The South Carolina baseball program is rebuilding under new head coach Kevin Schnall. One of his biggest priorities while he settles in at Columbia is getting elite talent on his Gamecock roster. Even before his first season begins, he is doing just that.
He is doing just that on the recruiting trail, and landed a pair of verbal commits, one to his 2027 class and the Gamecocks' 2028 class on Monday evening. The 2027 player is OF/RHP Cooper Devries. The utility player plays high school baseball out of Dorman High School in Simpsonville, S.C.
Simpsonville sits roughly 90 miles northeast of Columbia, so Devries won't have to go too far from home to play college baseball. Coach Schnall has also mentioned wanting to attract some of the most talented players from the Palmetto State. Landing a prospect like Devries also checks that box for Schnall's vision for this Gamecocks program.
The Gamecocks also added a player to their 2028 class on the same night. Cam Rakaczewski, who is from Greencastle, Pa., also committed to South Carolina. He plays high school baseball out of Greencastle-Antrim. He joins new South Carolina commit Cooper DeWaal, who committed to the Gamecocks last week. South Carolina's 2028 class now features Ivan Andino, Hudson Simmons, Beau Hite, Andrew Mundy and Keegan Sawyer.
Here’s another one. South Carolina adds a commitment to its 2027 class with OF/RHP Cooper Devries.
— Jack Veltri (@Jacktveltri) September 21, 2026
Devries is a Simpsonville, S.C. native and attends Dorman High School. https://t.co/Ge4f4G53HX pic.twitter.com/Y3LHIFvfnq
“One-A is player acquisition," Schnall said in June of his biggest priorties as he takes over at South Carolina. "We have to retain the right players, and we have to acquire the right players. Players that obviously have the right skillset, but they have to have the right energy. They have to have the right makeup, and we have to have the right people.”
Congrats to both guys on committing to the Gamecocks, and welcome home to South Carolina!
In addition to putting in work on the recruiting trail, South Carolina baseball is also busy preparing for fall scrimmages next month. Starting Oct. 9, the team will play four scrimmages in and around the South Carolina area. The scrimmages will give Gamecock fans a great opportunity to get a first look at Coach Schnall's new squad.
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