FORT MYERS, Fla.- On the heels of an All-Conference freshman season for the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers, big righthander Andrew McLaughlin will be headed to the top Division I Baseball conference in the country next season as he has signed at the University of South Carolina. 

 

McLaughlin was a 2^nd Team All-Conference pick for the Bucs this season as a rookie, going 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA before seeing his year cut short due to a nagging injury. He threw 40 1/3 innings across 10 appearances, striking out 47 and walking just 18 for FSW. He earned his first career win in his first career appearance with 3 scoreless innings and 6 strikeouts against St. Johns River and picked up win number two in his first start against #8 Florence-Darlington. 

 

McLaughlin will join a South Carolina squad coming off of a down year in 2025, going just 28-29 overall and missing the NCAA Tournament in the first time in three seasons. But the Gamecocks have a deep Baseball history with 11 trips to the College World Series and back to back National Championships in 2010 & 2011.  McLaughlin is part of a signing class for Hall of Fame Head Coach Paul Mainieri that has been touted as one of the tops in the country to try to help South Carolina back on track. 

 

McLaughlin is one of six Bucs who have signed at the next level thus far, joining Abel Albarran (Middle Tennesse St.), Brock Knoerr (Western Kentucky), Luke Orfi (Texas Tech), Nik Pereira & Josiah Velazquez (Tampa).