Talented Palmetto State native commits to South Carolina baseball program

South Carolina baseball head coach Paul Mainieri and his staff have put together a roster that should be more competitve in 2025 than most programs are in the first year of a new coaching regime.

Since his hire in June, Mainieri and his staff have picked up some much-needed commitments from the transfer portal and junior college ranks that will help the Gamecocks next spring, but they also have been hard at work recruiting the future of the program, as well.

Over the weekend, after the Palmetto Games showcase, associate head coach Monte Lee teased out that USC had received a commitment as he posted on Twitter/X his typical "Cocks on Top" message to Gamecock nation. In his post, he revealed that the new pledge was "un Upsate gunslinger," meaning that the 'Cocks had landed a pitching prospect from the Upstate of South Carolina.

It didn't take long for the commitment to come forward. On Monday night, Easley High School right-handed pitcher Walker Cox came forward with his announcement.

Cox, who also plays first base, is a class of 2026 prospect who has a very projectable frame as a pitcher. He is listed at 6'6" and 180 pounds, but he can carry more weight effectively. His fastball sits in the upper 80s but tops out in the low 90s, and he throws two breaking pitches, a curveball and a slider, and a change-up.

Cox was one of six players at last weekend's Palmetto Games that threw their fastball over 90 miles per hour. Fellow Gamecock commit Seth Manning, a class of 2025 pledge, was another.

Cox is the 4th player committed to the South Carolina baseball program in the '26 cycle, and he is the first right-handed pitcher in the class. Ironically, he is the 2nd 2026 Gamecock pledge to come from just outside of Clemson, joining TL Hanna High School product Jackson Robinson, a left-handed pitcher.