May 6, 2008
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina (33-15) heads to the Upstate on Wednesday night for a non-conference game vs. Wofford (21-28) on Wednesday evening at Russell C. King Field. First pitch is set for 7 pm with the game available on 107.5 FM and at gamecocksonline.com.
Wednesday
SC Sam Dyson, Fr. (RHP) 5-0, 4.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 26 K, 18 BB
WOF Jordan Mickleberry, So. (RHP) 3-2, 5.26 ERA, 39.1 IP, 31 K, 21 BB
Series Results
South Carolina leads series history 68-22-1
This Year’s Game
April 23, 2008 South Carolina (10) Wofford (1) Columbia, S.C.
A LOOK BACK AT SOUTH CAROLINA-FLORIDA SERIES
South Carolina won two of three games this past weekend vs. Florida to take the series. After losing the opener 9-3, Carolina bounced back for a 6-5 win on Saturday and won 9-6 in the rubber game.
South Carolina now leads the series history 34-23 vs. the Gators. That includes series victories eight of the last nine seasons (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008).
NUMBERS TELL A STORY
South Carolina owns a 27-1 record when scoring six runs or more this season. The Gamecocks are also 27-1 when out-hitting its opponent and 30-0 after leading in eight innings. When the Gamecocks score first, they are 25-8 on the year as well. South Carolina is 13-9 in games decided by three runs or less.
SMOAK’N
Junior first baseman Justin Smoak has been on a tear at the plate as of late and is among the league leaders in several offensive categories. He is hitting .401 (73-for-182) on the year with 19 HR and 55 RBI. His slugging percentage is also at .808 with an on-base percentage of .519.
TRACKING SMOAK IN THE SECHome Runs 19 2ndOn-Base Pct. .519 2ndSlugging Pct. .808 2ndTotal Bases 147 2ndWalks 44 2ndBatting Average .401 3rdRuns Batted In 55 3rdDoubles 17 T4thHits 73 5thRuns Scored 48 11th
Smoak reached base nine times in the weekend vs. Florida including a 5-for-10 performance at the plate. He hit a Key two-run homer in Sunday’s 9-6 win to tie the game in the fifth inning. His home run total for the year is 19 and that puts him at 58 for his career, tying him for ninth on the USC All-Time Career List. He also moved into 10th on the USC All-Time career list for hits with 229 in his career and a tie for fifth on the career list in doubles (51).
Twice this season, Smoak has tied a school record with three home runs in one game. He accomplished the feat in a 10-1 win over Wofford on April 23 as well as on April 14 in a 14-4 victory over USC Upstate.
Four times this season, the Gamecocks have tied the single-game school record for home runs in a game. Both James Darnell and Justin Smoak have each put together a pair of three-homer games this year. Smoak tied two single-game school records with three homers and nine RBI as South Carolina defeated USC Upstate 14-4 on April 15 at Sarge Frye Field. Smoak finished 3-for-5 on the evening, as he became the 12th player in school history to record three homers in one game. His RBI total of nine marked only the fifth time in school history that the feat had been achieved and the first time since April 23, 1997 when Ryan Bordenick drove in nine runs vs. Clemson.
Smoak currently owns the school record in home runs with 57 in the Garnet & Black. He is also is seventh in school history with 50 career doubles (school record 67-Mac White) and is fourth in school history with 186 career RBIs (school record 198 – Mac White).
TRACKING SMOAKHOME RUN CAREER TOP 10 LIST58 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)48 Hank Small (1972-73-74-75)47 Garrett Carter (1985-86-87-88)45 Jeff Parnell (1990-91-92-93)44 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)43 Chris Boyle (1981-82-83-84)42 Steve Pearce (2004-05)41 Tripp Kelly (1998-99-2000-01)41 Charlie Aldrich (1985-86-87)39 Phil Disher (2005-06-07-08)
RBI CAREER TOP 4 LIST198 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)198 Chris Boyle (1981-82-83-84)193 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)190 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
DOUBLES CAREER TOP 7 LIST67 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)61 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)54 Michael Campbell (2003-04-05-06)53 Greg Morhardt (1982-83-84)51 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)51 Mike Curry (1996-97-98)51 Derick Urquhart (1995-96-97-98)
RUNS CAREER TOP 9 LIST223 Derick Urquhart (1995-96-97-98)215 Mike Curry (1996-97-98)212 Drew Meyer (2000-01-02)209 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)182 Jeff Parnell (1990-91-92-93)181 Michael Campbell (2003-04-05-06)176 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)174 Garrett Carter (1985-86-87-88)173 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
HITS CAREER TOP 10 LIST303 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)299 Michael Campbell (2003-04-05-06)285 Drew Meyer (2000-01-02)265 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)265 Derick Urquhart (1995-96-97-98)250 Mike Curry (1996-97-98)245 Hank Small (1972-73-74-75)231 Dave Willman (1989-90-91-92)230 Skeets Thomas (1988-89-90)229 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
TRACKING Justin SmoakTHE SEC RECORD BOOKCareer Home Runs1. Eddy Furniss, LSU (265 games) 80 1995-982. Brad Cresse, LSU (236 games) 78 1997-003. Matt LaPorta, FLA (215 games) 74 2004-074. Rafael Palmeiro, MSU (183 games)67 1983-855. Andy Phillips, ALA (244 games) 61 1996-996. Will Clark, MSU (175 games) 61 1983-857. Trey McClure, LSU (234 games) 59 1996-99 Josh Etheredge, AUB (222 games) 59 1995-989. Justin Smoak, SC (177 games) 58 2006-08 Bruce Castoria, MSU (202 games) 58 1979-82
AT THE PLATE, ON THE MOUND & IN THE FIELD
Carolina leads the SEC in home runs on the year with 88 in 48 games. The team is batting .304 (513-for-1690) with 341 runs scored in 48 games. The pitching staff owns a team ERA of 4.04 in 434.1 innings with 375 strikeouts to 163 walks. Carolina is fielding .978 as a team.
