South Carolina Gamecocks Lose Catcher to the Transfer Portal

South Carolina baseball suffers its first portal loss of the offseason after catcher Ryan Bakes announces his exit from Columbia, via his X account.

Bakes first joined the Gamecocks as a true freshman in 2024. He appeared in 12 games as a freshman, making six starts. He finished with two doubles and five RBIs at the plate.

This season, in his true sophomore season, he appeared in 19 games, again only making six starts.In 28 at bats this year, he had 3 hits, one home run, and ended with a .107 batting average.

Bakes made the announcement via his X account. The transfer portal won't officially open until June 2, but Bakes wanted to let his intentions known. He thanked his Gamecocks teammates and the fanbase for his time in Columbia. Bakes will have two years of eligibility left for his new school.