South-Carolina
South Carolina baseball top pitcher Jake McCoy to miss 2026 season with injury
COLUMBIA — South Carolina baseball junior left-handed pitcher Jake McCoy will miss the 2026 season due to a tear in his UCL, a ligament on the inner side of his elbow.
The program announced the news on Jan. 28. The season opener is Feb. 13 vs Northern Kentucky at Founders Park. The news release didn’t specify when the injury occurred.
McCoy would have played his third season with the Gamecocks, and came into this year with 26 appearances, including 15 starts. Of those 15, 14 were his sophomore season last year. He was expected to be the Friday night starter for South Carolina this season.
“I’m disappointed to share that I’ll be out for the 2026 season after suffering a UCL tear that will require Tommy John surgery,” McCoy said in the news release. “Even though I can’t pitch, I’m still going to be with the guys every day — supporting them, staying locked in, and doing whatever I can to help the team.”
McCoy is 5-5 with a 7.11 ERA in two seasons at South Carolina.
McCoy has 97 strikeouts in 76 innings and had 12 against Clemson in the rivalry series last March. That marked a career-high. He’s gone seven games striking out seven or more batters.
The Gamecocks are now in their second season under coach Paul Mainieri, who came out of retirement in June 2024 to coach at South Carolina beginning last season.
In his first year, they went 28-29 and 6-24 in SEC play, the worst conference record in program history.
“My heart breaks for Jake because I knew that this was going to be a very important year for him,” Mainieri said in the same news release. “He’s worked so hard at becoming the best pitcher he can be and worked so hard on developing a changeup this offseason that we all thought was going to make him a more complete pitcher. He obviously has a great arm and I felt that he was going to blossom this year, so it’s a shame that he’s going to have to go through this.”
McCoy is from Fort Mill, South Carolina, and played in the Cape Cod Baseball League this past summer, pitching three innings for the Harwich Mariners.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
South-Carolina
Anderson County voters to weigh in on Statehouse races. Who’s on ballot?
South Carolina sees early voting records in opening two days
Record early voting in South Carolina: 56,000 (May 26), 34,000 (May 27). Early voting ends June 5; primary is June 9.
Voters in Anderson County will decide four contested South Carolina House primary races this June as incumbents face challengers on issues ranging from taxes and government spending to immigration, education, and public safety.
For the 2026 primaries, there are four contested races in Anderson County.
Candidate filing for the 2026 election cycle closed in March, officially setting the stage for the June primaries and November general election.
Polls opened for early voting on May 26, and election day will be on Tuesday, June 9. For residents looking to find where to vote, scvotes.org lists precinct locations.
State House District 6
April Cromer
Age: 49
Family: Cromer has a husband, Brent Cromer, and two children
Experience: She has been the incumbent since being elected on Nov.14, 2022. Outside of that, she’s an internal operations auditor for her family’s business, Cromer Food Services.
Top issue: She said the state government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and argued lawmakers should focus on reducing inefficiencies before considering any tax increases.
“As a businesswoman who has helped run a company of more than 100 employees, I know that throwing money at broken systems never works. Rather than raising your taxes, yet again, increase our state budget, I’ll work to bring down costs and make our government more efficient by slashing wasteful spending,” Cromer said.
Kyle White
Age: 41
Family: Kyle is married to his wife, Ashlea, and they have a daughter and a son.
Experience: White is currently an attorney. He works at the White, Davis, and White Law Firm in Anderson.
Top issue: White said he supports conservative policies focused on gun rights, lower taxes, stricter immigration enforcement, and support for law enforcement, veterans, and small businesses. He also pledged to improve infrastructure and public education, expand school choice, protect natural resources and property rights, and push for government reform and accountability in Columbia.
“I will hold all branches accountable to ensure they work for us, not themselves or any special interest group. I am not a politician, and I have spent most of my career holding the government accountable in our courts, and I will take that experience to Columbia,” White said.
District 8
Sherry Hodges
Age: 70
Family: Sherry is married to Scott Hodges, and the pair has several children and grandchildren.
Experience: Hodges serves as vice-chair of the Anderson County Foster Care Review Board and an executive committee member of the Anderson County Republican Party. She served as chair of the Coalition Against the Anderson County Sales Tax Referendum.
Top issue: Hodges presents a platform focused on limited government, lower taxes, fiscal restraint, and redirecting state spending toward infrastructure, roads, and core services while opposing what she describes as wasteful government spending and tax increases.
She also emphasizes positions on a range of social and constitutional issues, including abortion, education and parental rights, gun rights, election integrity, immigration enforcement, and medical freedom, while advocating for stronger support for families, law enforcement, and small businesses.
Don Chapman
Age: 60
Family: Chapman is married to his wife, Amy.
Experience: Chapman is the incumbent in District 8 and was sworn in on Nov. 14, 2022. Chapman owns anarchitectural firm, Chapman Design Group, based in Anderson. He was formerly on the Anderson City Council from 2008 to 2021.
Top issue: Chapman points to efforts to strengthen public safety, secure the border, support education and school funding, protect life, and pass laws to safeguard children and expand parental and constitutional rights.
“Serving my hometown of Anderson County has been the honor of my life, and I’m grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me. I remain committed to fighting for our conservative values and the families of District 8,” Chapman said.
Patrick Orr
Age: 53
Family: Orr has one daughter
Experience: Orr served in the U.S. Navy and currently works as the vice president of information security in Anderson.