THE HOME RUN
The Gamecocks have 44 home runs in the last 20 games as well. Four different Gamecocks have double figure home run totals: James Darnell (15), Phil Disher (16), Reese Havens (13) and Justin Smoak (19).
THE CISCO KID
Junior right-hander Mike Cisco is 5-3 with a 4.98 ERA. He has logged 65 innings on the year. Cisco’s fifth win of the year came on April 18, a 6-2 win over Ole Miss. He allowed just one run on eight hits in 6.2 innings of work.
HANGIN’ WITH MR. COOPER
South Carolina sophomore right-hander Blake Cooper heads into the weekend with a 5-4 record and a 3.72 ERA. He is fourth in the SEC in innings pitched with 67.2 innings logged. Cooper has 34 strikeouts to 19 walks.
Cooper SEC Pitcher of the Week following his complete game six-hitter in a 4-1 victory over Ole Miss. The complete game victory was the first of Cooper’s career and the first by a Gamecock pitcher this season. It also was the first complete game win by a Gamecock pitcher since Wynn Pelzer’s CG in a win over Evansville to capture the 2006 NCAA Regional in Charlottesville, Va. Cooper allowed just one run on six hits while striking out two and walking two to pick up the victory.
THE WILL TO WIN
Junior left-hander Will Atwood hurled his first career complete game in Saturday’s win vs. Florida. He holds a 4.33 ERA. He has worked 62.1 innings and has struck out 51 batters with opponents only hitting .246 against him. He has won five of his eight SEC starts with one no-decision.
WHAT A CROWD
Gamecock fans have been out and about this season at Sarge Frye Field. The Gamecocks are averaging 4,770 fans per contest and have a total attendance of 147,891 on the year. The season-high for attendance in a game was 5,921 fans on March 1 as Carolina defeated Clemson 10-1. South Carolina has recorded an attendance of 5,000-plus fans in 11 games this year, the last on May 3 vs. Florida.
The Gamecocks set a school record for total attendance last year with 159,545 as a total in 2007 that averaged 4,985 fans per game. It is “Extra Innings” at Sarge Frye Field as the Gamecocks prepare to move into a new baseball stadium in the beginning of the 2009.
A STRONG DISH IN THE CLUTCH
Senior Phil Disher went 4-for-4 in the rubber game vs. Florida to tie a career-high in hits and hit a two-run homer in the victory. Disher is hitting .307 (55-for-179) with 16 HR and 46 RBI as well. With 39 career homers, Disher is 0th on the top 10 list in Carolina history.
He put together his second career multi-homer game in the 8-6 win over Auburn. His two-run homer in that game helped Carolina rally to the victory. Disher went 5-for-12 in the series with three doubles, two homers and four RBI.
Nine of his 16 homers have come in SEC games, that is tied for second highest in the SEC. Disher was big in the Kentucky series going 5-for-12 with a home run and team-high seven RBI in the series to earn SEC Player of the Week honors. Disher’s home run came in Saturday’s victory over Kentucky and was his 30th career homer in a Gamecock uniform. The senior came up in the clutch again for Carolina on Sunday with a pair of RBI singles including the game-winning hit in the eighth inning.
DARNELL DRIVES THEM IN
Junior third baseman James Darnell tallied four RBI in Saturday’s win vs. Florida and leads the SEC with 65 on the year as well as a conference-high 30 in SEC games. Darnell is hitting .309 with 15 HR Eight of Darnell’s 15 homers have come in SEC games.
For the third time this season, James Darnell recorded a multi-homer game as he hit a pair of home runs and tallied five RBI in a 7-1 win over Clemson. Earlier this year, Darnell twice tied a USC single-game record for home runs in a game with three in a win vs. Kentucky (3-29) and in a win vs. College of Charleston (3-18).
The three vs. Kentucky marked the 12th time in school history that a Gamecock player has hit three homers in one game and the first time ever that one player has done it twice. All three homers were two-run shots as he set a career-high with six RBI in the contest. That helped Darnell earned National Player of the Week from Collegiate Baseball.
