Ah, the smell of spring is in the air and that can only mean one thing: the return of South Carolina baseball. Today, we preview the 2018 baseball season and what lies ahead for the Gamecocks.

The Schedule

The 2018 schedule is here!! The Gamecocks will play 34 games at Founders Park this season, starting with Opening Day against @VMIbaseco on Feb. 16!! #Gamecocks #ForeverToThee



RELEASE: https://t.co/ShJW46OgKH pic.twitter.com/dcziMKl1QJ — Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) November 29, 2017

Year One for HC Mark Kingston

The future is here. pic.twitter.com/t1UrTpVJBe — Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) July 1, 2017

Gamecocks head coach Mark Kingston looks to make a splash in year one. Coming from South Florida, Kingston hopes to implement his philosophy of power and speed into a team that was lacking in both categories a year ago.

While Kingston does have eight years of head coaching experience at Illinois State and USF, it’s safe to say this job will be unlike any he’s had before. Everyone knows the expectations that are set by South Carolina fans, and this will be the first time he has felt that sort of pressure as a head coach. He said all of the right things at his introductory press conference about said expectations, however, it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure if the season does get off to a slow start.

From everything we’ve heard, the players absolutely love him and really relate to Kingston’s message. From doing things such as adding a new “hit tracker” into the Gamecocks batting cages to changing the hitting philosophy entirely, it’s evident Kingston is doing everything he can to put his stamp on this baseball program.

New faces amongst the starting rotation

South Carolina will go with junior RHP Adam Hill, sophomore RHP Cody Morris and junior RHP Ridge Chapman for their first starting rotation.

After posting a 3.04 ERA a year ago, Adam Hill will have to adjust into the Friday night role. The junior spent his first two seasons in the Sunday role, but has the right makeup to be one of the best Friday night starters in the SEC. Hill brings good velocity to the mound but has a great feel for his pitches as well, allowing him to be crafty when needed.

The rest of the weekend rotation is unproven. Sophomore Cody Morris has big time potential and will man the Saturday starting role. Morris sits low to mid 90s with his fastball that has heavy sink to it as well. Couple that with a slurvy breaking ball and a solid change-up, and Morris might have the best overall “stuff” of any pitcher on the roster.

On Sunday, Spartanburg Methodist transfer and junior Ridge Chapman will get his first chance to contribute as a Gamecock. Chapman features a fastball in the low 90s with a devastating slider as his out pitch.

Beyond blessed and excited to say that I've committed to play baseball at The University of South Carolina! #Spursup 🐔 pic.twitter.com/eYkhQZGyKa — Ridge Chapman (@RidgeChapman) November 4, 2016

Bullpen looks to replace key contributors

South Carolina begins 2018 after losing some key pieces from its bullpen. Reed Scott, Josh Reagan and Tyler Johnson were all huge pieces of the bullpen that were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft.

We know for sure who will fill one of those roles. Head coach Mark Kingston announced that junior RHP Eddy Demurias would have the first opportunity to be the Gamecocks closer in 2018. Demurias sits in the low 90s with his fastball and features a plus slider as well. He’ll have the task of filling the shoes of Tyler Johnson, who was one of the best closers in the SEC the past two seasons.

#9Days – RHP @DatDudeED5 joins the #Gamecocks for his first season.



Demurias earned All-Southern Conference second team honors at Miami Dade JC last season. He finished the 2017 season 7-3 with a 1.86 ERA. #SpursUp #KissTheRing pic.twitter.com/2H7iwl0wEB — Armchair South Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) February 7, 2018

From there, South Carolina will rely on a slew of new faces to help in the back end of the bullpen. While there is talent there, fully expect shuffling and tinkering with some new guys to find out who fits best in each role. One returnee who should see his innings increase is sophomore RHP Colby Lee. While Lee did battle inconsistency issues last season, he undoubtedly has the skill-set to be a middle-reliever or even set up man for the Gamecocks.

Veteran line-up needs to take next step in 2018

South Carolina returns a ton of talent to their starting lineup in 2018. The Gamecocks have eight guys that played last spring. However, those hitters will need to take the next step under new head coach Mark Kingston.

South Carolina finished 217th out of 295 teams last season, hitting just .260 as a team. Expect those numbers to improve as Kingston brings in a fresh hitting philosophy to Columbia.

While Carolina didn’t have a single player hit over .300 in 2018, the Gamecocks do return one of the most dangerous hitters in the SEC in sophomore Carlos Cortes. Cortes hit 12 home runs a year ago and should be primed to have an All-American caliber season in 2018. Joining him in the outfield is junior TJ Hopkins, an all around ballplayer that seems to almost always come up with the clutch hit when the Gamecocks need it most. His return is huge for this team.

Jacob Olsen returns after leading the Gamecocks in hitting a year ago. Olsen is a very tough out at the plate and should see his average rise over the .300 mark this year. Jonah Bride and Madison Stokes are two veterans for the Gamecocks that will also look to make a big jump this season. Bride is one of the best defensive third basemen in the league, while Stokes is a four-year veteran hoping to break through in his senior season.

South Carolina should get some contributions from freshman as well. Noah Campbell joins the Gamecocks for his first season and has been highly praised by Kingston. He displays speed with some good pop as well and should find himself at the top of the starting lineup.

Also, keep an eye out for outfielder Kyle Jacobsen. Jacobsen has shown great power in scrimmages throughout the fall and spring and can provide another power bat to the lineup.

Look for the Gamecocks to rely on their power and speed to generate runs. Also, don’t be surprised if home-run numbers drastically improve.

How will SC fare in year one of Mark Kingston?

Kingston begins his South Carolina coaching career on Friday when Carolina takes on VMI for a three-game series at Founders Park. The Gamecocks were picked to finish fourth in the SEC East and are not ranked in the majority of pre-season CBB polls.

Gamecock fans will notice a philosophical and cultural change more than anything. Kingston will bring a new approach to the SC hitters and new pitching coach Skyler Meade should bring a fresh outlook to the hurlers as well.

In the end, though, this season will come down to the performance from the guys in the bullpen. Any time you lose your top middle reliever, set up man and closer, there are going to be some negative effects. How quickly the Gamecocks can find consistent contributors to fill those roles will be key.

While there are some unknowns to this team, I still believe South Carolina has the talent to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. Look for the Gamecocks to play with a sense of confidence and a loose-natured approach that was remiss in the last couple of years under Chad Holbrook.

Final prediction

South Carolina will find itself back in the post-season in 2018. The Gamecocks will host a regional and advance to the Super Regional round before losing out in a third game. A deep dive into the post-season will bring the Gamecocks back to national prominence and back in the hunt for Omaha in 2019.

Kiss the ring.

🚨 NEW MERCH ALERT 🚨



Respect your elders. Respect the champs. Kiss The Ring.#KissTheRing



Yankee Grey/Garnet: https://t.co/5GHIwK3zJP



White: https://t.co/CSvkFnCO0O — Armchair South Carolina (@ArmchairSCAR) January 30, 2018

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