Transfer portal watch: Who could follow Schnall from Coastal to South Carolina?
South Carolina is hiring Coastal Carolina’s Kevin Schnall as its next baseball coach, and he’s already set to bring one assistant with him (pitching coach Matt Williams).
A natural follow-up: Which players could follow Schnall from Conway to Columbia?
The NCAA baseball transfer portal opened June 1 and remains open until June 30. A number of Chanticleers had already entered the portal before news broke Tuesday that Schnall was taking the USC job. And the Gamecocks are going to need an influx of talent to replenish a roster that’s lost around 20 players to the portal.
Here’s a closer look at Coastal Carolina players who could follow Schnall to the Gamecocks.
Big names already in the portal
Sophomore RHP Luke Jones
Jones entered the portal Monday. As a sophomore at Coastal, he developed into a reliable weekend starter and made 16 appearances (15 starts) for Schnall. Jones had a 4-2 record and 4.44 ERA across a team-high 79.0 innings. His 67 strikeouts were second most on the team.
The 5-11 righty also limited opponents to a .245 batting average. Jones has natural ties to the state of South Carolina, too, as he’s a Greenville native.
Junior INF Trace Mazon
Mazon entered the portal June 3. Baseball America identified him as one of its “key entrants” into the portal, and D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers deemed Mazon “one of Coastal’s hottest hitters until hitting the injury bug earlier this season.”
Mazon appeared in 36 games for Coastal in 2026, starting 31. He missed over a month after a hand injury in March but finished the season batting .359 with 47 hits, nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 31 RBIs. He led CCU in batting average but didn’t play in enough games to qualify as its season leader.
Freshman LHP Case Bosch
Bosch, who entered the portal June 2, was a 2026 All-Sun Belt Conference Freshman Team pick after posting a 3-0 record and a 3.89 ERA. Bosch, a 6-foot-5 lefty, made 20 appearances and four starts for Coastal and recorded 35 strikeouts across 37.0 innings.
Redshirt INF/OF Colby Thorndyke
Thorndyke entered the portal June 2. He appeared in 58 games, starting 51, and batted .233 with 40 hits, eight doubles, three home runs, and 19 RBIs in 2026. He was also 12 of 15 on stolen base attempts.
During his two seasons at Coastal, he played first base and outfield. Thorndyke was a starter for Coastal Carolina’s 2025 CWS runner-up team that lost to LSU and was named the most outstanding player of the 2025 Conway Regional.
Junior INF Walker Mitchell
The River Bluff High alum started every game for Coastal this season. Had .313 batting average with 68 hits, 45 runs scored, team-high 17 doubles, one home run and 54 RBIs
Other names in the portal
Junior OF Blagen Pado
Appeared in 55 games and made 42 starts in the outfield. Batted .188 with 26 hits, 21 RBIs and seven home runs. Led the team with 15 stolen bases. Fielded 1.000.
Sophomore C Domenico Tozzi
Played in 34 games and started 27 at catcher. Batted .200 with 17 hits, four home runs and 13 RBIs. Recorded an error-free season at catcher and threw out 10 baserunners attempting to steal.
Sophomore RHP Jaxon Appelman
Made 17 appearances, including four starts. Had an 0-3 record with a 6.39 ERA over 38.0 innings. Ranked fourth on the team in strikeouts (39).
Not in the portal yet, but worth monitoring
- Junior LHP Hayden Johnson: Missed entire year with an injury
- Sophomore OF Rex Watson: All-Sun Belt second team
- Freshman RHP Jackson Smallets: All-Sun Belt freshman
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Transfer portal watch: Who could follow Schnall from Coastal to South Carolina?."
