Softball . April 14, 2014

Gamecocks Open Home Stand vs. Winthrop Tues. at 6 PM

April 14, 2014

South Carolina Hosts Winthrop
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field – Columbia, S.C.
Tues., April 15, 6 PM
Live Video | | @GamecockSoftbll

Carolina State of Mind Social Media Promotion
What does “Carolina State of Mind” mean to you? Show us in our photo contest! Follow and tag us in your photos on either Twitter (@GamecockSoftbll) or Instagram (@GamecockSoftball). The top three pictures will be displayed on the video board during the April 23 game against S.C. State. The top three picture winners will also have the opportunity to be on the field during pre-game and the winner will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

2014 SC Softball Stats – 4/13

South Carolina Team Notes

The Gamecocks are 7-6 in one-run games this season, two wins better than last year’s 5-5. They went 5-9 during those contests in 2012 and 7-11 in Smith’s first year of 2011.
After posting only eight hits combined in the first two games, South Carolina tallied at least eight in each the next seven. Overall, the Gamecocks have five or more hits in 35 of 43 games.
As a team, the Gamecocks have scored 57.3 percent of runners from third with less than two outs, standing fifth in the SEC.
The college veterans have come through with runners on third and less than two outs, as Ansley Ard, Dana Hathorn, Chelsea Hawkins, Olivia Lawrence, Ashlyn Masters, Sarah Mooney, Kristen Struett and Codee Yeske have posted 35 RBI in 54 chances. The rest of the team is 20-for-42.
The Gamecocks have left the second-least runners on base in the SEC this season at 251.
Newcomers Sarah Mooney, a junior transfer from James Madison, and freshman Kaylea Snaer have a team-best eight homers on the year, tying for the sixth spot in the single-season charts at SC.
All but one of South Carolina’s losses have come when they’ve given up four or more earned runs. In fact, of the 122 team earned runs allowed, 87 have come in the 14 losses.
The one loss without four earned runs allowed for the Gamecocks came in the first game at Arkansas, where five errors led to 10 unearned Arkansas runs in the 11-10 setback.
In the first 30 games, South Carolina scored five runs combined in the second inning. Over the last 13, the team has plated 19, including five in the second game of the Furman doubleheader.

Notables from Earlier

For the second-consecutive season, South Carolina claimed at least one SEC road series, taking two of three at Arkansas over April 11-13.
The Gamecocks won their first game at Georgia since March 28, 2001 in the first game of the April 5 doubleheader.
It’s the team’s second win at the home of a ranked team, joining the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State.
South Carolina’s 3-2 win at No. 3/3 Arizona State marked the first win (and second all-time) at a top-five team’s park since March 13, 2004, a 6-4 win in nine innings at LSU.
South Carolina swept Mississippi at home over March 29-30, the first SEC home series sweep since the Rebels’ last visit in 2011.
The Sunday win over Ole Miss, which came by scoring two runs in its final at bat, ranks as the first this season for SC when it enters the seventh trailing.
In the Ball State loss, South Carolina snapped a streak of 11 games with one or no errors, a stretch that included a 10-game winning streak.
The Gamecocks’ win in game one against Western Carolina came when they were down after five innings, the first South Carolina triumph coming back that late in a game this season.
The four double plays in the Florida Atlantic win (2/16) is believed to be a school record, as it matches what was once listed but could not be verified.
This year’s 14-2 start is bettered only by a 12-1 mark by the 2009 team in the last six years of Gamecock Softball. The 2007 Gamecocks went 24-3, the best start since the first year of SEC play.

Pivotal Weekend for South Carolina’s Postseason Hopes

The Gamecocks enter the LSU weekend at 8-10 in the SEC standings, eighth out of 13 teams.
The Gamecocks last had eight or more wins at the 18-game mark in league play in 2007, a season that the team got to 10-10 and won 12 games in the SEC overall.
South Carolina’s final two series come against teams below them in the rankings in LSU and Auburn, both at 6-9 currently.
Winning one of the series would help cement that the Gamecocks would play in the 2014 SEC Tournament that they host at Carolina Softball Stadium.
One of three teams with 18 games played entering this weekend, the Gamecocks will get to 21 along with Texas A&M before taking the last weekend of April off, the next-to-last of the regular season.

