South Carolina has hired Josh Bloomer as hitting coach, the school announced on Monday afternoon.
Bloomer spent the last three years as the hitting coach at Duke, shepherding the Blue Devils’ offense to significant heights during his tenure.
On the Gamecocks’ coaching staff, Bloomer will replace previous hitting coach Kaela Jackson, who is stepping away from coaching for family reasons.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Josh and his family to our staff,” South Carolina head coach Beverly Smith said in a school statement. “I have watched Josh’s coaching career from afar and the players under his guidance have exceled offensively. He is a proven winner, elite recruiter, and will make an immediate impact on our team.”
Following Bloomer’s departure, the Duke coaching staff is bare beneath head coach Marissa Young. The staff was named Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2021 and ’22, earned top-16 national seeds in both years, and reached the Super Regional round this season. Second assistant Jessica Bracamonte departed the staff earlier in the offseason and Bloomer’s departure now means the Blue Devils need to replace two assistants at the same time.
Bracamonte had also been part of the Duke staff for the last three seasons. Volunteer assistant Nicole Schaeffer appears to currently remain in her role.
