USC baseball coach Mark Kingston will return to the Gamecocks for a sixth season. This is not information coming from the University or athletics director Ray Tanner, but rather from Kendall Rogers, the managing editor for D1Baseball and an authority on college baseball nationwide.
The fact that Kingston will return was also a point strongly suggested Friday night on SportsTalk, though Rogers was the first to confirm the non-move via sources.
Kingston just completed the Gamecocks’ first losing season (27-28) since 1996, and his team will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the four years that it has been played during his time in Columbia. Kingston has an overall record of 138-109 and an SEC regular season mark of 54-66.
Kingston was given a contract extension after reaching the NCAA Tournament last season, and his buyout would be costly, 2.2 million dollars if fired prior to June 30th.
This season’s team was weakened by injuries to several key pitchers, but the offense also was a major disappointment, ranking last in the SEC in most major categories.