The Road Is Rough, Especially Against These SEC Foes

South Carolina dropped eight of its first nine road contests in Southeastern Conference play in 2014.
Those eight losses have come against the No. 1, 3 and 4 ranked pitching staffs in ERA and 1, 2 and 4 offenses by batting average in the SEC stat rankings for league games only.
Alabama holds a 2.08 ERA, while Tennessee ranks third at 3.07 and Georgia fourth at 3.41.
Tennessee tops the league with a .343 batting average (as well as a .462 on-base percentage and .563 slugging percentage), while Alabama is second at .328 and Georgia fourth at .275.

A New Tradition: Masters Leading the Offense

Senior Ashlyn Masters leads the Gamecocks in 10 offensive categories.
She took over the leadoff spot in the middle of February. And she’s blossomed in those 35 games, scoring 31 runs, more than any player’s overall total this year, and tallying 22 of her 23 extra-base hits.
She earned South Carolina’s first SEC Player of the Week nod (on March 31) since 2005 with her performances against Furman and Mississippi.
Her 17 doubles, tops in the SEC, already is tied for fourth at South Carolina in a season, and her slash stats all rank in the top 10 as well.
She’s now in the Gamecocks’ career top-15 in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, which can be found on page 10.
She currently sits atop the career doubles-per-game list (0.25) and needs two RBI and 11 hits from qualifying for marks on those top-15s.
With multiple hits in 14 games, she leads the team.
She’s hitting .458 when playing a defensive position compared to .161 in 14 games as a designated/offensive player.

The Schedule Has Been Tough

The Gamecocks have scheduled 24 of their 55 regular-season games against teams who made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina downed No. 3/3 Arizona State and is 6-13 against those teams so far in 2014.
A total of 35 of the Gamecocks’ scheduled games come against teams that finished in the top 100 of the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index last year. Of those, 21 are against RPI top-50 teams.
After facing nothing but NCAA Tournament participants in SEC play last year, South Carolina has two conference weekends against non-tourney teams this year (home vs. Mississippi & Auburn).
Two of the Gamecocks’ SEC contests will be on national television, including the opening game to ESPN’s national coverage (March 23 at Tennessee on ESPNU).
The Gamecocks’ April 19 game against LSU will also be on ESPNU, while all nine games of the SEC Softball Tournament will be on the ESPN family of networks.

The Pitchers Reign Supreme

Both redshirt junior Julie Sarratt and freshman Nickie Blue have won weekly awards from the Southeastern Conference, Sarratt most recently being named pitcher of the week on March 17.
Blue has five saves, tied for third in a single season at South Carolina and Sarratt four, tied for fifth.
Both are better in relief (Sarratt 1.12 ERA, Blue 1.26) than starting (Sarratt 3.18, Blue 3.86).
The group posted a 29-inning scoreless streak from the final game at Florida Atlantic till the final game of the Gamecock Invitational. UNC Wilmington posted an unearned first-inning run to snap it.
Longer than that stretch was the Gamecock pitchers’ no-homer stand, from the 4th against Ohio through the end of the UNC Wilmington game, lasting 72 innings.
As a team, the Gamecock pitchers have allowed 0.45 homers, 0.06 triples and 0.75 doubles per game, which stand first, fourth and seventh in the league, respectively.
The staff has given up only 15 runs in the fifth inning all year (41.1 innings). Six of those came in the series at No. 15/17 Georgia.

Blue’s Been Best in Big Games

Nickie Blue earned her first SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Feb. 24 after picking up a win and two saves in relief as well as her first career shutout vs. Michigan State.
Blue has two marquee wins on the season, both complete-game victories at ranked opponents in the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State and the 1-0 triumph at No. 15/17 Georgia.
Against the Bulldogs, Blue struck out a career-best seven and held UGA to its lowest hit total of the season to date, allowing only three.
When Blue pitches, she’s produced nearly double the ground-ball outs (181) versus fly outs (96).

