April 20, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina softball will take an SEC break as they host Furman on Wednesday in a mid-week doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. It is “Senior Citizen Day” and all senior citizens get in for $1. The Gamecocks are currently ranked 25th and have a 22-18 overall record. USC is 11-16 in the SEC. Furman is 12-37 and 5-7 in the Southern Conference.

USC leads the series against the Lady Paladins 52-10-1. Last year, the Garnet and Black swept Furman 2-0. The Gamecocks have won the last five straight meetings against Furman. The Lady Paladins’ last win over the Gamecocks came in 2001 in a 1-0 victory.

Head Coach Joyce Compton is just two wins shy of earning her 800th victory as the head coach of South Carolina. A doubleheader sweep of Furman could seal the deal for Compton as she adds to her long list of coaching achievements. In 18 years, her current Carolina record is 798-306-2.

Both teams are coming off of a loss as USC is coming off of a 1-2 series against No. 13 Alabama and Furman split with Elon.

Senior third baseman Samantha Jennings is just one home run shy of tying the school record for home runs in a single season. Jennings currently has nine, while the record is 10, and was set by Debralee Troesh last year. Jennings has 15 career home runs and is tied for fourth among USC’s all-time leaders.