Baseball Announces Newcomers for 2026 Season
COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team is welcoming its newcomers for the 2026 season on the first day of classes (Aug. 19) at USC. The 27 newcomers include a portal class which was ranked No. 4 in the country by 64 Analytics.
Here is a list of newcomers in alphabetical order
#17 Tyler Bak – OF – Jr. – Sugar Hill, Ga./Wofford
- Played two seasons at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., where he made 88 games with 70 starts in the outfield
- Hit .325 with 10 doubles, 20 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a .427 on-base percentage in 2025.
- Helped the Terriers to the Chapel Hill Regional in 2024 after winning the Southern Conference Tournament championship
- Was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team in 2024 after driving in 19 runs and stealing 10 bases.
#45 Connor Chicoli – RHP – So. – Raleigh, N.C./Georgia Tech
- Played one season at Georgia Tech, where he was 1-1 on the mound in 14 appearances and five starts
- Struck out 18 batters for the Yellow Jackets and earned the win at Mercer, pitching 7.2 innings with four punchouts on May 7, 2025
- Attended Pro5 Baseball Academy, where he was a Preseason All-Atlantic Region first team member in 2024 by Perfect Game
#9 Will Craddock – INF – Fr. – Anderson, S.C./T.L. Hanna HS
- Attended T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, S.C., where he was the Region 5A-Division 2 Player of the Year as a senior
- Hit 10 home runs as a senior for the Yellow Jackets
- Was a Perfect Game Preseason All-Atlantic Region second team as a senior in 2025
#2 Brandon Cromer – OF/LHP – Fr. – Lexington, S.C./Lexington HS
- Attended Lexington High School in Lexington, S.C., where he helped the Wildcats to the state title in 2024
- Hit .308 with 20 stolen bases and 27 RBI as a junior at Lexington
- Was ranked the No. 2 LHP in the state of South Carolina in the class of 2025 by Diamond Prospects
- Cousin, David, played for USC from 2021-24. Uncles Tripp, DT and Burke all played for the Gamecocks
#16 Patrick Dudley – LHP – Fr. – Virginia Beach, Va./Atlantic Shores Christian HS
- Attended Atlantic Shores Christian High School in Virginia Beach, Va., lettering for four years.
- Had 85 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched to go along with a 2.00 ERA as a senior
- The Virginian-Pilot All-Tidewater team (2024, ’25)
- VISAA All-State Division II first team (2025)
#3 Patrick Evans – INF – Jr. – Lexington, S.C./Florence-Darlington Tech
- Attended Florence-Darlington Tech in Florence, S.C., for two years, where he hit .453 with 10 home runs and 75 RBI in 54 games for the Stingers in 2025
- Helped the Stingers to a NJCAA World Series appearance and was named an NJCAA First Team All-American in 2025
- Region 10 Player of the Year (2025)
- Hit .373 as a freshman at Florence-Darlington Tech with 17 RBI
- Went to Lexington High School in Lexington, S.C., where he was a Perfect Game All-Atlantic honorable mention in 2023
#20 Elijah Foster – RHP – Jr. – Plainfield, N.J./Sacred Heart
- Attended Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., for two years, where he was an All-Northeast Conference second team selection in 2024
- Had 10 career wins for the Pioneers in 30 starts with 156 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched
- Had a career high 10 strikeouts in a start vs. Norfolk State on April 28, 2024
- Went to high school at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, N.J.
#47 Josh Gregoire – RHP – Jr. – Baton Rouge, La./ULM
- Attended Louisiana-Monroe in Monroe, La., in 2025, where he was 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 23 appearances with five saves
- Held opponents to a .197 batting average and had 40 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched
- Started his college career at LSU Eunice, where he had 23 strikeouts in 14.1 innings
- Was a first team All-District selection at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, La.
#24 Josh Gunther – RHP – Jr. – Fairhope, Ala./Wake Forest
- Attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., for two years, where he had a 3.41 ERA and six saves in 26 appearances for the Demon Deacons
- Struck out 47 batters in 29 innings pitched in 2025, helping Wake to the NCAA Tournament and the NCAA Knoxville Regional
- Made 28 appearances out of the bullpen in 2024, striking out 38 batters in 31.1 innings
- Was the Alabama Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Year in 2023 at Bayside Academy in Daphne, Ala.
