'The kid wants to win': What to expect from transfer slugger Logan Sutter at South Carolina

Terry Rooney is a big reason why Logan Sutter transferred to South Carolina. He was also the reason why Sutter ended up at Purdue. But it may not have happened if not for Rich Gregory.

Gregory, Sutter’s junior college coach, saw his potential early on when he watched him play at Del Oro, east of Sacramento. He had a vision of what the future could look like for the high school senior.

When that vision came true a few years later, Gregory didn’t understand why Sutter hadn’t found a new college home yet. That’s when he met Rooney for the first time.

“(Rooney) flew out, came and saw (Sutter) in the state championship. I was like, ‘Hey, this is a guy. I’m not sure why he’s not signed yet. He should be,'” Gregory told GamecockCentral. “He watched him over the weekend, and by the end of the weekend, he had a scholarship to Purdue.”

Sutter went on to have two strong seasons with the Boilermakers, hitting nearly .350 with 23 homers, 99 RBI and a 1.135 OPS. After this season, he entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility left. Rooney, now at South Carolina in the same role as recruiting coordinator, reached out to Gregory about Sutter.

The conversation wasn’t much different from their first. Rooney knew what Sutter could do from their time together at Purdue, and so did Gregory. The Gamecocks were able to land Sutter, which, in turn, added one of the top bats from the portal.

This will be the third and final stop of his college career, which began at Folsom Lake College, playing under Gregory for two seasons. For a time, though, it didn’t look like that would be the case. It took more than three months for Gregory to sell Sutter on the idea of playing JUCO baseball.

“I knew that he was a football player in high school, and that had been a big priority for him,” Gregory said. “I tend to like those types of high school kids, because they’re not that travel ball kid, right? They’re a little bit multisport. They have a lot of other things going on for them, and then at some point, they make a decision. So I spent a lot of time recruiting him, but I couldn’t get him to commit.”

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But through a mutual connection, Gregory convinced one of Sutter’s teammates to explain to him why coming to Folsom Lake would be good for him. Surprisingly, it worked. Sutter bought into Gregory’s vision of developing him into a well-rounded player.

After experiencing an up-and-down first year, the 6-foot-1 slugger excelled in 2023, hitting .390 with 11 homers, 69 RBI and a near 1.200-plus OPS in 205 at-bats. He became the Big 8 Conference MVP. He was also a Junior College All-American and a two-time first-team all-conference performer.

When he continued to put up similar numbers at Purdue, it didn’t surprise Gregory at all.

“I think one of the things that probably most junior college coaches are willing to admit to themselves is that the consistency at the division one level, at a high level, is that the pitching is better. You think that a player might translate at that level, but you’re not entirely sure all of the time,” he said. “I think what you see from him and the highlights you see, that’s what it looked like for us in junior college at Folsom Lake College.”

One aspect of Sutter’s game that Gregory believes will translate well at South Carolina is his plate approach. He said it’s “a bit more advanced” compared to other hitters.

“I think he has a really good understanding of what his abilities are, what he can do with pitches,” Gregory said. “He’s one of those unique kids, right-handed hitters, not a lot of right-handed hitters, who have a lot of power to the opposite field and to centerfield. … If you look at Logan’s stuff, it’s left centerfield to right field, and 70 percent of his home runs are in that direction.”

While Sutter’s bat is his strong suit, he’s also a good defender. Most of his action in 2025 came at first base, where he played for 47 games. He saw some time at third base with seven games under his belt when he was at Purdue. Sutter made five errors and had a .987 fielding percentage in two seasons.

Going into next season, South Carolina already has its corner infielders with freshmen Beau Hollins and KJ Scobey returning. Sutter has a lot of experience as a designated hitter, where he made 32 starts in 2024. So that could be how the Gamecocks utilize him.

However, Gregory spoke highly of Sutter’s defense. He was surprised how little he’s played at third base, considering that was his main position at Folsom Lake.

“I always saw him as a third baseman and at the pro level, potentially. I don’t know if he could stick there at the pro level, but I thought for sure an offensive bat in the corner outfield,” Gregory said. “I mean, the kid throws 90 miles an hour off the mound, which is exciting these days, but he’s got enough arm strength to play those positions.”

Regardless of where Sutter plays, he should be able to have a role as an everyday player in the lineup. He’ll be one of many new faces joining the team in the fall as South Carolina continues to add more pieces from the transfer portal.

“He doesn’t talk a lot. He does whatever you ask him to do. … The kid wants to win, and he just continues to progress and get better as a player,” Gregory said.

“He’s our first guy to play in the SEC. That’s a really big deal out here for anybody who can get that kind of accomplishment. More than anything, I’m incredibly proud of him. He’s got a college degree. He’s having success playing the game that he loves, and I can’t wait to see what he does at South Carolina.”

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