March 17, 2009

South Carolina vs. Ole Miss

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Carolina Gamecocks return to Beckham Field this week for five SEC home games, starting with a Wednesday doubleheader against the University of Mississippi Rebels. First pitch for the twinbill is set for 5 p.m. EDT.

Rough Start to SEC Play
The Gamecocks have not gotten things going yet in Southeastern Conference outings this year. The squad has lost its first seven games in league play for the first time in program history. Previously, the longest it took to get one SEC victory was in 2006, when the squad won its fourth league contest. The Gamecocks have faced some tough competition to start, losing to then-No. 2 (now No. 1) Florida in a three-game set while dropping doubleheaders at both 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Arkansas and No. 7/6-ranked Tennessee.

Weather Wreaks Havoc on Gamecocks’ Schedule
One large weather system took four games off South Carolina’s schedule from Feb. 28-Mar. 2. Right after the Gamecocks completed their second game in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic, rain started falling in Columbus, Ga., and caused the cancellation of the rest of the Gamecocks’ contests at South Commons Stadium. The back end of that front brought snow into the southeast, dumping over a half-foot of the white stuff in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sunday night. As of Tuesday afternoon, that had yet to clear, once again wiping the previously-annual border battle between North and South Carolina from happening. And now the squad has lost an SEC game, as rain in Knoxville shortened the Tennessee series from three to two games. The five rainouts surpasses the number of games the Garnet and Black lost to weather during the entire 2008 season.

South Carolina Splits Its Games in Rain-Shortened NFCA Leadoff Classic
Once again, things were altered for all teams scheduled to compete in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic, but it was more than just rain that altered the 2009 version. Snow wiped out the reworked Sunday schedule as well. The Gamecocks were among a handful of the 21 teams that got in at least two games during the tournament. South Carolina split its Friday outings, downing defending Conference USA champ Houston, 2-1, before falling to Illinois State, 7-0.

Garnet and Black Practicing (Some) Patience
A few of the Gamecocks have been patient at the plate this season, as two are seeing at least four pitches per plate appearance. Surprisingly, a freshman, Evan Childs, leads the way with 4.4 pitches per plate appearance. Just behind her are senior Jacqueline Wetherbee, who has seen 4.1 pitches, and sophomore P.J. Fulmer. Freshman Lauren Lackey stands fourth at 3.9.

Returners Reasserting Place on Top, At Least on a Few Lists
After letting the freshmen get all the publicity during the first weekend, the returning Gamecocks have come back to put themselves on top of many of the statistical lists through 21 games. Senior Ashton Payne leads the team in six major categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits and triples. Sophomore P.J. Fulmer now is the top Gamecock in doubles with four. But the freshmen still hold leads in numerous categories. Lauren Lackey tops the squad with two steals and eight walks, while Evan Childs holds down the top spot in runs, home runs and RBI. The freshman pitchers continue to dominate their statistics, with Kierstyn White and Audrey Broyles leading in all positive categories.

Stubblefield Has Strong Weekend in Gamecock Invitational
Freshman centerfielder Kristen Stubblefield was a leader in the lineup during the home tournament, hitting a team-best .417 in the Gamecock Invitational. The Corona, Calif., native also had an .833 slugging percentage after hitting her first career triple and home run during the weekend. Her four runs scored also topped the team, while her three RBI stood second. The freshman also had a sacrifice fly and a sac bunt as well during the tourney.

For the season, Stubblefield has totaled six runs batted in and seven runs scored, both in the top three on the team.

Spreading Around the Love in Orlando
The Gamecocks went 5-0 in the UCF Early Bird Tournament, and they did it with a team approach. Only two starters on the weekend did not contribute a run, either by scoring one or driving one in, during the event. Freshman Evan Childs scored three runs to lead the team, while another rookie, Lauren Lackey, had the most RBI on the team while in Mickey Mouse’s part of the country.

