South Carolina Baseball: Senior leaves the program
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina baseball is off to an incredible start to the 2023 season. Their 17-1 record is the best in the nation, and the Gamecocks have risen to #16 in the D1Baseball poll. Perhaps most amazingly, all nine spots in the lineup have been primarily occupied by a player who was not the starter at that position last season.
One of the replaced starters from last year’s team seems as if he is intending to enter the transfer portal. According to a report from The Big Spur’s John Whittle, Kevin Madden has left the program. Last season, Madden started over 50 games between third base, first base, and designated hitter. This year, players like Gavin Casas (first base), Talmadge LeCroy (third base), and Carson Hornung (DH) have taken over much of Madden’s duties.
Madden has transferred one previous time. He began his career at Virginia Tech where he spent three seasons starting as a Hokie. 2022 was Madden’s first in garnet and black, and he was not as productive in Columbia as he had been in Blacksburg. In limited action in 2023, Madden hit one home run as a pinch hitter but had not cracked the starting lineup.
Madden had seen some playing time as one of the backup third basemen this season. However, higher-upside player Michael Braswell also backs up LeCroy at the spot, and freshman phenom Ethan Petry has experience at the hot corner (Petry has been starting in right field but came into the program as a third baseman). Chris Veach has also played a small amount of third this year, though he will be used primarily as a relief pitcher.
The Gamecocks will take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens this weekend to open up their SEC schedule. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday at 6:00, and Saturday’s contest will begin at 2:00. Both games will be broadcast on the SECNetwork+ and the ESPN App. Sunday’s game will be at 3:00 but will be shown on the SECNetwork and ESPN App.