COLUMBIA — A new coach potentially means finding new players but as of Tuesday, when Paul Mainieri was announced as the next leader of South Carolina baseball, the support was evident from some of Mark Kingston's best players.

Ethan Petry, the second best hitter for the Gamecocks and their leader in home runs, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, 20 minutes after the hiring announcement, unofficially stating he wasn't going anywhere.

"Let’s go Gamecocks #home," Petry wrote.

Kingston was fired on June 3. The transfer portal opened June 3 and closes on July 2.

Petry ended his sophomore season with 21 home runs, 67 hits, a .306 batting average and a .639 slugging percentage. He tied Cole Messina for most home runs on the year for South Carolina. Messina was named second team All-American on Wednesday and is expected to chosen in the 2024 MLB draft.

Kennedy Jones and Blake Jackson, the third and fourth best hitters on the season also tweeted in support of Mainieri and echoed similar sentiments in regard to staying on the team.

Jackson posted an image of him on the field with the caption "Carolina till I die," on Tuesday night, in addition to retweeting the announcement from the team's official account.

Pitcher Roman Kimball wrote, "let’s get to work," on Wednesday morning, the most recent player to hint at a return. Kimball pitched his first season for South Carolina in 2024 after suffering an injury in 2023.

Last week prior to any official hiring news, various players expressed support for associate head coach Monte Lee and their belief that he should take over the program. One of those players was Jones but on Tuesday, he also wrote in support of Mainieri and retweeted Petry's comment as well.

TRACKER: South Carolina baseball transfer tracker: Who's in and who's out after Mark Kingston fired

Lee will stay with the program as Mainieri's assistant coach. Lee signed a three-year deal, paid $550,000 annually. According to Baseball America's Teddy Cahill, Lee is now the highest paid assistant coach in college baseball.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina baseball players ready to play for coach Paul Mainieri