What a Debut!
Freshman Audrey Broyles had a day for the ages in her first game donning the Garnet and Black. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., freshman tossed a complete game, allowing just one earned run while fanning 14 Cougars. That is the highest number of K’s recorded by a Gamecock in their debut, with the current records going back to 1996. What made Broyles’ first game even better was her day at the plate. She went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI single in the first to help put the Gamecocks on top, 4-0.

Broyles continued her good work in the circle, going 3-0 during the UCF Early Bird Tournament. She tossed her first complete-game shutout while compiling 10 K’s in the win over Bowling Green. Broyles also got wins in relief against Bradley and Texas-Arlington.

Is the Second Game of the Year Still a Debut if It’s on the First Day?
Evan Childs came through with a big contest in just her second game in a South Carolina jersey. The Conway, S.C., product hit two game-tying home runs in the Gamecocks’ 6-4 win in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday against the College of Charleston. The first was a solo shot in the third to answer the Cougars’ run in the top half of the frame. The last one was a three-run blast that knotted the contest at 4-4 in the fifth. That set the stage for Laura Mendes’ go-ahead sacrifice fly in the sixth that was the difference in the contest.

More Parts Mean More Lineups? Stay Tuned
Last season, the Gamecocks seemingly never ran out the same nine in the same order. Reality was not far from the truth, as head coach Joyce Compton used the same defensive alignment in back-to-back games just three times all season. In all, South Carolina utilized 38 different units around the pitcher. Lineup order was a different matter entirely, as 43 different orders were trotted out in the 47-game season. But even with the larger roster (by three), there is only one more position player on the roster compared to 2008. Four of the additions will take the place of two pitchers, while six freshman position players take over for five departed seniors who played the field last year.

Through the first 21 games, South Carolina has utilized 16 different defensive alignments and 20 different batting orders.

Look at Career List Possibilities in 2009
A few Gamecocks are looking to move onto or move up some career charts as we start 2009. Senior Ashton Payne has already got spots in the top 10 in stolen bases and triples, and she’s close to adding hits and batting average to her list. She needs 14 hits in 2009 to tie for 10th all-time with Debralee Troesh, while eight batting average points would push her ahead of Toinette Reed into 10th there. She needs one steal to tie for eighth with Dana Fulmer. Payne now has fourth place to herself on the triples list, but she would have to break the NCAA single-season record for triples to move any higher.

A couple of others are already eyeing positions in different charts. Senior Jacqueline Wetherbee needs three round-trippers to tie Jana Zimmerman and current assistant coach Adrianna Baggetta for ninth all-time on the home-run charts. And sophomore Jill Semento is close to landing on a painful list, as two more hit-by-pitches will put her in a tie for eighth with 10 in her short career.

Carolina in the Month of March Under Joyce Compton
In the Joyce Compton era, Carolina is 458-150 (.753) during the third month of the year. In 2008, South Carolina owned a 9-7 mark in March.

South Carolina in the SEC Stat Rankings (as of games played on March 16)
The Gamecocks stand 11th in batting average at .229 as a team. They are also 11th in both on-base percentage (.295) and slugging percentage (.303). The squad has laid down 21 sacrifices, tied for fifth in the SEC, and connected for six sacrifice flies, also fifth in the league. South Carolina’s team ERA is ninth, while the staff’s four saves are tied for the most in the conference. And the team’s fielding percentage stands sixth. The Gamecocks have turned an SEC-best 10 double plays.

Individually, Audrey Broyles’ 72 strikeouts rank eighth. White’s three saves has her tied for the league lead. Offensively, only two Gamecocks have broken into the top 10. Ashton Payne’s two triples tie for sixth, while Jill Semento’s two sacrifice flies are knotted at fifth.

The Gamecocks Have Lots of Youth . . .
Head coach Joyce Compton has never had 10 newcomers enter her program in one year until this season. Nine freshmen (matching a record from 2005) and one transfer make up one of the youngest teams Compton has ever fielded. The most inexperience will be in the circle, as redshirt sophomore Krystle Robinson is the only pitcher back. She made 16 starts and 24 appearances overall. Three true freshmen and one transfer will vie to fill the over 220 or nearly 70 percent of the innings lost from last season.

