South Carolina baseball has been extremely busy in the transfer portal since the Florida Gators ended their season in the Gainesville super regional. Kennedy Jones, Austin Brinling, Blake Jackson, and Ty Good headline an 8-man transfer class (so far), and the Gamecocks do not appear to be finished mining the portal for talent that can help win games in Columbia.
On Thursday, one of the top transfer portal players in the country announced his college decision. Colby Shelton, a Freshman All-American shortstop transferring from the University of Alabama, was deciding between South Carolina and Florida and announced his decision on his personal Twitter account.
https://twitter.com/ColbyShelton9/status/1671939904857620482?s=20
The potential national champion Gators add a huge piece to next year’s team. Shelton hit 25 home runs during his one season in Tuscaloosa and could be the best hitter in a loaded Florida lineup in 2024. Along with Georgia’s Charlie Condon and South Carolina baseball’s Ethan Petry, Shelton will be one of the country’s most hyped sophomores next season.
Missing out on Shelton hurts as his sister is going to be playing softball for Bev Smith’s team at Carolina, and his family is currently in the process of moving to Columbia. However, the Gamecocks are still expected to have one of the top teams in the SEC in 2024 and could improve more through the portal this offseason.
Billy Amick, a transfer from Clemson who went to high school at WW King Academy in Batesburg-Leesville, is the top portal target left on the board. After adding Austin Brinling before the season even officially ended, South Carolina baseball had three position players at the top of their wish list this offseason in Kennedy Jones, Colby Shelton, and Billy Amick. The Gamecocks landed Jones and missed out on Shelton.
Amick is still deliberating, but the talented hitter is certainly interested in the Gamecocks. He is also considering the Gators. A few other schools are involved, but Carolina and Florida appear to be the leaders.