Gamecocks Hit The Road For Kentucky
May 3, 2018
No. 12 South Carolina at No. 20 Kentucky
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 12 South Carolina softball hits the road for its final SEC series of the year at No. 20 Kentucky starting Friday at 7:00 PM ET. Carolina comes into the series one game out of second place in the SEC standings, and has a one game lead in the race for third place.
How to follow
All three games of the series will be on SEC Network Plus. Live stats will also be provided on gamecocksonline.com and social media.
The upcoming weekend
The Gamecocks (No. 12/12) play their final SEC series of the regular season starting Friday at Kentucky at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network Plus.
Carolina comes into the weekend with an impressive 42-11 record, including a 14-7 mark in SEC play. Carolina is riding an eight-game winning streak (the longest in the SEC) in which it is outscoring opponents 59-16 and has posted a .348 team batting average on 72 hits (16 of which have been home runs).
Carolina is set to be on TV for the 37th-40th time this season with the Kentucky series.
South Carolina’s opponents for the week came in with a combined 54-44 record. The Kentucky series will be the fourth road series for the Gamecocks in which they are facing a ranked conference foe.
Let’s talk about the last 10… Or recent eight
Carolina has been hot its last 10 games, posting an 8-2 record with an eight-game winning streak. During that time, Kennedy Clark has led the way batting .467 with a .700 slugging percentage. As a team, the Gamecocks have outscored teams 61-22.
During the 10 games, the defense has been stellar as well, posting a .986 fielding percentage with just four errors. As for the pitchers, they’ve held opposing batters to a .208 batting average with 50 strikeouts
What a year… Some big points
Carolina has achieved some major highpoints just 53 games into the 2018 season. The first came early in the year, when the Gamecocks posted a 17-game winning streak, marking the longest streak of its kind since 1997.
With 42 victories on the season, Carolina has matched the 30-win mark for the sixth-straight year. Carolina has won 30 or more games 24 times since 1987. The 38 wins is tied for the most in the Beverly Smith era. The Gamecocks have also won 40 games for the first time since 2003. The Gamecocks reacehd the Regional Round of the postseason that year.
Home sweet home
Home is where the heart is, and it’s also where plenty of success has been found for the Gamecocks with an 25-2 record thus far.
Carolina is batting .305 in home games, outscoring opponents 157-56 (+101) in 27 games. The Gamecocks pitching staff has produced with a 1.91 ERA with 130 strikeouts and just 54 walks.
Carolina history lesson… Let’s talk about the SEC
Since moving away from the divisional format in 2014, Carolina’s best finish has been 8th in 2014. The Gamecocks finished that season 11-13 in conference play and 36-22 overall. (Gamecocks currently sit in 3rd).
Carolina has taken four conference series over ranked opponents this season, marking the first time ever in the SEC era the Gamecocks have done so.
The 2018 season… It’s been a real hit!
Carolina hasn’t been afraid to get hit by pitches this season, posting an SEC-best 71 thus far through 53 games. The next closest? Mississippi State at 45.
With 22 Jana Johns has as many hit by pitches by herself as the entire Georgia team has put together. She is already seventh all-time in hit by pitches in Carolina history.
