That was the first spin of the wheel of misfortune. Max Kaufer played in 24 games. Ryan Bakes was in 19. Gavin Braland started 28 of his 36 games.
Nobody grabbed hold of the spot, leaving Mainieri to play matchup for each game. Nobody was trusted to or able to don the shin guards for days to weeks at a time.
That couldn’t happen again. Braland and LeCroy returned and Mainieri once again scoured the portal for transfers, finding Reese Moore after he played three seasons at Iowa and Jake Randolph from Presbyterian.
“He didn’t catch much last year at Presbyterian. He DH’ed or played the outfield, but once you get him behind the plate, he’s really a good receiver,” Mainieri said. “He blocks the ball well, throws decent, is a pretty good hitter.”
Braland and Moore played in one fall scrimmage between them due to injuries, so Randolph did get a lot of practice at his semi-new position. The Gamecocks were so banged up in the fall that Mainieri was conducting straw polls for any other players that had ever played catcher, just in case, and ended the normal six-week period a week early because the rest of the roster was so red-crossed.
LeCroy has started eight of nine games behind the dish this season (he started the other at DH) and is batting a robust .471. He was a career .255 hitter, his numbers dragged by the .188 he posted last year while playing with half his body under athletic tape.
He’s headed into his last series against the Gamecocks’ archrival, a particularly personal affair for him. Both of his uncles, Matthew and Bradley LeCroy, were standouts at Clemson.
His career has been up and down, but he has started the year with a “saving the best for last” mantra.
“It’s been everything I wanted it to be. I’ve been a four-year starter in the SEC. It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the four years I’ve been here, changing positions and coaching changes and things like that,” LeCroy said. “At the end of the day, getting to play SEC baseball with my best friends, it’s been great.”