It's officially baseball season.
Well, opening day is still three weeks away but the Gamecocks start official spring practice Friday afternoon at Founders Park, getting ready for the big day on Feb. 14.
Before they hit the field, there's a lot to get caught up on. Here are five important storylines to look out for as the season inches closer.
Rotation, rotation, rotation
Right now, the Gamecocks enter spring scrimmages in need of finding two weekend starters with plenty of talent to choose from. It seems like a forgone conclusion at this point first-round talent Carmen Mlodzinski is going to be the team's opening day starter barring something unforeseen, which leaves two spots up for grabs.
The Gamecocks have options with junior college transfer Thomas Farr a guy who could easily snag a rotation spot, while another junior college pitcher Brannon Jordan and Brett Kerry could also land a spot in the rotation as well.
Also see: Hoops recruiting notes
Farr didn't pitch in the fall but Skylar Meade calls his bullpens "electric," while Jordan has improved tremendously since the end of fall ball. Kerry had a phenomenal freshman season at South Carolina, earning freshmen All-American honors and is expected to have a huge role on the pitching staff if he doesn't earn a rotation spot.
He was a jack-of-all trades last year—starting, closing, middle relief at times—and could do the same this year.
Andy Peters, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, could start on the weekend but that would likely come later if he does.
Regardless, finding two other starters on the weekend is priority number one entering spring so other bullpen positions can fall into place after.
First base battle
The left side of the infield seems set with freshman Brennan Milone and George Callil the odds-on starters to be at third base and shortstop, respectively, on opening day. Noah Campbell's the incumbent at second and will have competition behind him with Jeff Heinrich, but the real battle is at first base.
The Gamecocks have options there with utility man Bryant Bowen and sophomores Wes Clarke and Josiah Sightler pushing him. Bowen, who's a grad transfer, seems like the favorite to win the spot given his experience level, but Clarke was a guy who came on hot at the end of the season and had an all-star summer in the Valley League, following it up with a very solid fall on campus.
Sightler struggled as a freshman but is coming back with a year of experience under his belt. The first base battle seems to be the last piece of the infield puzzle to figure out.
Also see: 2021 quarterback likes Bobo hire, details future plans
Hitters hitting a stride
Last year was about as hot-and-cold at the plate as a team can get with the Gamecocks ranking in the top half of the league in slugging percentage, triples and homers but last in hits and average and next to last in on base percentage.
This year Stuart Lake takes over as the Gamecocks' hitting coach and is expected to show results in the positive if the team wants to get back to the postseason.
The emphasis this year is more on driving the ball in-line drives and battling with two strikes to cut down on strikeouts and make the entire lineup full of tough outs.
Seeing the impacts of that after a full offseason of work will be something to pay attention to heading into the season.
Grad transfer impact
Seniors in college baseball are already a dying breed, which makes two grad transfers on the same team very unique. Both transfers—Bowen and Dallas Beaver—are guys expected to make a big impact this season.
Bowen will likely play majority first or in the outfield while Beaver is primarily a catcher but could play first as well, but both are being relied on for their bat and veteran leadership.
Also see: Coach's corner on Demarko Williams
The two combined to slash .329/.431/.554 last season with 23 homers and 107 RBI to just 92 total strikeouts.
It might be a little unrealistic to expect that same production week in and week out in the SEC, but the two could be big catalysts in charge of helping revitalize the offense.
Youth movement
Like last year, the Gamecocks bring in a big crop of talent ranging from junior college to high school prospects.
They have a lot of talent with guys who made big impacts at the JUCO level in Farr, Jordan, Peters Heinrich with outfielders Noah Myers and Anthony Amicangelo.
Brennan Milone and Brett Thomas were considered top 200 prospects out of high school and spurned the draft to come to school. They also have a host of other freshmen who could work themselves into significant roles this season.
How those guys gel and adjust once games start will in large part dictate how things go for South Carolina this season.