#30 Dawson Harman – INF – Jr. – Lithia, Fla./College of Central Florida
- Attended the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Fla., for the 2025 season, where he hit .370 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI for the Patriots.
- Was a First Team All-NJCAA honoree in 2025
- Started his collegiate career at High Point in 2024, belting four home runs along with 15 RBI in 40 games and 19 starts
- Helped Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Fla., to a state championship in 2021 and was an all-conference selection in 2022
#6 Bradley Hodges – LHP – Jr. – Fleming Island, Fla./Virginia
- Attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., for three years, where he made 28 appearances with nine starts and four career wins
- Was 2-1 with a 4.88 ERA in eight starts in 2025
- Struck out seven and allowed just one run in seven innings in a win at Georgia Tech (April 26, 2025)
- Missed the 2024 season due to injury and has two years of eligibility at Carolina
- Went to high school at St Johns Country Day School in Orange Park, Fla., where he was the 2022 Florida Class 2A Player of the Year
#14 Caleb Hoover – OF/1B – So. – Heath, Texas/Grayson College
- Attended Grayson College in Denison, Texas, last season, where he hit .339 with 16 home runs and 49 RBI in 41 games played
- Went to high school at Rockwell-Heath in Heath, Texas, where he was a Perfect Game All-Texas Region first team selection in 2024
- Originally enrolled at Oklahoma State, where he went through fall practice in 2024
#29 Cullen Horowicz – RHP – Sr. – Shepherdstown, W. Va./Samford
- Attended Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., for two years, where he struck out 16 batters in 7.2 innings pitched in 2025
- Hit .270 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 2024 for the Bulldogs
- Started his collegiate career at Army, where he saw action in 11 games for the Black Knights in 2022
- Went to San Jacinto College-North in Houston, Texas, in 2023, where he had 16 RBI and 14 walks
#18 Aaron Jamison – OF – Jr. – Morgantown, W. Va./Fort Scott CC
- Attended Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan., for the 2025 season, where he hit .392 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI in 52 games played
- Spent his freshman season at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W. Va., where he played in 44 games with three home runs and 16 RBI
- Was a first team All-West Virginia selection and ranked the No. 1 player in the state of West Virginia by Perfect Game at Morgantown High School in 2023
#28 Hudson Lee – LHP – Jr. – Roebuck, S.C./Clemson
- Comes to Carolina from Clemson University, where he made 15 appearances for the Tigers in 2025
- Had 19 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched for Clemson
- Went to Wake Forest University for two seasons, making two appearances for the Demon Deacons in 2024
- Was an all-state selection in both baseball and football at Dorman High School in Roebuck, S.C.
#12 Ethan Lizama – OF – Sr. – Asan Heights, Guam/Western Kentucky
- Comes to Carolina after playing two seasons at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., where he earned Conference USA Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2025
- Hit .336 with 15 home runs, 18 doubles, 60 RBI and 56 runs scored as a redshirt junior in 2025
- Hit .389 and had seven RBI in the 2025 Conference USA Tournament
- Had nine home runs and a .309 average for the Hilltoppers in 2024
- Spent two seasons at Gulf Coast State, driving in 96 runs in his career
- Went to high school at Eastlake in Chula Vista, Calif., where he was a first team all-conference selection
#22 Reese Moore – C – Jr. – Van Meter, Iowa/Iowa
- Attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, for three years, where he was an All-Big Ten first team selection in 2025
- Hit .304 with nine home runs and 45 RBI as a redshirt sophomore in 2025
- Was named to the All-Big Ten third team and the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2024, hitting .298 with 32 RBI
- Prepped at Van Meter High School his senior season, helping the Bulldogs to an undefeated season and state championship in 2022
#37 Bryce Navarre – LHP – So. – Montgomery, Texas/Texas
- Spent his freshman season at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where he went 1-0 with six strikeouts in six appearances on the mound
- Played at Montgomery High School in Montgomery, Texas, and was ranked the No. 3 LHP and No. 15 overall player in the State of Texas by Perfect Game
- Was a Preseason All-Texas Region first team by Perfect Game in 2024
#4 Erik Parker – INF – So. – Atlanta, Ga./Georgia
- Attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., for the 2025 season
- Made 16 appearances for the Bulldogs and hit .250 with a pair of walks
- Was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft
- Went to North Gwinnett High School, where he hit .333 with 28 stolen bases as a senior
#13 Amp Phillips – RHP – Jr. – Lancaster, S.C./USC Upstate
- Attended USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C., in 2025, where he was 7-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched
- Struck out nine in six innings in a start against Clemson in the 2025 Clemson Regional
- Went to Spartanburg Methodist for his first two seasons of college, where he struck out 51 batters in 45.2 innings as a freshman
- Went to high school at Andrew Jackson in Kershaw, S.C.
