South Carolina baseball has been very active in the transfer portal this summer.
The Gamecocks already have brought in several pitchers, a highly sought-after outfielder, some potential starting infielders, and a couple of interesting depth pieces. It was fairly clear that USC wanted to add a catcher, as well, and that finally came to fruition on Wednesday evening.
This latest commitment out of the portal came to light late on Wednesday night as former Texas A&M Aggies catcher Max Kaufer announced on Twitter/X that he was pledging his services to the South Carolina baseball program.
Kaufer was the Aggies' primary starting catcher as a true freshman in 2023, but after Jackson Appel transferred in from Penn ahead of the 2024 season, Kaufer didn't play nearly as much.
As a player, Kaufer is a defense-first catcher who was considered one of the top defensive players at the position when he came out of high school in the class of 2022. He also has some history at third base and first base, but he is a catcher first.
Kaufer's batting stats are underwhelming (just 24 hits and 2 home runs in 124 career at-bats), but he possesses some better-than-expected athleticism and a good prospect pedigree (top-300 national prospect out of high school), indicating that he has some offensive potential that could be unlocked if things go well for him. He also is a high-walk, low-strikeout player, further adding to the optimism behind his bat.
With former catcher-turned-infielder Talmadge LeCroy seemingly heading back to donning a mask again, Kaufer (a junior) likely will battle with the rising senior LeCroy and rising sophomore Ryan Bakes for playing time behind the dish. There also is the (slight) chance that Cole Messina returns for his senior season with the South Carolina baseball program, but he is expected to be a high pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.