May 2, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina split a pair of games vs. Florida this past weekend with the series finale cancelled due to inclement weather in Columbia. The Gamecocks are 34-9 and 15-5 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are in first place in the SEC, one game ahead of Florida.

Record: 34-9
SEC: 15-5
Home: 26-2
Neutral: 0-2
Away: 8-5

Last Week: 1-1
4/29/16 ââ’¬” Florida ââ’¬” L, 5-4
4/30/16 ââ’¬” Florida ââ’¬” W, 2-1

NOTES:
Junior outfielder Gene Cone extended his school record hitting streak to 29 games as he went 3-for-6 in the Florida series with three walks. Cone’s 29-game hitting streak is tied for the longest this year in Division I baseball alongside Matt Reardon of Florida Gulf Coast. Danny Hudzina of Western Kentucky also had a 29-game hitting streak that dated back to last year as it included five games in 2015 and 24 games in the 2016 season. Cone hit a game-winning solo homer and was 2-for-3 in the 2-1 win over Florida on Saturday night. Cone has also reached base in 32 straight games, the most this year by a SEC player.

For the season, Cone is batting .382 (52-for-136) with three homers, two triples, 11 doubles, 19 RBI and 38 runs scored. He has 27 walks to 14 strikeouts, a .485 on-base percentage and a .559 slugging mark. Cone ranks second in the SEC in on-base percentage, fourth in batting average, tied for 10th in runs scored and 11th in slugging percentage. In 20 SEC games, Cone has been even better as he owns a .461 batting average (35-for-76) with three homers, a triple, nine doubles, 11 RBI and 27 runs scored. Cone’s league only slugging mark of .724 leads the conference. In addition, his SEC-only batting average is second-best in the conference as is his on-base percentage. Cone has scored the most runs in SEC games also.

Freshman right-hander Braden Webb is atop the SEC standings and tied for the nation lead with nine wins after earning a victory in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Florida. Webb allowed just one run on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in 7.1 innings vs. the Gators. In addition to leading the league in wins, Webb is the only SEC pitcher this year to win six league games. Webb’s 62 strikeouts in seven SEC games are also the most by a pitcher in the conference. For the season, he is 9-2 with a 3.05 ERA and has allowed 27 runs, 22 earned, on 45 hits in 65.0 innings. He has 83 strikeouts to 36 walks; opponents are hitting .194 against him. His .194 opponents batting average is fourth-best in the SEC with his 83 strikeouts third-highest in the conference.

Junior outfielder Alex Destino is right behind Cone as the team’s leading hitter with a .347 batting average (52-for-150) to go along with five homers, 40 RBI, 20 doubles and 24 runs scored. Destino has a .513 slugging mark as well. Destino hit a two-run homer in Friday’s 5-4 loss to Florida. Destino ranks 10th in the SEC in runs batted in and 11th in batting average. He has also been at his best in SEC play as he owns a .356 batting average (21-for-59) in 17 SEC contests with a team-high 16 RBI in conference games.

Despite a no-decision in Friday’s 5-4 loss to Florida, sophomore right-hander Clarke Schmidt still sits atop many of the top categories in the SEC and the nation. Schmidt is 8-1 on the year with a 1.99 ERA. He has allowed 22 runs, 17 earned, on 67 hits with 14 walks and 91 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. Opponents are batting .232 against him. Schmidt leads the SEC in strikeouts and is one win shy of teammate Braden Webb for the league-lead in victories. Schmidt also is second in the SEC in earned run average and fourth in innings pitched. Schmidt’s four SEC wins is tied for second in the SEC with his 59 strikeouts, second-most by a pitcher in league games, just three behind teammate Braden Webb. His league ERA of 2.96 is 10th-best in the conference.

Freshman catcher Chris Cullen tied a career-high in hits in Friday’s 5-4 loss as he was 3-for-4 with his first career homer, two doubles, a run scored and two RBI for the Gamecocks. Cullen raised his season average to .271 (29-for-107) with 13 runs scored and 21 RBI. He also owns nine doubles on the year.

Sophomore right-hander Tyler Johnson had a pair of quality relief appearances as he pitched 1.2 perfect innings with a strikeout in Friday’s 5-4 loss and followed that up with 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts for his fourth save of the year in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Gators. Johnson is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 19 relief appearances. He has 37 strikeouts to four walks in 31.1 innings, opponents are hitting just .200 against him. His four league saves is tied with teammate Josh Reagan for third-highest in SEC-only games. 11 of his 19 relief appearances this year are also against SEC opponents.

Junior outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams has stayed among the top hitters in the SEC. Thompson-Williams is hitting .325 (51-for-157) with four homers, three triples, 13 doubles, 32 RBI and 36 runs scored. He has a .431 on-base percentage and a .522 slugging mark. He has walked a team-high 28 times, seventh-best in the league and ranks tied for eighth in the SEC in doubles and 15h in on-base percentage. His 15 stolen bases tie him for eighth in the SEC as well.

Junior left-hander Josh Reagan leads the SEC in saves with 11 on the year and is 1-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 21 relief appearances. Reagan has allowed just five runs on 19 hits in 34.0 innings with 10 walks and 29 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .162 against him.

The Gamecocks own a team ERA of 3.16 on the year, fourth-best in the SEC with a .226 opponents batting average, third-best in the league. South Carolina has allowed 155 runs, 135 earned, on 322 hits with 144 walks to 415 strikeouts in 385.0 innings pitched.

South Carolina is fifth in the SEC in hitting with a team average of .294 (434-for-1478) as well as a .383 on-base percentage and a .415 slugging percentage. The Gamecocks have hit 27 homers. Carolina is fielding .980 as a team with just 31 errors on the year, second-best in the conference.

South Carolina has outscored its opponents this year 276-155 including 69-27 in the first two innings of play. The Gamecocks are 25-3 on the year when scoring first and 16-3 when scoring in the first inning. South Carolina is 24-2 when out-hitting its opponent and 17-3 when hitting at least one home run. The Gamecocks are 31-1 when leading after the sixth inning. South Carolina is 13-5 in games decided by three runs or less. Carolina has reached double-digits in hits in 18 games this year with a 18-0 record with 10 hits or more.

THIS WEEK
5/4/16 ââ’¬” USC Upstate ââ’¬” 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
5/6/16 ââ’¬” at Kentucky ââ’¬” 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
5/7/16 ââ’¬” at Kentucky ââ’¬” 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
5/8/16 ââ’¬” at Kentucky ââ’¬” 3 p.m. (ESPNU)