South Carolina baseball rankings: Where Gamecocks stand in preseason coaches poll
South Carolina baseball will start the 2024 season ranked No. 21 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, which was released Tuesday.
The Gamecocks cracked the top 25 to start the season after finishing last year ranked No. 10. South Carolina finished the 2023 season with a 42-21 record. USC hosted a regional before being swept by national runner-up Florida in the Gainesville Super Regional.
The Gamecocks were ranked as high as No. 3 last season.
While South Carolina is replacing top talent from last season, including infielder Will McGillis and pitchers Noah Hall, Will Sanders and Jack Mahoney, coach Mark Kingston does return sophomore Ethan Petry, who led the team in batting average, home runs and RBIs as a freshman. Infielder Gavin Casas, catcher Cole Messina and pitchers Eli Jones and Eli Jerzembeck also return, and the Gamecocks added transfer pitcher Ty Good (College of Charleston) and infielder Kennedy Jones (UNC-Greensboro).
South Carolina's schedule includes seven series against preseason top 25 teams in 2024. The Gamecocks will play No. 9 Clemson (March 1-3), No. 6 Vanderbilt (March 22-24), No. 17 Alabama (March 28-30), No. 10 Texas A&M (April 5-7), No. 3 Florida (April 12-14), No. 4 Arkansas (April 19-21) and No. 8 Tennessee (May 16-18). They will also play a game against No. 15 North Carolina on April 9 at Truist Field in Charlotte.
South Carolina opens its regular season against Miami (Ohio) at 4 p.m. Feb. 16 at Founders Park.
USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll: Preseason rankings
Wake Forest
LSU
Florida
Arkansas
TCU
Vanderbilt
Oregon State
Tennessee
Clemson
Texas A&M
Virginia
East Carolina
Texas
Duke
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Alabama
UC Santa Barbara
Coastal Carolina
Iowa
South Carolina
Texas Tech
Stanford
UCLA
Northeastern
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: South Carolina baseball rankings: Gamecocks in preseason coaches poll
