March 20, 2009

South Carolina vs. No. 9 Georgia

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina wraps up a five-game homestand at Beckham Field this weekend when it welcomes No. 9 Georgia for a three-game set. First pitch for both Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s single game is set for 1 p.m. EDT.

Rough Start to SEC Play
The Gamecocks took their time to get things going in SEC play. The squad lost its first seven games in league play for the first time in program history before breaking through with a win in the first game of the doubleheader against Mississippi. 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. 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. It’s the most games lost by South Carolina since 2005, when 10 games were cancelled and another declared a tie thanks to rain. That team still got in 56 games, but this year’s squad has just 23 games left on its schedule, which would be 10 less than 2005.

Eight-Run Inning And No Win? Yeah, It Really Happened
After South Carolina won its first game in SEC play in 2009, Ole Miss came back to take a 7-0 lead going into the home half of the fifth. The Gamecocks came back to not only tie the game but take the lead with an eight-run inning. Problem was, the game didn’t end there. The Rebels came back with five runs to take the win, 12-8. The last time South Carolina lost a game where it scored eight or more runs was 2005, when the team fell, 10-8, at Auburn in the first game of the doubleheader on March 26.

The good news was South Carolina scored eight runs in a game for the first time since March 3, 2007. That contest against Charlotte was also the last time the program put up eight in one inning, as they closed out the game in the sixth inning with the offensive explosion. The Gamecocks last scored more than eight in an inning back in 2005, when they hung 11 in an inning against South Dakota State on March 5, 2005.

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 and sophomore P.J. Fulmer, who have both seen 4.1 pitches. 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 23 games. Senior Ashton Payne leads the team in six major categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits and triples. Junior Lindsay Walker and sophomores P.J. Fulmer and Laura Mendes now lead the team in doubles with four. But the freshmen still hold leads in numerous categories. Lauren Lackey tops the squad with two steals and nine 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.

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 23 games, South Carolina has utilized 17 different defensive alignments and 22 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 already has 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. 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 459-151 (.752) 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 18)
The Gamecocks stand 11th in batting average at .233 as a team. They are also 11th in both on-base percentage (.300) and slugging percentage (.307). The squad has laid down 23 sacrifices, fourth in the SEC, and connected for six sacrifice flies, tied for 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 12 double plays.

Individually, Audrey Broyles’ 78 strikeouts rank eighth. White’s three saves has her tied for the league lead. Offensively, Ashton Payne’s two triples tie for seventh, while Jill Semento’s two sacrifice flies are knotted at fifth.

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.

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 four 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 against the College of Charleston. 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.

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. Georgia
The Gamecocks and Bulldogs have met 44 times, with South Carolina holding a narrow 23-21 advantage in the series that dates back to 1997. Last season, the Garnet and Black were swept in Athens, including having a perfect game thrown against them in the middle game of the three-game set. At Beckham Field, the Gamecocks are 16-6 all-time, including sweeping the Bulldogs in 2007.

Scouting the Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia enters the weekend with a No. 9 ranking in both major college softball polls. The squad leads the SEC with a .361 batting average in all games, but they rank last in league play (through three games) at .145. Two of those games, however, came against the top-ranked Florida Gators. The Bulldogs also top the league overall with a .453 on-base and .680 slugging percentage. An SEC-best 12 triples as a team have been compiled by the Bulldogs. Alisa Goler sets the pace, hitting .475 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI. She leads the SEC with a 1.119 slugging percentage and stands in the top five in numerous other categories. Taylor Schlopy hits .439 and slugs at .930. Her .560 on-base percentage stands third in the conference, while she’s second with 32 runs scored. Kristin Schnake is third on the team with a .415 batting average, eighth in the league. She is the speedster for the Red and Black, stealing nine bases in nine attempts. Those three, along with Brianna Hesson and Megan Wiggins, all hit .350 or better and have started all 21 games.

Former Gamecock Christie Hamilton is the ace, but she was not seen during last year’s series. She has a 1.58 ERA with a 7-3 record, striking out 54 in 53.0 innings. Opponents have hit just .156 against her. Sarah McCloud has an 8-1 record with a 2.88 ERA. She has walked 30 and struck out 25 in 48.2 innings. As a squad, Georgia holds a 2.39 ERA, fifth in the league, but they have struck out an SEC-worst 96 batters while throwing over 30 innings less than the 10th-ranked team. Fielding has helped out, as they stand fourth in the conference with a .975 fielding percentage.

The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Georgia – April 27, 2008
Four errors cost the Gamecocks, as South Carolina fell to No. 22/20 Georgia, 8-0, in six innings at the UGA Softball Stadium in the final game of the three-game set. UGA sophomore pitcher Kate Gaskill (12-3) scattered four Gamecock hits and a walk in her second shutout of the weekend. She struck out 10 hitters in the game. Carolina senior Melissa Hendon (5-6) allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks in one inning pitched for the loss. Kate Pouliot came on in relief, going 4.1 innings while allowing 10 hits and six runs, just two earned, while striking out one.

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.