South Carolina commit Aaron Jamison excited for challenge of helping Gamecocks improve in 2026

Aaron Jamison wanted an opportunity. He got one as a freshman, playing 44 games with 17 starts for his hometown school at West Virginia, but that wouldn’t be the case going into his sophomore year after longtime head coach Randy Mazey retired.

In the fall leading into the 2025 campaign, the Mountaineers wouldn’t give Jamison consistent playing time. Despite being from Morgantown, he knew there would be an opportunity elsewhere.

After spending a season at Fort Scott Community College, where he nearly hit .400, South Carolina came calling. They saw what he could do and offered him exactly what he had been looking for: a chance to make an immediate impact.

“I wanted to really wanted to find myself as a player again, put up some numbers,” Jamison told GamecockCentral. “… So that’s why I went to the JUCO route mid-year and put up some really good numbers. And then that’s when I found South Carolina and fell in love with it.”

During his official visit, Jamison spoke one-on-one with head coach Paul Mainieri, which he quickly noticed what he was about. He felt there was more to him than a coach solely focused on winning.

“At the end of the day, you want to win, but building the guys into grown men, really good dudes, is something that I got from him,” Jamison said. “I could sit down and talk to him forever about whatever, baseball, golf, life. For me, having a good relationship with coaches was important because it makes it so much easier to play freely when you have a coach who truly cares.”

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Jamison, who committed to the Gamecocks on April 19, batted .392 with 12 homers and 52 RBI to go along with a .487 on-base and .699 slugging percentage in 2025. He described himself as being more of a gap-to-gap hitter, but he’s been trying to develop other parts of his offensive game.

“I’ve been trying to really focus on cutting down strikeouts and trying to get the average up by being a hitter that could hit singles every now and then, or put one over the fence, or trying to be a really dynamic hitter overall is my goal,” he said. “But through the years, it’s always been, you know, extra base hit, homer guy. But then, who can also hit for contact if needed, or lay a few bunts down or whatever.”

In the outfield this year, Jamison only recorded one error with 74 putouts in 76 total chances. He finished with a .987 fielding percentage. He believes his defense is his biggest strength, which could be important with some spots in the Gamecocks’ outfield potentially opening up.

“I feel like the defensive side of it is where my athleticism comes into play and and I’ve had no problem with defense,” Jamison said. “I’d say I’m more of like, really aggressive, not scared to make plays type of defender. If I need to lay out, if I need to make a play at the wall, I really pride myself on being aggressive and just playing elite-level defense.”

When Jamison eventually arrives on campus for the fall, he knows nothing will be given to him and that he will have to earn the right to play every day. He’s also aware he’s coming in at a low point after South Carolina finished with its most losses in program history.

But that’s a challenge that he will fully embrace to try and help the Gamecocks get back on track.

“I think it’s a challenge. I mean, anywhere you go, it is a challenge,” Jamison said. “… So that’s why I’m still interested, even though they’ve still had a decent year, but it could be a lot better. But I still feel like the coaches, they just have so much knowledge, and I feel like they can turn it around.”

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