Top issue: Orr has cited his commitment to budget transparency, ending state income taxes on active-duty military, and judicial accountability.
“My background has reinforced the importance of transparency, discipline, and practical decision-making. I believe South Carolina deserves leaders who understand real-world challenges, respect taxpayers, and focus on solutions that work. I am running to bring experience, accountability, and steady leadership to the State House,” Orr said.
District 10
Thomas Beach
Age: 51
Family: Beach is married to Glair DaSilva, and they have three children.
Experience: Beach is the incumbent and is a former U.S. Army Ranger. He is currently a licensed realtor. He was elected on Nov. 8, 2022.
Top issue: Beach listed his goals as limiting government power, enforcing immigration laws, protecting taxpayer dollars, and opposing corporate subsidies and government waste, while emphasizing transparency and fiscal accountability. He also highlighted his support for stricter immigration enforcement, pro-life legislation, child protection policies, and Second Amendment rights, including the passage of Constitutional Carry in South Carolina.
“I am a principled constitutional conservative. I have and will continue to base all of my legislative activity on the enumerated rights laid out in the Declaration and the Constitution,” Beach said.
Stewart Watson
Age: 48
Family: N/A
Experience: Watson is a former professor at Mississippi State and Miami University Ohio. He’s now the owner of Antonio Pasta and Pizzeria in Powdersville.
Top issue: Watson said he’s looking to bring transparency, fight for abortion legislation, improve road infrastructure, and fight against undocumented immigration.
“I was raised to prioritize kindness, integrity, and being present for others when it matters most. It is now my desire to bring those same principles to Columbia by representing every resident of this district with dedication and honor,” Watson said.
District 11
Craig Gagnon
Age: 65
Family: He has two children, Leah Gagnon Crumley and Anna Gagnon Smith.
Experience: Gagnon was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2012. He operates the Abbeville Chiropractic Center.
Top issues: He’s highlighted improving S.C. roads, increasing state education funding, and boosting the economy through job creation.
“I believe our area is very special and our workers can compete with any workers anywhere. We deserve the chance to show it. I have and will continue to work to help our district grow through bringing more economic opportunity here,” Gagnon said.
Jesse Turner
Age: 30
Family: N/A
Experience: After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Turner owns and operates Abduction Dispensary, a vape and hemp store in Anderson.
Top issue: He cited state-level corruption, the need for accountability, and the end of property taxes as reasons for his decision to run.
South-Carolina
South Carolina early voting surges ahead of primary election
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) — Voter turnout is surging across South Carolina as the primary approaches, with more than 100,000 voters already casting their ballots early.
Election officials say participation is on track to be especially strong this year, with more voters expected before the week is over.
South Carolinians have already cast nearly 30% of the total number of primary ballots that were cast in 2024, and early voting isn’t over yet.
The South Carolina State Election Commission says voters cast more than 151,000 ballots last week. In the first week of 2024 early voting, voters cast 120,000 ballots.
Across the entire 2024 primary season, including runoffs, voters cast 527,000 ballots total. Nearly 3.4 million South Carolinians are registered to vote.
Early voting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of this week. There is no early voting on Monday, June 8, and primary day is Tuesday, June 9. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Elections Director Conway Belangia said the numbers should only continue to grow.

“We always feel that as we get closer to that last day of voting early that our numbers will increase,” Belangia said. “If that happens then again we’re looking at just phenomenal numbers.”
Richland, Charleston and Greenville counties are leading the state in voter turnout.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
South-Carolina
South Carolina gas prices fall to $3.85 per gallon, officials warn volatility may return
LOWCOUNTRY, S.C. (WCIV) — The average price of gas in South Carolina has dropped a significant 18.9 cents per gallon in the past week, setting a new average for Monday and following a similarly dropping national trend.
According to GasBuddy the new average cost of a gallon of gas has been recorded at $3.85 per gallon as of Monday. This price point was determined through a survey of 3,028 stations across South Carolina.
“Average gasoline prices declined in all 50 states over the last week, with GasBuddy now tracking 15 states where the average price of gasoline has fallen below $4 per gallon, offering motorists some of the most widespread relief seen in weeks,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Much of the decline was driven by falling oil prices and the unwinding of recent price cycles, as growing optimism surrounding a potential U.S.-Iran agreement helped ease concerns over global oil supplies.”
Though this price is reportedly 11.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, it is still a full $1.12 per gallon higher than a year ago.
READ MORE | Trump ‘laser-focused’ on making deal with Iran, but ready to take military action: Hegseth
The cheapest station in the state was priced at $3.40 per gallon on Sunday, while the most expensive was $4.89 per gallon, a whopping difference of $1.49 per gallon. With a near $2 difference, it may be worthwhile for motorists to do a bit of hunting around for the cheapest gas in the area.
Meanwhile the national average price of gas fell a similar but slightly higher 19.5 cents per gallon in the past week, now averaging $4.26 per gallon as of Monday. This average is down 17.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.18/g higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.
GasBuddy reports however that the coast is anything but clear, and motorists should not get comfortable just yet with these lower prices.
“Oil prices edged higher Sunday evening as uncertainty surrounding a potential deal persisted and renewed Israeli attacks added another layer of geopolitical risk. While motorists may continue to see some short-term relief, some price-cycling states could soon experience another upward swing as retailers run out of room to lower prices further. Overall, any setback in negotiations could quickly reverse the recent decline in fuel prices,” said De Haan.
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