hall, a Lexington, South Carolina native, joined the Gamecocks after two years without much playing time at Clemson. He quickly became one of the team’s most valuable hitters and, arguably, its most valuable transfer portal pickup. Hall slashed .322/.397/.486, with his batting average serving as South Carolina’s highest. He also led the team in RBIs (38), runs scored (36), doubles (13) and stolen bases (14), in addition to launching seven home runs.

Dalton Mashore (Saint Mary’s) – Mashore got his fair share of playing time in the outfield, starting 22 games and appearing in 34. He hit two home runs in 2025, one of those being a grand slam in the aforementioned victory over USC Upstate. Mashore went 17-72 (.236) at the plate with 10 RBIs, 12 runs scored and six stolen bases, which tied for second on the team.

Designated hitters

Jase Woita (Kansas City Kansas Community College) – Listed as an “infielder/outfielder” on South Carolina’s official roster, Woita earned much of his playing time as the team’s designated hitter. He appeared in 45 total games, starting 31 of them. Woita was one of five Gamecock batters to hit .300 or higher, finishing the 2025 season right at that mark after going 36-120 at the plate. He hit six home runs, drove in 20 runs and scored 21 more.

Starting pitchers

Jarvis Evans Jr. (Georgia) – Evans Jr. joined South Carolina as one of two transfer portal additions to its pitching staff with SEC experience. He emerged as the team’s strongest mid-week starting option, allowing him to have positive individual performances against The Citadel on March 5 (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER), the College of Charleston on March 18 (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER) and Charleston Southern on April 29 (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER). Evans Jr. finished the season with a 4-2 record, 5.89 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 41 punchouts across 47.1 innings pitched.

Brandon Stone (Johnson County Community College) – Stone was the Gamecocks’ biggest innings eater this past season, as he led the team with 62.1 innings pitched. He also owns the distinction of being the only South Carolina pitcher to throw a complete game during the 2025 campaign. But he also led the team in some less flashy statistics, like losses (seven, compared to just two wins) and hits allowed (76). Overall, he pitched to a 6.50 ERA, 1.47 WHIP with 46 strikeouts.

Relief pitchers

Ashton Crowther (Miami) – Crowther spent much of the year as a bullpen arm (17 relief appearances) but started two contests for the Gamecocks. He pitched to a 2-2 record, 4.38 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 37 innings pitched. He earned 28 strikeouts, issued just 10 walks and allowed opposing batters to hit .263 against him.

Wyatt Evans (Tennessee) – Evans had not pitched in two seasons before transferring to South Carolina. Ultimately, that streak extended to three years, as he did not make an appearance in 2025.

Caleb Jones (Winthrop) – Jones, like Crowther, primarily served as a relief-pitching piece for the Gamecocks this past season. In 17.1 innings pitched across 15 appearances, he pitched to a 0-1 record, 6.23 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, all while striking out 15 batters and walking 11 in the process.

Aydin Palmer (Florence-Darlington Tech) – Despite wearing the No. 12 jersey, Palmer ended the season with a lot of “11” in his final stat line. Across 8.2 innings pitched, he allowed 11 hits and 11 earned runs – amounting to a 11.42 ERA – while earning 11 strikeouts and walking 11 batters.

Jackson Soucie (Wabash Valley College) – Soucie made the jump from junior college to the SEC and produced respectable numbers in his first season with South Carolina. He finished the campaign with a winning record (3-1), 5.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 32 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Brendan Sweeney (Blinn College) – Sweeney served as the Gamecocks’ Opening Day closer, picking up a save in the team’s season-opening win over Sacred Heart. He continued pitching in high-pressure situations for the Gamecocks and performed well in them; he had scoreless outings in 11 of his first 13 relief appearances. But some damaging displays drastically inflated his ERA and WHIP, which were 8.53 and 1.79, respectively, by season’s end. He also had a 1-3 record and struck out 34 hitters across 25.1 innings.

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