June 25, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – As South Carolina turns the page on the 2014 season, members of the Gamecock baseball team are already looking ahead to next year with voluntary offseason workouts. Several players have stayed in Columbia this summer to lift weights and others following their program from their homes or in their summer league location. Strength and conditioning director Billy Anderson has helped shape the student-athletes summer workout program with ideas for all of the players as they gear up to return for fall workouts.
A variety of players participate in the voluntary workouts with Anderson and his strength staff. At Carolina Stadium, workouts take place five days a week with four days devoted to weight training, two of those for lower body and two for upper body. Weight training is broken up by day focused on speed and agility in the middle of the week. NCAA rules do not allow members of the baseball coaching staff to be present for student-athlete voluntary workouts.
Anderson sets individual goals for each player, but overall he says the objective in the weight room this summer is to get stronger and more physical. “I like to keep things simple [in the weight room],” Anderson says. “There’s no magic when it comes to lifting weights, you just pick the weight up and you put it down. The next time you come in you either pick up a heavier weight or you pick it up more times than you did the last time. We try to be progressive each week so we can ensure that the guys are getting stronger.”
Speed and agility workouts are set up with hurdles either in the batting cages or outside on the concourse. Players do drills concentrated on mobility and foot speed around the hurdles or under the hurdles, which Anderson says, are designed to help them move either more efficiently or faster. “[All or our drills] are quick and explosive. Everyone in baseball needs to be explosive, both pitchers and hitters, because that’s the kind of game it is. We will do some high jumps over a hurdle, and then we will sprint 10 yards.”
As the summer continues, Anderson says he may alter the workouts slightly since this group has been doing such a good job. “Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be designated for weight training with a lower body day, an upper body day and a combination day,” said Anderson. “We will also do more speed and agility work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, [which is something some of the players want to focus on].”
The most important thing for Anderson is to see the players get stronger and more physical both individually and as a team before the next season at Carolina Stadium.
THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS OF GAMECOCKS IN SUMMER BASEBALL
Several Gamecocks are participating in summer baseball leagues throughout the United States. Here is an update on several players that are playing through June 24, 2014.
Gene Cone (Florence Redwolves – Coastal Plain League)
In the 14 games Cone has played in with the Redwolves this summer, Cone has reached base in all 14 games and has tallied at least one hit in 12 of those games and has scored 8 runs.
Vince Fiori (Cotuit Kettleers – Cape Cod League)
Fiori picked up the win in his first outing of the season on June 15th against the Chatham Anglers.
Jordan Gore (Florence Redwolves – Coastal Plain League)
Gore has reached base in 12 out of 14 games he has played in and is hitting .357 with three runs scored and seven RBI with the Redwolves.
Brock Maxwell (Atlanta Crackers – Sunbelt League)
Maxwell is leading the Sunbelt League in batting average (.410) and also has recorded a double, a triple, three runs scored, five RBI and has hit safely in all 12 games he has played with the Crackers.
John Parke (Wilmington Sharks – Coastal Plain League)
Parke struck out seven in six innings of work in his most recent start on June 17th against the Fayetteville SwampDogs.
Josh Reagan (Columbia Blowfish – Coastal Plain League)
Reagan has made one start in the summer season for the Blowfish. In the outing he went 8.0 innings giving up two runs, on six hits and struck out 10 batters
