Elite hitter transferring to South Carolina baseball program

New South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri and his staff were hired last week but already have been adding some new pieces to the roster in hopes of filling the notable holes from this year's team.

Several transfers, both from other college programs and from the junior college ranks, announced in the last two weeks their intentions to be Gamecocks, and on Monday, another one joined them.

Kansas City Kansas Junior College product Jase Woita has committed to the South Carolina baseball program, according to a report from SportsTalk's Phil Kornblut.

A first baseman with experience playing third base and pitching, Woita is an elite hitter from the left side of the plate. In two years at KCKJC, Woita posted a ridiculous slash line of .417/.514/.725/1.239 while smacking 23 home runs, legging out 33 doubles, scoring 105 runs, knocking in 138 RBI, and posting a remarkable 42/65 K/BB ratio.

Woita has good bat control as evidenced by his ability to use all fields as a hitter. He is able to turn on a ball on the inner half, too, and he has enough speed to make a few things happen on the base paths. His glove isn't bad on the corners, either, but he is expected to play first base for South Carolina.

Originally from the state of Nebraska, Woita will head East and immediately compete for the Gamecocks' starting gig at first base for next season, assuming Ethan Petry makes the move back to the outfield.

Woita's ability to hit for both contact and power from the left side could help Carolina replace the production from important lefty bats like Dalton Reeves, Gavin Casas, and Dylan Brewer. If things go well for him as he competes through fall camp with the Gamecocks, he could earn his way to a prominent role in the USC lineup.

Woita joins Dalton Mashore (outfielder, St. Mary's College) and Cayden Gaskin (utility, Northwest Florida State College) as potentially dynamic position players to announce transfers to the South Carolina baseball program this summer.