Savvy Veteran Sarratt Striking Down Foes

Julie Sarratt picked up SEC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 17 after going 2-0 with a save the week prior, which included a complete-game, nine strikeout win over No. 13/15 Texas A&M.
Sarratt’s fanned 115 batters in 124 innings, a rate (6.49 K/7IP) almost two K’s better her career standard (4.56 K/7IP) entering the year.
Sarratt struck out a career-high 10 in the win over Maryland, while she sat down nine in her complete-game victory over No. 13/15 Texas A&M, her best in an SEC game.
She is at her best with two strikes against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .142 batting average (21-of-148) with 75 of her K’s in those circumstances.

Bring on (or Back) the Doubleheaders in SEC Play

Three times already in 2014 have the Gamecocks had to play Saturday doubleheaders to ensure completing all three games of a series.
South Carolina is 5-1 in those games, sweeping twinbills from Texas A&M and Mississippi at home before splitting the double dip at No. 15/17 Georgia.

In Wins and Losses, Who (and What) Stands Out?

When the Gamecocks hit a homer, they are 21-6. If they amass more hits than the foe, they are 24-1. When holding opponents without a homer, South Carolina is 20-6.
In 11 of the 15 losses, the Gamecocks have given up eight hits or more. Only on four occasions have they won when allowing that many hits.
Gamecock pitching has a near 3:1 K:BB ratio in wins while it’s 0.73:1 in losses.
Julie Sarratt has a 88:29 K:BB ratio in 80.1 innings in wins and a 27:33 ratio in 43.2 innings in losses. Nickie Blue is in the same vicinity, 67:32 in wins (93.1 IP) and 18:21 in losses.
The Gamecocks have drawn 116 walks and been hit 26 times in 28 wins and garnered 40 free passes and 11 HBPs in 15 losses.
Catalysts in wins include Ashlyn Masters (.459 BA, 20 XBH in W’s, .238 BA, 2 2B in L’s), Ansley Ard (.400 BA in W’s, .174 in L’s), Codee Yeske (.468 OBP in W’s, .304 in L’s) and Kristen Struett (.377 OBP in W’s, .241 in L’s).
As a team, the Gamecocks slug .516 in wins and .367 in losses and reach base at a .419 clip in wins and just .320 in losses.

The Joys of Playing at Home

After playing only 17 games at its home facility last season, tying the second-lowest mark in the SEC era (since 1997), South Carolina has scheduled 34 games for Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field before hosting the 2014 SEC Softball Tournament.
Barring any rainouts, it would take two postseason games at home to tie the 2002 team’s record with 36 home games.
The Gamecocks have already more than doubled their 2013 home win total, going 20-3 this year compared to 7-10 in Carolina Softball Stadium a year ago.
Out of those 23 home games, South Carolina has posted a shutout in 11 of them. One loss even saw the Gamecocks throw a one-hitter (vs. No. 16/19 Minnesota, 3/19)
In the 16 home dates, the Gamecocks have posted paid crowds over 1,000 in 12 of them.

Some People Love Home Cooking; Others Shine on the Road

Ashlyn Masters tends to like playing at home, posting a .484 batting average and a .844 slugging percentage in Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field against .286 and .444, respectively, away from home.
Ansley Ard also hits better at home (.410 BA vs. .207).
Dana Hathorn has done much better on the road than at home (.286 BA vs. .167), and so has Victoria Williams (.481 OBP vs. .385).
Brooke Barnhill has scored nine runs in 17 appearances away from Columbia, while she’s scored only three times in 15 home playing chances.
Both of South Carolina’s primary pitchers have ERAs under 1.75 at home and over 4.25 outside of the SEC’s newest stadium.
Helping those ERAs are the 133:46 K:BB ratio at home compared to a 79:88 mark away from Beckham Field.

