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South Carolina lands commitment from mid-major reliever: 'I'm pumped'

imageby: Jack Veltri05/26/25jacktveltri
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Josh Gregoire (Photo courtesy of ULM Athletics)

Louisiana Monroe right-handed pitcher Josh Gregoire has committed to South Carolina, he tells GamecockCentral. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

“I’m pumped. I mean, with the coaching staff, I really think we’re going to turn this thing around this year,” Gregoire said. “We’re going to turn it around and bring back the pride to Columbia, South Carolina.”

Gregoire, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound redshirt sophomore, pitched out of the bullpen with the Warhawks in 2025. He went 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 34.0 innings of work. He struck out 40 and walked 18 batters in 23 appearances.

With head coach Mike Federico leaving ULM, Gregoire decided to enter the portal, which led to him getting in contact with Gamecocks pitching coach Terry Rooney. He said the coaching staff “loved me” and brought him to Columbia on an official visit this past weekend.

“Growing up in Baton Rouge, Paul Mainieri is a legend. I mean, he’s a super experienced coach. I mean, he’s got a lot of wisdom. I’ve always kind of looked up to him, and so to have a chance to be coached by him is a kind of a dream come true for me as a kid. I mean, I’ve loved him forever,” Gregoire said, explaining his decision to commit.

“Founders Park is a beautiful field. I’ve heard great things about it, and once I got to see it in person, I was in love. I mean, it’s an awesome place. I can already picture myself out there with 10,000 fans out there, and me on the mound.”

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The other main aspect behind Gregoire’s desire to come to South Carolina came down to the plan in place to continue his development as a pitcher. While he said he’ll have to earn his spot, he guesses that he’ll be used out of the bullpen next season.

“Between Coach Rooney and Coach (Chris) Gordon,” he said, “they had done their research on me and had watched a ton of film on me and had a plan for me could get better to hopefully one day get drafted. And that was the thing that ultimately sold me.”

Gregoire’s pitch mix consists of his fastball, splitter and a slider. His fastball velocity ranged from 91 to 95 miles per hour, with opponents hitting .197 against him this season.

“I think what worked for me best was the combination of my fastball and my splitter and the way they play together,” Gregoire said. “But for me, I think more than that, the biggest thing was being healthy. I mean, it was my third year of college, and the first year that I played a full season. So getting healthy, staying healthy, was kind of a catalyst for me, honestly.”

This is the first portal pickup for the Gamecocks this offseason, coming off their worst season in program history after finishing 28-29 (6-24 SEC) under head coach Paul Mainieri. The portal will remain open through July 2.

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