STRecruiting:  Swinging for the fence in the portal, South Carolina’s Kevin Schnall hits one out of the park with a commitment from offensive juggernaut Connor Shouse

STRecruiting: Swinging for the fence in the portal, South Carolina’s Kevin Schnall hits one out of the park with a commitment from offensive juggernaut Connor Shouse

The player considered to be the top prospect in the baseball free agent portal, 3B/SS//RHP Connor Shouse of Texas Tech, is headed to South Carolina. Shouse announced his commitment to the Gamecocks today following official visits to USC and Kentucky.

The native of Jasper, GA, is regarded as one of the top two-way players in college baseball. He was a shortstop and pitcher in high school and has also played third base and the outfield in college.

He began his career at Georgia Tech, where he played in 25 games in 2025.

This season, he exploded on the scene in Lubbock, earning

Shouse is the 24th portal free agent acquired by the Gamecocks since Kevin Schnall was named head coach. He’s the 29th newcomer overall.

Connor Shouse bio from Texas Tech

2026 Season (Sophomore/2nd Yr.):
• Saw action both as a position player and on the mound
• Played in 54 total games as a position player and made 11 appearances on the mound
• Hit .353 with 10 home runs and 66 RBIs
• Had 76 hits, 18 doubles and two triples
• Also went 6-for-6 in stolen bases
• Turned into one of the Red Raiders top late-game relievers
• Went 1-0 with three saves in 11 appearances
• Finished with an ERA of 5.87 and struck out 16 batters in 15.1 innings
• Held opponents to a .245 batting-average-against
• Struck out at least one batter in his first 10 appearances and had five games with multiple punchouts
• Had two RBIs and made his first career appearance on the mound in the Red Raiders contest against Vanderbilt (Feb. 14)
• Went 5-for-6 with four runs scored, three RBIs and a walk in the Red Raiders win over UTRGV (Feb. 17)
• Launched his first career home run as a Red Raider in the home opener against UAlbany (Feb. 20)
• Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and double RBIs in the Game 1 (DH) win over UAlbany (Feb. 21)
• Capped the Red Raiders 11-run fifth inning by launching a three-run home run in the win over CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 28)
• Drove in three runs and doubled in the Friday night win over Penn State (Mar. 6)
• Finished a home run shy of the cycle in a 4-for-5 day with three RBIs and two runs scored in the win over Penn State (Mar. 8)
• Homered stole a base and went 2-for-5 with three RBIs in the win over UTSA (Mar. 11)
• Doubled twice and scored twice in a 2-for-4 performance against Kansas (Mar. 17)
• Had his first career multi-homer game going 3-for-6 with the two long balls and three RBIs in the Red Raiders midweek at DBU (Mar. 17)
• Strock out two in a 1-2-3 appearance at Arizona (Mar. 21) and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored at the plate
• Launched a go-ahead game-winning three-run homer in the Sunday win over Arizona (Mar. 22)
• Homered and went 2-for-4 in the Friday night opener at TCU (Mar. 27)
• Went 3-for-6 with a run scored at the plate, and pitched a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts in the Red Raiders marathon extra-inning (13 inn.) loss at TCU (Mar. 28)
• Drew a bases-loaded walk and drove in two additional runs on a single in the Red Raiders win over Houston (Apr. 4)
• Doubled home two runs and had an RBI groundout in the Red Raider Friday night contest against No. 17 WVU (Apr. 10)
• Went 3-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs in the Red Raiders win over Tarleton State (Apr. 21)
• Snapped a 20-game home run draught with a 4-for-5 two-home run and five RBI performance in Game Two of the series/double header against Baylor (May 2)
• Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in the Red Raiders 8-3 win over Baylor (May 3)
• Drove in a run, scored twice and tossed two scoreless innings to earn his first career save in the Red Raiders 9-7 win over DBU (May 5)
• Struck out two in two scoreless frames to earn his second save on the mound, and went 5-for-5 with four runs scored and two RBIs in the series-clinching win over BYU (May 9)
•  Went 3-for-4 with a sac-fly at the plate and tossed the final two innings to earn the save in Tech’s 6-5 win at Cincinnati (May 15).

Georgia Tech (2025):

Freshman Season (2025):
• Played in 25 games and started nine
• Hit .265 with nine hits and 15 runs scored in 34 at-bats
• Also made three appearances on the mound and struck out four in three innings
• Launched his first career homer against Clemson for his first collegiate hit (Mar. 29)
• Went 2-for-3 with a home run and a double against Virginia (Apr. 26)
• Had a pair of doubles in a 2-for-2 performance against CWS participant Murray State (May 31)

HIGHSCHOOL:
• Ranked as the 22nd shortstop in the country, the 83rd overall prospect in his class and the 9th best recruit out of the state of Georgia by Perfect Game
• Four-year varsity member
• Posted a 1.400 OPS with six home runs, 30 RBIs and 53 runs scored in 110 plate appearances his senior year
• Set a Picken HS record with 91 strikeouts in 57.1 innings pitched with a 1.34 ERA
• Ended his career at Pickens as the program record holder in runs scored (133), hits (144), home runs (14), doubles (45), and RBI (101) while also departing with program records in pitching wins (23), strikeouts (256), and career ERA (1.89)
• Helped lead Pickens to back-to-back Region 7 3A titles in 2023 and 2024
• Named 1s Team All-State in 2024 and was a member of Perfect Game’s Georgia High School Dream Team in 2024

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