Feb. 22, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina’s softball team returns to action at the familiar confines of Beckham Field this week, hosting Charlotte and Campbell in a pair of midweek games. The Tuesday game against the 49ers and the Wednesday contest against the Camels both start at 4 p.m., and fans that bring a canned food donation for Harvest Hope Food Bank get admission for just $1.

The Gamecocks enter the week with a 6-3 overall record and a perfect 4-0 mark at home. The squad ranks in the top four in the SEC in batting average and ERA, while sophomore Evan Childs tops all SEC players with five doubles on the season. As a team, the Gamecocks also lead the league in at bats with the bases loaded, with 23. The pitching staff has done well so far, ranking second in the SEC with just 1.88 walks per seven innings.

Charlotte enters Tuesday’s game at 6-0 on the season, winning their First Pitch Classic this weekend. Serena Smith leads the team with a .500 batting average and a .875 slugging percentage. Emily Jeffery has been stellar in the circle, winning all four starts while striking out 42 batters in 28.0 innings pitched.

The Camels stand at 1-6-1 on the season, losing four straight at the Lipton Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend. Lauren Stephan has swung a big bat, though, with three doubles and three homers while hitting at a .478 clip. Christina Melton tossed a shutout in the first game of the season, and she holds a 1-2 record with a 3.89 ERA.

Gametracker live stats are available for both games at GamecocksOnline.com, while fans can listen to Brad Muller on the audio feed via the subscription-based Gamecocks All-Access channel.