South Carolina Baseball: Gamecocks land transfer portal commitment

South Carolina baseball fans have had a lot of news come their way recently.

The Gamecocks' NCAA Tournament trip was a short one that ended on Sunday as they went 1-2 in the Raleigh Regional. Also over the weekend, USC commitment PJ Morlando won the Gatorade Player of the Year honor for the Palmetto State. Then, on Monday, Mark Kingston was fired as the disappointing season (another one) came to a close.

On Monday, despite the Kingston news, the South Carolina baseball squad secured their first commitment from the transfer portal as former Winthrop Eagles pitcher Caleb Jones announced his pledge to the Gamecocks. He specifically mentioned USC pitching coach Matt Williams and interim head coach Monte Lee in his announcement.

Jones, a rising senior, is from the Palmetto State and pitched at Strom Thurmond High School before graduating in 202. At 6'5" and 200 pounds, he has a solid frame that should allow him to hold up with a heavy workload if things go well for him in Columbia.

He has not put up the best overall numbers during his collegiate career (his 5.82 ERA in 2023 was the best of his career), but some underlying stats indicate that there could be some more to unlock within his arm. A solid 43-18 K-BB ratio in 43 1/3 innings and just 4 home runs allowed in 198 batters faced provide reason for optimism for South Carolina baseball fans.

Jones started five games in his Winthrop career, but he got the majority of his work as a reliever for the Eagles, so he should be expected to be a bullpen piece for USC, as well.

Jones pitched in both games Winthrop played against the Gamecocks this season, allowing an earned run in each matchup. Garrett Gainey, who transferred to South Carolina from Liberty, was a teammate of Jones' at Winthrop back in 2022.