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Mark Kingston promises next season will be ‘a lot better’ for South Carolina baseball

The end-of-season conversation with athletic director Ray Tanner was the same as always. No threats, warnings or mandates. There was no need for them.

The expectations for South Carolina baseball haven’t changed. The goal, every season, is to compete for a national title. And that goal is not something five-year head coach Mark Kingston is shying away from — even after the Gamecocks (27-28, 13-17 SEC) missed the 2022 NCAA tournament and wrapped their first losing season since 1996.

After USC’s season ended with a one-and-done showing in the SEC tournament, rumors emerged that Kingston might’ve coached his final game with the Gamecocks. Instead, Tanner and the USC administration decided to maintain the status quo.

Addressing reporters for the first time since USC’s season ended, Kingston on Tuesday said that Tanner understood the injury issues and challenges the Gamecocks faced this season, particularly on the pitching side. Even more, Kingston expressed confidence that next year’s team will be vastly improved, laying out a rosy vision for USC’s 2023 season.

“It’s gonna be a lot better than what this season was,” Kingston said, before repeating those words for emphasis. “It’s going to be a lot better than what this past season was.

“No. 1, we can’t help but be a lot more healthy than we were this year. We’re going to have a tremendous amount of good players coming back ... and we can’t talk specifically about how the transfer portal has been to us, but it’s been very, very good to us over the last month.”

There’s no question that injuries decimated USC’s pitching staff this spring, with weekend starters Julian Bosnic and James Hicks lost for the season and other key arms like Wesley Sweatt, Jack Mahoney and Jackson Phipps also sidelined. But the Gamecocks had their fair share of offensive struggles, too, ranking last in the SEC in team batting average (.266), slugging percentage (.413) and second-to-last in runs scored (313).

In the past month, Kingston and his staff have turned to the transfer portal to try to fill those gaps, though USC’s coach can’t specifically discuss those players until they officially sign. Among seven additions, the Gamecocks added three players from rival Clemson, who fired seven-year coach Monte Lee and replaced him with Michigan’s Erik Bakich after the season. Players like former Tigers catcher Jonathan French and outfielder Dylan Brewer could make immediate impacts.

At least, that’s the hope. Kingston acknowledged that injuries weren’t solely to blame for USC’s 2022 struggles. The Gamecocks lacked experience among their skill players, which hampered them as they faced some of the top-tier arms of the SEC.

“We weren’t a perfect team,” Kingston said. “You can’t blame everything on our injuries. Now there are other areas that need to continue to improve as well. And we readily admit that. So it’s just a constant evaluation of what happened, why it happened, where it can go and how we get there.”

Hired before the 2018 season, Kingston has a 138-109 record at USC. The former South Florida coach was Tanner’s second attempt at a successor after Chad Holbrook took the reins from Tanner as head baseball coach from 2013-17.

Kingston led the Gamecocks to a super regional appearance in his first season, and USC hosted a regional as a No. 2 seed in 2021. But in between there’s been inconsistency, with USC missing the NCAA tournament in 2019 and 2022. Though USC retained Kingston for 2023, another year without a postseason appearance is likely to enrage a fan base that isn’t known for patience, especially as USC’s 2010 and 2011 College World Series titles slip further in the rear view.

Kingston signed a new contract after last season, resetting his yearly buyouts and extending his deal into 2025. But much like it was for Frank Martin and the USC men’s basketball team, 2023 could shape up to be a do-or-die season.

“I just don’t think next year’s team will in any way resemble this past year’s team,” Kingston said. “What was great about this past year’s team is that they played hard every step of the way, and next year’s team will as well. But I have got to imagine next year’s team will have much more good fortune, and I just think we’re going to be a lot deeper in every area.”