Progrums

Gamecocks Cash In on Court-Granted Arm from UConn

After a Colorado judge ruled that the class of 2022 high school athletes who exhausted their eligibility this spring can compete again in 2026, South Carolina baseball wasted no time bolstering its pitching depth. Greg Shaw III, who spent the past two seasons with the UConn Huskies, joins the Gamecocks’ rotation. In 2025, Shaw appeared in a team-high 26 games, going 4–0 with a 4.45 ERA across 54.2 innings. He shone in the Big East tournament with five shutout relief innings against St. John’s. The following year, he improved to a 3.38 ERA over 42.2 innings, notching 40 strikeouts and four saves. Shaw’s season-high seven strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless innings against Santa Clara highlighted his growth. Under new head coach Kevin Schnall—who led Coastal Carolina to a record 56 wins and a College World Series final appearance—Shaw’s ability to eat innings and stabilize the bullpen will be key to reviving a Gamecocks program that has slipped in recent seasons.

In a twist more dramatic than a courtroom sitcom, South Carolina lurched into the transfer market like a bargain-hunting dad on Black Friday. Cue Greg Shaw III, fresh from UConn and plucked off the judicial vine by a Colorado judge’s gavel. Apparently, nothing says “we need arms” like a last-minute eligibility extension—sort of like Dad finding a coupon for free MLB-level pitching. New coach Kevin Schnall must feel like he’s in a sports-themed episode of “Pimp My Ride,” except he’s retrofitting a dwindling roster instead of a rusty sedan. Shaw’s arrival is being sold as the ultimate panacea: a do-it-all reliever who can start, finish, and probably mow your lawn three times over. Meanwhile, fans are bracing for more dramatic judgements—hopefully from the diamond, not the courtroom.