Snaer Drives The Middle of the Order

Freshman Kaylea Snaer ranks as the only Gamecock to start all 43 games.
She already has eight homers (T-6th) and 28 walks (T-7th), both in SC’s top 10 in a season.
Her 35 RBI are four shy of a spot on the single-season charts, and she’s five doubles away from a listing as well.
In SEC play, she’s been stellar. Of her 13 hits, nine have gone for extra bases (4 2B, 5 HR). Those nine extra-base hits are 1/5 of the team’s output in SEC play this season.
Snaer’s posted two or more hits 11 times and multiple RBI in 12 games, the latter tops on the team.
Eighteen of Snaer’s 35 RBI have come with two outs.

Scouting Winthrop

The Eagles come to Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field with a 22-19 overall record and a 10-8 mark in Big South competition.
Three of Winthrop’s losses have come against teams currently in the NFCA Top 25 (Georgia, Auburn and USC Upstate).
The Eagles have 50 doubles on the year, compared to 24 allowed, helping them overcome a deficit in on-base percentage (.339 vs. .350).
Senior McKenzi Corn has started all 41 games and hit nine doubles and stolen six bases in eight tries.
Mel Andrea and Kelsey Ritter provide the home runs with six each. Maddie Antone has five, while two other Eagles have four.
Zharne Glover has been injured recently, but when playing, she adds speed, stealing eight bases in 12 tries.
Alex White has a team-best 12 doubles but no other extra-base hits.
Sara Allen leads the team in the circle, tossing 120.2 innings with a 2.84 ERA. Foes hit .241 against her, and she has 109 strikeouts and 59 walks.
Sutton Watson has a better SO:BB ratio (71:27) in 78.2 innings, but she’s given up 12 doubles and 12 homers.

Winthrop and South Carolina Against Common Foes

The two teams have played eight common foes, with the Gamecocks owning an 11-2 mark against them, compared to the Eagles’ 9-8 record.
Both own two wins over Presbyterian and a single win over Eastern Kentucky with mixed results against Campbell, Charleston Southern, Furman, Gardner-Webb, Georgia and Western Carolina.

Ties between South Carolina and Winthrop

The Eagles have 10 student-athletes from the state of South Carolina, but only SC’s Brooke Barnhill and McKenzi Corn hail from the same high school, that being Mauldin.
Winthrop senior pitcher Sara Allen and Gamecock junior catcher Sarah Mooney both played at North Mecklenburg High during their prep days.

Series History vs. the Eagles

South Carolina stands at 45-8-1 in the all-time meetings against Winthrop.
In Columbia, the Gamecocks’ advantage is 27-2, winning the last three.

The Last Meeting

South Carolina	12

Winthrop	2	(5)

March 28, 2012
Rock Hill, S.C.

Gamecock Bats Bounce Back with 12-2 Win in Five at Winthrop

South Carolina (20-16) posted 12 hits in a 12-2 win in five innings over Winthrop (11-21) at Terry Field on Wednesday night.

Recap | Box Score

The Last Meeting – South Carolina at Winthrop – March 28, 2012

South Carolina posted 12 hits in a 12-2 win in five innings over Winthrop at Terry Field.
A relentless offensive attack that included hits from eight of the Gamecocks’ nine starting batters led South Carolina to a 7-2 win in the Saturday contest.
Kristen Struett had a memorable first start, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and four driven in while also adding a complete-game win in the circle, allowing two earned runs on four hits and five walks. She struck out one.
Chelsea Hawkins went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Milestone Wins for Gamecocks, Coach Smith Already Passed in 2014

South Carolina has played 2,037 games in its softball history, going 1327-704-6 (.653) in its 41st season of sponsorship.
With the season-opening 1-0 win over Iowa, the Gamecocks gained their 1,300th program victory.
Head coach Beverly Smith claimed second alone on SC’s coaching wins list with a 9-1 (5) win in the first game of the doubleheader against Furman.
She earlier took third with the 13-0 (5) victory vs. UNC Greensboro.
She is the third Gamecock head coach to coach a fourth season at South Carolina, joining Piel and NFCA Hall-of-Fame coach Joyce Compton.