The South Carolina Baseball Association was very active in the transfer portal this summer.

The Gamecocks have already signed several pitchers, a highly coveted outfielder, a few potential starting infielders and a few interesting relievers. It was pretty clear that USC wanted to sign a catcher as well, and that finally became a reality on Wednesday night.

This latest commitment from the portal came to light late Wednesday night when former Texas A&M Aggies catcher Max Kaufer announced on Twitter/X that he was pledging his services to the South Carolina baseball program.

As a true freshman, Kaufer was the Aggies' primary starting catcher in 2023, but after Jackson Appel transferred from Penn before the 2024 season, Kaufer didn't play nearly as much.

As a player, Kaufer is a defense-first catcher and was considered one of the best defensive players at the position coming out of high school in 2022. He also has some experience at third and first base, but is primarily a catcher.

Kaufer's batting stats aren't exactly amazing (just 24 hits and 2 home runs in 124 career at-bats), but he's more athletic than expected and has good upside (top-300 prospect out of high school), suggesting he has offensive potential that could be unlocked if things go well for him. He's also a high-walk, low-strikeout player, which adds to the optimism about his batting.

With former catcher and current infielder Talmadge LeCroy apparently set to wear a mask again, Kaufer (a junior) will likely compete with rising senior LeCroy and rising sophomore Ryan Bakes for playing time behind the plate. There's also a (slim) chance that Cole Messina will return for his final season with the South Carolina baseball program, but he's expected to be a high-level pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.