Carolina Set To Take On North Carolina
Feb. 19, 2018
South Carolina vs. North Carolina
- Game Notes
- Live Stats
- Clear Bag Policy
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Softball closes a five-game home stand on Tuesday when the Gamecocks welcome North Carolina to Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. First pitch is set for 6:00 PM ET. Fans can catch the game on SEC Network Plus, while live stats and updates will be provided on Twitter.
PARKING INFORMATION
Fans are encouraged to park in the Heyward Street Parking Garage.
The Gamecocks
Carolina comes into the 2018 season looking to build upon a 34- 25 season in which the Gamecocks reached the regional final for the third time under the direction of head coach Beverly Smith.
The Gamecocks welcome seven freshmen and transfer Dixie Raley to the program this season to bring the Gamecocks to 20 active members.
Head coach Beverly Smith has been California Dreaming with her roster, as South Carolina has six Californians on the team, more than any other state combined. The next closest is a tie with three between Georgia and South Carolina.
Carolina won’t be lacking arms this season with five available coming into the new season, leaving 15 fielders.
The Upcoming Week
The Gamecocks close out a five-game home stand against North Carolina Tuesday night at 6:00 PM ET on SEC Network + before hitting the road for Orlando for the weekend.
Carolina takes a season-high six-game winning streak into the week as the Gamecocks posted a perfect 5-0 record last week with a road win paired with four victories at home.
Carolina will be on TV for the first time this season on Tuesday with SEC Network + set to air the game against UNC.
South Carolina’s first four opponents of the week come in with a 15-13 record.
A Look Back… The Second Week Of Success
The Gamecocks posted a perfect 5-0 record last week against Charlotte, Michigan State, Southern Illinois, Georgetown and Mercer. Carolina won by a combined 24-8 on the week.
Kamryn Watts couldn’t have asked for a much better last five games, as the senior posted a .500 batting average on five hits and a .545 on-base percentage.
Mackenzie Boesel continued to lead the way at the plate for the Gamecocks last week, hitting .429 on six hits with 5 RBI and a .529 on-base percentage.
Teams struggled against Gamecock pitching as the trio of Dixie Raley, Kelsey Oh and Cayla Drotar held opponents to a low .168 batting average while striking out 36.
Better Look Into Boesel
Just 10 games into the 2018 season, Mackenzie Boesel leads the Game- cocks in batting average (.414), runs (11), hits (12), doubles (4), home runs (3), total bases (25) and slugging percentage (.862).
Better Look Into Maguire
Thus far through 10 games, Kenzi Maguire is the only Gamecock to have reached base in every games. She’s posted a strong .407 batting aver- age with 11 runs scored and five hit by pitches to produce a .543 on-base percentage.
The UNC Series… A Deeper Look
South Carolina won 18 of the first 20 games in the series starting in 1985 and have won two of the last three in more recent history. The Gamecocks have lost consecutive games to the Tar Heels just twice in the 32 years the two teams have met.
The Gamecocks have protected home well in the series, posting an impressive 31-4 record in Columbia. The Tar Heels haven’t won in Columbia since April 18, 2007. Before that North Carolina hadn’t won a road game in the series since 2001. The Gamecocks won every home game in the series for the first 16 years the teams met.
The last time these two teams met was Feb. 22, 2017 as the Tar Heels picked up a 7-3 win in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Carolina’s Alyssa VanDerveer blasted two of the Gamecocks’ three home runs in the game, but Brittany Pickett moved to 4-0 on the season in the victory in the circle for the Tar Heels.
