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South Carolina baseball's KJ Scobey invited to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp

by: Kevin Miller06/26/25kevinbmiller52
South Carolina baseball third baseman KJ Scobey. Photo by: Katie Dugan | GamecockCentral
KJ Scobey (Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

South Carolina baseball sophomore infielder KJ Scobey has been invited to training camp with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. USA Baseball announced the news on Thursday. Scobey is one of 56 players who earned an invitation to compete for an expected 28 roster spots.

Scobey’s Gamecock teammate Ethan Petry was invited to training camp in 2023 but didn’t play with the team that summer. Starting pitcher Will Sanders was the most recent South Carolina baseball product on Team USA’s collegiate team, playing in 2021. Other former USC stars (12 in total) who have played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team include Jackie Bradley, Jr., Justin Smoak, and Dave Hollins, father of current Carolina first baseman Beau Hollins.

Scobey will report to training camp in Cary, North Carolina at the beginning of next week. Following a five-day tryout, USA Baseball will announce the final team. Following the final roster announcement, Team USA will face off against Japan in the 45th annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series later in July.

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During his freshman 2025 season, Scobey showcased tons of potential. Despite dealing with a slow start (just two multi-hit games and one home run in 17 contests before SEC play began), Scobey finished the year with nine multi-hit games and eight home runs. He hit a walk-off double to center against North Florida in April and hit four of his long balls in the final two weeks of the season.

Scobey’s final slash line was .257/.348/.419/.767, and he tallied 15 extra-base hits, 34 runs scored, and 27 RBI. He started 56 games for South Carolina, all at third base. Though he played virtually every inning at the hot corner, Scobey made just four errors in 31 total SEC contests. Head coach Paul Mainieri routinely praised his defense and cool-headed demeanor.

Even with a large number of players transferring from the Gamecocks this offseason, Scobey was one of the first names to indicate his intention to return to Columbia for the 2026 campaign. He will begin his sophomore year as a favorite for a starting role on the left side of USC’s infield. South Carolina will look to bounce back from a 2025 season in which the team went 28-29 overall and 6-24 in SEC play.

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