South Carolina baseball loses player to transfer portal, reportedly gains another

South Carolina infielder Brennan Milone has entered the transfer portal, according to a team spokesperson.

A sophomore third baseman from Woodstock, Georgia, Milone played just five games as a freshman before seizing a starting role this spring.

Milone hit .216 with a .377 on-base percentage in 38 games in 2021, but he finished the season on a strong note at the plate, including hitting a no-doubt home run in South Carolina’s season-ending loss to Virginia in the Columbia NCAA regional.

Head coach Mark Kingston had recently praised Milone for his growth as a hitter during the season.

“Brennan Milone at the end of the year was one of our best hitters,” Kingston said last week. “Statistically, he was getting on base more than anybody else in our lineup, and I think he really started to find himself there towards the end.”

While losing Milone will be a blow to the starting lineup, the Gamecocks also picked up a transfer from the portal, according to D1Baseball.com’s Kendall Rogers. Missouri redshirt senior outfielder Brandt Belk will reportedly join the Gamecocks for his sixth season in college. He played at Pepperdine before transferring to Mizzou before the 2020 season.

The Tigers’ starting left fielder, Belk hit .273 in 42 games with Mizzou this season, hitting two home runs and posting 22 RBI.