Nov. 17, 2009
Columbia, S.C. –
The South Carolina baseball team has announced its schedule for the 2010 season featuring 25 games against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams as well as 33 home games at Carolina Stadium. The season opens on Friday, February 19 as Carolina hosts a three-game series vs. Duquesne. The schedule also includes 30 Southeastern Conference contests, a three-game series with in-state rival Clemson, and an early-season weekend series and rematch with 2009 NCAA Regional opponent East Carolina in Greenville, N.C.
South Carolina and Clemson will meet in a unique three-game setting this year. Carolina will travel to the Upstate and face the Tigers at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday, March 5 with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. The two schools will then make the trek to Greenville, S.C. and face off at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. First pitch on Saturday is 2 p.m. The series then concludes on Sunday afternoon in Columbia at Carolina Stadium with a 2 p.m. start.
The Gamecocks’ 30-game SEC schedule begins on Friday, March 19 with South Carolina hosting Tennessee. The Gamecocks will also host Mississippi State (April 2-4), Ole Miss (April 16-18), Alabama (April 30-May 2) and Florida (May 20-22). SEC road contests include Auburn (March 26-28), Vanderbilt (April 9-11), Georgia (April 23-25), Kentucky (May 7-9) and 2009 CWS participant Arkansas (May 14-16). Carolina will also play 10 additional in-state contests this year with Charleston Southern, College of Charleston, Furman, Presbyterian, The Citadel, USC Upstate, Winthrop and Wofford.
The SEC Tournament is scheduled for May 26-30 at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. with the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Super Regionals the following two weeks. The College World Series in Omaha, Neb. is slated from June 19-30.
South Carolina owns the longest current streak of NCAA Regional appearances among the 12 SEC schools with 10 straight trips to the tournament dating back to the 2000 season. In that span, Carolina has seven NCAA Super Regional appearances (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) and three trips to the College World Series (2002, 2003, 2004). South Carolina is one of only seven schools in the nation to make at least seven NCAA Super Regionals in the last 10 years and one of only eight schools in the country to have reached the NCAA Regionals every season in this decade. The program’s 10-year total record of 468-201 is the fourth highest win total among NCAA Division I schools.
South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner is entering his 14th season at the helm with the Gamecocks and his 23rd year as a collegiate head coach. Tanner’s career record is 975-439-3 (.689) with a 580-266 (.686) mark at South Carolina. The .686 winning percentage is third highest in SEC history.
