COLUMBIA, S.C. — When Mark Kingston looks at the roster for his squad, he sees a lot of new names that have come on board either through the normal recruiting process or the transfer portal.
But he also has a core group of returning players who want to show that the 2023 team will be drastically improved from the 2022 squad.
Injuries to the pitching staff and a lack of firepower on offense were the main contributors to a 27-28 record last season. But for those players who were in the dugout last season, they have come into the preseason with the mindset that improvement needs to and will be made, a mindset that has the approval of the sixth-year head coach.
The Gamecocks open the 2023 season on Feb. 17 against UMass Lowell with the first pitch set to be thrown shortly after 4:00 p.m.