#11 Alex Philpott – RHP – Jr. – Tampa, Fla./Florida
- Attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., for two seasons, where he had three wins and 44 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched in 2025
- As a freshman, went 2-2 with 28 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched
- Prepped at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Fla., where he struck out 102 batters in 58 innings pitched in his final two seasons
- Was a Perfect Game Preseason All-Florida Region first team selection in 2022 and 2023
#35 Logan Prisco – LHP – So. – Selden, N.Y./Florence-Darlington Tech
- Attended Florence-Darlington Tech in Florence, S.C., for two seasons, where he won 11 games in 16 appearances for the Stingers in 2025
- Had 87 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched in 2025
- Went to high school at Newfield High School in Centereach, N.Y., where he was the No. 22 LHP in the State of New York in the 2023 class
#21 Jake Randolph – C – Sr. – Vero Beach, Fla./Presbyterian
- Attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., for three years, where he hit. 329 with 32 RBI in 2025
- Was a Second Team All-Big South selection in 2024
- Had six hits in a game vs. Longwood on March 4, 2025
- Went to Vero Beach High School in Vero Beach, Fla., helping the Fighting Indians to four district titles
#8 Jack Reynolds – INF – Jr. – Columbia, S.C./Gulf Coast State College
- Attended Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla., for two years, where he hit .369 with eight home runs and 40 RBI in 2024
- Played in 17 games in 2025, hitting .283 with four home runs
- Started his career at Clemson, where he redshirted in 2023
- Was a four-year letterwinner at P27 Academy in Lexington, S.C.
- Was the No. 1 shortstop and No. 4 overall player in the State of South Carolina in the class of 2022 by Perfect Game
#0 Logan Sutter – INF – Sr. – Loomis, Calif./Purdue
- Comes to Carolina from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where he was an All-Big Ten second team selection in 2025
- Hit .367 with a 1.180 OPS and set a Purdue record with 22 doubles in 2025
- Led the team with 16 doubles in 2024 and was recognized as Purdue’s Offensive Player of the Year
- Started his collegiate career at Folsom Lake College in Folsom, Calif., where he hit .390 and was a JuCo All-American in 2023
- Went to Del Oro High School in Loomis, Calif., hitting .429 as a senior
#7 Alex Valentin – LHP – Jr. – Hollywood, Fla./Texas State
- Attended Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, for the 2025 season, going 5-5 with 58 strikeouts in 16 games and 11 starts
- Was the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week on March 4, 2025, after striking out six in 6.1 innings in a win over Grand Canyon on March 2
- Went to Nova Southeastern in 2024, going 3-3 with 58 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched
- Graduate high school from ESB Academy in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
#34 Luke Yuhasz – OF – Sr. – Moss Bluff, La./Louisiana-Lafayette
- Attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for three seasons, where he hit .320 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 2025
- Had 14 career home runs and 53 career RBI for the Ragin’ Cajuns
- Went to Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff, La., helping the Broncos to a 5A state semifinal appearance in 2021
- Was the No. 2 outfielder and No. 8 overall prospect in the State of Louisiana by Perfect Game in 2022