COMPLETE PERFORMANCES
South Carolina continues to be impressive in 33 victories this season with a total of 294 runs in those wins. That averages to 8.9 runs per contest. 13 of the 33 wins on the year have featured at least 10 runs scored by the Gamecock offense.
HAVENS AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE
Junior shortstop Reese Havens continues to swing a solid bat with a .376 batting average (73-for-182) and also owns 13 HR and 44 RBI. He has scored a team-high 57 runs and just had a 17-game hitting streak snapped. He has spent all 44 games this year at the front of the lineup as the leadoff hitter and is the SEC leader in walks with 47 free passes. Havens is fielding .963 at shortstop.
Havens earned SEC Player of the Week honors following his performance on opening weekend vs. East Carolina. Havens was 7-for-14 (.500) for the series with a pair of homers, six RBI and seven runs scored. His five hits in the season opener tied his career-high and he set a career-high as well with five RBI in the 22-5 win over the Pirates.
BT
Senior right-hander Brandon Todd made his first appearance in over a week and earned a save in the 5-3 win at Furman on April 22. He is 2-1 on the year with a 4.50 ERA and five saves. He has 13 appearances and has struck out 21 batters in 16.0 innings.
Todd was also productive out of the bullpen two weeks ago with a pair of saves and a win in five games. Todd earned his first save of the week on Tuesday vs. Western Carolina. He worked 1.1 innings and struck out two to finish the game. “BT” would then pick up a win on Friday night with two innings of work, allowing one run on three hits in the 7-6 victory over Auburn. Todd was summoned for the final two outs in Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Tigers.
THOMAS MAKES AN APPEARANCE
Junior left-hander Craig Thomas leads the Gamecocks in appearances on the year with 17 this season. He has 24 strikeouts in 24.1 innings and has a 4.74 ERA. Thomas hurled one scoreless inning of relief in the 10-1 win vs. Wofford on Wednesday night.
Parker Bangs ENTERS THE MIX
Freshman RHP/UT Parker Bangs picked up a save with a strikeout recorded as the final out in the 9-6 win vs. Florida. Out of the pen, Bangs has been solid with a 3-2 record and a 3.18 ERA. He has struck out 30 batters in 22.2 innings and also owns two saves.
Bangs earned his third win of the year out of the bullpen with a win on Tuesday vs. Furman. He had his biggest week as a member of the Carolina baseball team in Auburn when he made two key relief appearances in a pair of wins vs. Auburn this weekend and picked up his first career save on Saturday. His first relief appearance on Friday night saw him go one inning scoreless with two strikeouts.
He then helped out with both the arm and the bat on Saturday as he got his second career start at designated hitter. Bangs went 2-for-4 with his first career homer in the 8-6 win. He then worked the final two innings of the game to pick up the save. Bangs also started at DH on Sunday and recorded a hit.
GODWIN IS GOOD
Senior right-hander Nick Godwin has been out of the bullpen the last two SEC weekends and came up big to earn a win in Sunday’s 9-6 win vs. Florida. Godwin limited the Gators to just three runs and had two pickoffs in five innings of work.
Godwin defeated Clemson twice this year and owns a 5-2 record with a 2.48 ERA. He has 61 strikeouts in 65.1 innings pitched with opponents only batting .198 against him.
Sam Dyson STEPS UP
Freshman right-handed pitcher Sam Dyson hurled six scoreless innings and took a no-hitter into the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 10-1 win over Wofford. He struck out six batters to improve to 5-0 on the year. He allowed just two hits and walked three batters.
ENDERS CONTINUES TO CONTRIBUTE
Carolina sophomore catcher Kyle Enders is among the team leaders in multi-hit games as well with 16 on the year. Enders tallied two hits in Saturday’s win vs. Florida.
The sophomore from Riverside HS came up big in the clutch for the Gamecocks in a 7-6 rally over East Carolina as his two-run single with the bases loaded and one out gave Carolina a one-run victory and clinched the series.
MERRIFIELD SHOWS SOME POWER AND SOME SACRIFICE
Freshman outfielder Whit Merrifield has shown some pop in the bat and also has played some small ball in his first weeks. He had three multi-hit games vs. Ole Miss and a pair of multi-hit games at LSU and vs. Florida. He is now hitting .309 with three homers and 20 RBI. He also leads the team and the SEC in sacrifice hits with 18 this year.
ON BASE WITH WINGO
Carolina freshman second baseman Scott Wingo owns an on-base percentage of .479 after 39 games played. He has shown power at the plate lately with five homers in the last two weeks. He started it off with a solo homer at Clemson on April 16 as well as a two-run homer on Tuesday night in the win at Furman. Wingo added a solo homer on Wednesday vs. Wofford and Saturday at LSU. Wingo has played in 39 games with 28 starts. He is fielding .982 as well with three errors at second base.
Wingo reached base 11 times in a weekend series vs. Duquesne with a single, five walks and five hit by pitches. He also tied a school record earlier in the year when he was hit by pitch three times in one game.
Wingo hit his first career home run in the 11-5 win vs. Yale. He also was hit by a pitch for the 11th time in the season, tying him for the USC freshman record previously set by Mac White (11).
