Carolina To Open SEC Tournament Against Mississippi State
May 9, 2018
No. 12 South Carolina vs. Mississippi State
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 12 South Carolina softball will face Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Softball Tournament on Thursday at noon ET on SEC Network. The Gamecocks earned a bye in the first round after earning a No. 3 seed with 15 conference wins this season. This will be the second time this season the two teams have met as Carolina swept the Bulldogs earlier this season in Columbia, S.C.
How to follow
Fans can catch the game on SEC Network or listen live on Sirius/XM SEC Radio channel 374. Live stats will also be provided on gamecocksoline.com and social media.
The upcoming week
The Gamecocks (No. 12/12) hit the road for the SEC Tournament in Columbia, Mo., with a first round bye meaning the Gamecocks won’t play until noon ET on SEC Network on Thursday against Mississippi State.
Carolina comes into the week with an impressive 43-13 record, including a 15-9 mark in SEC play. Carolina closed the regular season winning eight of its last 10, including four wins over ranked opponents.
Carolina is set to be on TV for the 41st time this season with the first game of the SEC Tournament.
South Carolina’s opponents on its side of the bracket come in with an impressive 186-77 (.707) record, but are just 26-5 (.839) in neutral games this season.
The tournament schedule
The 2018 SEC Tournament in Columbia, Mo., opens with four games on Wednesday starting with Texas A&M against Mississippi State at noon ET on SEC Network. The second day will have four more games starting with South Carolina at noon ET against the winner between the Aggies and Bulldogs on SEC Network. Friday will feature two semifinal games starting with the game on Carolina’s side of the bracket on ESPNU at 3:00 PM ET. The Championship game is set for Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN2.
Adam Amin and Amanda Scarborough will be on the call with Laura Rutledge for Carolina’s first game. Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Holley Rowe and Scarborough will be on the call for the semifinal and championship games.
SEC Now will be on location with full coverage throughout the tournament. Molly McGrath and Kayla Braud will cover the day shifts while Laura Rutledge and Madison Shipman will have the night.
The tournament concludes before Sunday, when the NCAA Softball Postseason Show will announce when and where everyone is set to go in the postseason.
Let’s talk about the last 10 games of the regular season
Carolina closed the last 10 games of the regular season on fire, posting an 8-2 record while outscoring teams 71-31 (+40) with an incredible 18 home runs.
The offense has been rolling, posting a .634 slugging percentage, .426 on-base percentage and 66 RBI. Kennedy Clark has led the way, batting .484 with 15 hits, seven runs and eight RBI. Total, Carolina has had three people (Clark, VanDerveer and Boesel) hitting above .400.
Finishing third… Why this was a special deal
The 15 conference wins was the most for the Gamecocks since winning 18 in 2003, while the 43 wins is currently the most since winning 46 in 2002. The 15 conference wins give head coach Beverly Smith 71 SEC wins in eight years.
The South Carolina pitching staff has been outstanding this year. Its 2.10 ERA is the program’s best since its 1.79 ERA in 2007. Its 127 runs allowed up to this point are the lowest since Carolina allowed just 123 in 2004.
Carolina history lesson… Let’s talk about the SEC
Since moving away from the divisional format in 2014, Carolina’s best finish had been 8th in 2014. The Gamecocks finished that season 11-13 in conference play and 36-22 overall. (Gamecocks currently sit in 3rd).
Carolina took four conference series over ranked opponents this season, marking the first time ever in the SEC era the Gamecocks have done so.
All SEC Gamecocks
The Gamecocks had five players recognized on three difference All-SEC Teams this year. Kenzi Maguire, Mackenzie Boesel and Alyssa VanDerveer were named to the Second Team All-SEC, Jana Johns and Kelsey Oh were named to the Freshman All-SEC Team while Johns was named to the SEC All-Defensive Squad for third base.
This marks the first time since 2015 Carolina has had a player named to the first or second team, and the first time since 2002 its had three. This is just the fifth time since the SEC started in 1997 Carolina has had more than one in a year.
