No. 22 Gamecocks Host USC Upstate Wednesday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 22 South Carolina softball hosts USC Upstate Wednesday night (March 6) at 6 p.m. for its final tune-up before SEC play begins. It is Youth Softball Night, where all youth, 17 and under, get in for free with a purchase of an adult ticket at the gate.

Series Information
Series History: South Carolina leads 7-3
Last Meeting: South Carolina 10, USC Upstate 2 (5) | April 17, 2019 | Columbia, S.C.

#22 South Carolina Gamecocks 18-2, 0-0 SEC
Coach: Beverly Smith | 14th Season
AVG Leader: .403 | Riley Blampied
RBI Leader: 19 | Aniyah Black
Home Run Leader: 4 | Reganne Bennett
ERA Leader: 0.75 | Reganne Bennett
Strikeout Leader: 45 | Sage Mardjetko
Wins Leader: 5 | Alana Vawter and Sage Mardjetko

USC Upstate Spartans 8-9, 0-0 Big South
Coach: Chris Hawkins | 31st Season
AVG Leader: .364 | Taliyah Thomas
RBI Leader: 20 | Denver Lauer
Home Run Leader: 4 | Denver Lauer
ERA Leader: 1.81 | Sierra Maness
Strikeout Leader: 58 | Sierra Maness
Wins Leader: 4 | Sierra Maness

LEADING OFF

• The 2024 season will be the 51st season for the Carolina Softball team.
• Carolina received votes in every poll yet again this week. They are ranked No. 22 by NFCA/USA Today and ESPN/USA Softball and No. 20 by D1softball and Softball America.
• The Gamecocks swept the Knights Classic, defeating Kennesaw State, UCF, Bethune-Cookman, and Princeton.
• Sophomore pitcher Jori Heard threw a perfect game in the 4-0 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.
  • Heard’s perfect game is the 11th in program history, as she becomes the seventh Gamecock pitcher to earn perfection.
  • It was the first perfect game for South Carolina since Melissa Hendon against Pittsburgh on March 4, 2007.
  • Six of Carolina’s 10 previous perfect games came between 1995 and 1997 and were thrown by either Trinity Johnson (5) or Darlene Gareis (2).
• Freshman Sage Mardjetko finished the week 2-0 with a save.
  • She finished the week by throwing a complete game two-hitter in Carolina’s 4-1 win over Princeton on Sunday.
• Carolina’s game last Wednesday against the College of Charleston was called in the top of the sixth inning due to weather, as the Gamecocks won 4-0.
  • Reganne Bennett and Sage Mardjetko combined for the shutout.

VAWTER ON THE NATIONAL STAGE

Alana Vawter joined the Gamecocks after an outstanding four-year career at Stanford. Her awards list in long, but she also ranks among the nation’s active career leaders in a myriad of pitching categories:

• She ranks first in not only Division I but among all NCAA players in:
  • Game started: 110
  • Innings pitched: 720 1/3
• Ranks second in DI and fourth overall in wins (82)
• Ranks fourth in DI and seventh overall in shutouts (27)
• Ranks third in DI and fifth overall in complete games (74)
• Ranks fifth in DI and NCAA in appearances with 138
• Ranks 11th in DI and 46th overall in ERA with a 1.76
• Ranks 15th in DI and 30th overall in strikeouts at 560
• Ranks 47th in DI in strikeouts per 7 innings at 5.44

OUCH…THAT HURT!

• Jen Cummings ranks 3rd in DI with 44 career high by pitches.
• She also ranks 4th among all divisions.

IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME

• For the fourth straight season, South Carolina is set for over 30 home games.
• Carolina will host 33 home contests, including the Gamecock Invitational, Garnet & Black Invitational, and Carolina Classic.
• They will play just two true non-conference road games and seven neutral site games. The schedule also includes 12 road SEC games.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

• South Carolina is 254-118 (.683) at home during the Beverly Smith era, which includes a 4-1 record at home while hosting a regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Carolina has finished .500 or better at home 10 of Beverly Smith’s 13 years.
• Prior to 2021, South Carolina had not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more seven of the past eight seasons (2020 included).

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS IS NOTHING NEW FOR SC

• South Carolina is 262-67 (.796) over the past nine years in games outside the SEC. Notable wins include Utah, Texas, Penn State, Houston, Arizona State, North Carolina, Florida State, California, Virginia Tech, USF, Long Beach State, Hofstra, Liberty, and UCF.
• Carolina had won 26-straight non-conference games (regular season) before a loss to Texas Tech in the second weekend of the 2020 season.

CAROLINA RUNS THIS STATE

• Under the direction of head coach Beverly Smith, Carolina owns an 86-12 mark against other Palmetto State schools.
• That mark includes a 31-game winning streak that stretched over five seasons before Coastal snapped the streak in 2017.
• South Carolina went 7-2 last season against in-state foes.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.