South Carolina baseball hires Liberty pitching coach Matt Williams, replacing Justin Parker

COLUMBIA — South Carolina baseball has hired Matt Williams of Liberty as its pitching coach, the team announced Tuesday.

Williams replaces Justin Parker, who was with the Gamecocks for two seasons before he was hired as pitching coach at Mississippi State on Monday.

Williams spent four seasons at Liberty and has 18 years of experience as a collegiate pitching coach. The Flames had a down year in 2023 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament, but Williams' staff ranked No. 15 in the country in strikeouts and set the program's single-season record in 2022. The group also finished top 15 in the country in runs allowed per game, ERA, shutouts and WHIP in 2021.

Prior to Liberty, Williams served as an international crosschecker for the MLB's San Diego Padres, then as the pitching coach for the team's minor league affiliate in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He also spent five seasons as the pitching coach UNC Wilmington, coaching three Colonial Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year winners.

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South Carolina had a 4.19 ERA and ranked No. 2 in the SEC in 2023 despite injuries to top starters Noah Hall and Will Sanders. The Gamecocks finished with the second-fewest walks allowed, the fewest home runs allowed and the fourth-most strikeouts in the conference.

South Carolina isn't likely to return any of its starting pitchers from 2023 except sophomore Matthew Becker, who moved to the Sunday starter after Hall's season-ending injury in April. However, the Gamecocks have already picked up four arms in the transfer portal, including CAA Pitcher of the Year Ty Good from College of Charleston and Liberty's Garrett Gainey. Gainey had a 7.28 ERA and a 4-3 record in 13 appearances under Williams in 2023.

The Gamecocks had a resurgence in 2023 after finishing below .500 in 2022. They had their first 40-win season and hosted their first NCAA Tournament regional as a national seed since 2016 and reached their first super regional since 2018. South Carolina finished the season 42-21 after being swept in the Gainesville Super Regional by No. 2 Florida.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina baseball hires Liberty pitching coach Matt Williams