. . . But They Also Bring Back Lots of Experience
But this is no green group as a whole. Out of 423 starts in the nine batting spots, over 67 percent of those starts return. The returning catchers started all but two games last season, the most of any spot. Three returners started all but four games in left field, which stands second. At shortstop, junior Lindsay Walker started 41 of the 47 games, the third-highest percentage on the team. The positions losing the most starts are right field (32), third base (30) and first base (24).

South Carolina Picked to Finish Fourth in SEC East
In what should be familiar to Gamecock fans, the Southeastern Conference coaches selected the squad to finish fourth in the SEC Eastern Division. This is the sixth-consecutive year that South Carolina has ranked fourth in the preseason polling of the league’s managers. Florida was chosen to win the East and the overall title, while Tennessee was picked second. Georgia was selected third, while Kentucky came in fifth. Alabama was the coaches’ choice to win the SEC West this season.

Gamecocks All-Time vs. Mississippi
South Carolina owns a 20-10 record all-time against the Rebels on the softball field, including an 11-5 mark in meetings at Beckham Field. Last season, Ole Miss swept the series on the campus near Oxford, which included an extra-inning game and a contest shortened by rain.

Scouting the Ole Miss Rebels
Mississippi comes to Columbia with a 11-12 overall record and an 0-6 mark in SEC play. The Rebels haven’t been the strongest team in the circle, with a team ERA of 2.47 on the season. Becky Nye leads the team with a 7-7 overall record and a 2.03 ERA. She has struck out just 64 batters in 103.2 innings of work, while walking 42 over that same time. Three of her seven wins are shutouts. Lindsey Perry is the second starter, going 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA. The defense hasn’t helped out a lot, as the team has given up 26 unearned runs after committing 25 errors.

The Rebels hit just a tick better than their opponents, with a .241 batting average so far this year. The team has just 36 extra-base hits in 23 games and sports a .338 slugging percentage. Last year’s leading hitter, Lauren Grill, has struggled overall, hitting just .247, but she does lead the team with 16 RBI, five doubles and five home runs. Freshman Corrine Doornberg leads the team with a .319 batting average, while senior Michelle May has been the team’s best threat to reach base with a .426 percentage. Senior Lisa Conchos has scored a team-high 13 runs. As a team, the Rebels have stolen 21 bases in 25 attempts, but no player has more than four steals.

The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Mississippi – April 27, 2008
The Rebels made a first-inning run stand up, as Mississippi completed the sweep with a 1-0 victory in five innings over South Carolina on Sunday afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The game, moved by two hours to try to dodge the incoming weather, was marred by delays. The first pitch came just over an hour after the scheduled start, and the teams waited another four hours before the contest was called due to unplayable field conditions. Precipitation fell throughout the contest, and, after clearing the tarp, standing water was visible on the outfield grass in left and left-center fields. Play also was halted briefly in the fourth to work on parts of the infield dirt. Mississippi got the 1-0 advantage in the first when Lauren Grill scored on a passed ball. Grill led off the game with a triple and scored with one out and the bases loaded. Gamecock starter Melissa Hendon then worked out of the inning, getting strikeouts around a walk to escape without any more damage. South Carolina had a chance in the fourth to score with two down. Sophomore left fielder Cagney Davis reached on a two-out error and moved to second when freshman Jill Semento drew a walk. But Rebel starter Tara Willitt got freshman catcher P.J. Fulmer to strike out to get out of the inning. In the sixth, sophomore shortstop Lindsay Walker led off the frame with a single. With the rain starting to come down a little harder, home plate umpire Donny Teague halted play immediately after the single.

Did You Know?
This will be for some miscellanous facts learned this season. First up, did you know the trip from Columbia to Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C., lasts exactly as long as the movie Major League?…From the trip to Knoxville, we learned that Lindsay Walker’s last game at third base prior to that day was when she was 12 years old.