May 14, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. –

Gamecocks at the 2013 Austin Regional
2013 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament
Red and Charlene McCombs Field
Houston – Fri., May 17, 4 PM
Live Audio | Watch ESPN/ESPN3 | | @GamecockSoftbll

Austin Regional Central
NCAA Tournament Bracket (Interactive)
Ticket information

2013 SC SB Notes (5/14)
2013 SC SB Stats (as of 5/9)

Rest of the Austin Regional Schedule (all times Eastern)
Saturday, May 18
Game 3 – 12 PM | SC vs. winner of Army/Texas (if South Carolina wins)
Game 4 – 3 PM | SC vs. loser of Army/Texas (if South Carolina loses)
Game 5 – 6 PM | Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3

Sunday, May 19
Game 6 – May 19, 2 PM | Winner of Game 4 vs. winner of Game 5
Game 7 – May 19, 45 minutes after Game 6 (if necessary)

South Carolina Team Notes

• South Carolina made its 16th NCAA Tournament, its first since 2007, garnering a spot in the Austin Regional that includes fourth-seeded Texas, Houston and Army.
• For consecutive weeks, Gamecock pitchers earned a weekly honor from the SEC. Redshirt senior Audrey Broyles was named Pitcher of the Week on April 29, while Katie Marks took the Freshman of the Week honor on May 6.
• South Carolina’s leadoff batter has reached 45.3 percent of the time in 2013, second in the SEC.
• Gamecock pinch hitters are 13-for-37 (.351) at the plate and reach base at a .467 clip, drawing seven walks and taking one hit by pitch.
• The April 24, game-one win over Charlotte was the 11th run-rule win for the Gamecocks this year. matching the 1997 group. It’s one shy of the 1996 squad’s 12, the most in recorded history.
• Winning five-consecutive games (2/24-3/3) by the run rule is the best as far as those records go (since 1995). The previous best stretch of run-rule wins came in 1995. T
• he Gamecocks won their first 13 games by scoring seven or more runs.
• In the win over Radford (2/24), redshirt senior Audrey Broyles tossed her first shutout since Feb. 26, 2011, against Elon. This was a three-hitter to defeat the defending Big South regular-season champs.
• Also recording their first shutouts as Gamecocks this year were sophomore Katelynn Howser (vs. Buffalo) and freshman Katie Marks (vs. Florida International).

Gamecocks Have Rich History in NCAA Tournament

• South Carolina makes its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Fri., the first since 2007.
• The Gamecocks are 29-27 in those 15 previous trips, making three Women’s College World Series in their history (1983, 1989 and 1997).
• Four times, South Carolina has won a regional.
• This will be the Gamecocks’ second appearance in a four-team regional. South Carolina hosted in 2007 and won, beating Oregon twice on Sunday.
• South Carolina has not played an NCAA postseason game in Texas and last played in Texas in 1992 in an event at Texas A&M.

Going Home

• South Carolina has one player listed from Texas on its roster, freshman Katie Marks, who grew up in the Houston area.
• Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith also spent many of her formative years in Houston, including working in the athletic academic office as well as in marketing for the Cougars.
• Redshirt senior Audrey Broyles also has family from Texas, and she was born in Houston.

Schedule Has Prepared Gamecocks for Postseason

• South Carolina opened the 2013 season with 22 road games (five weekends + one midweek DH) and 29 of 32 outside Columbia due to ongoing construction at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• The 1997 team spent 23 of its first 26 games away from home in the most similar stretch in the Gamecocks’ SEC-era history.
• The 1988 squad played its first 31 games away from Columbia (six weeks on the road), while the 1987 team spent its first 20 games traveling (10 days).
• The Gamecocks played 31 of their 53 regular-season games against teams who made the 2012 NCAA Tournament. All eight SEC foes made last year’s NCAA tourney.
• Out of 55 games, South Carolina played 36 against top-100 RPI opponents, going 16-20 in those contests.
• Fifteen of the 24 SEC games came against teams that earned host sites and top-16 seeding from the NCAA Selection Committee, including the first 12.
• Against teams that made this year’s NCAA field, the Gamecocks went 8-17, including a 6-7 mark away from home against those teams.
• The Gamecocks went 1-5 in their six TV contests, five of those game coming against RPI top-15 foes.

Some Single-Game Marks Rewritten in 2013

• South Carolina beat Alabama State 29-0 (5) on March 2, setting a new NCAA-era record for runs in a game and tying the program record for margin of victory.
• The Gamecocks tied their high of 25 RBI in that Alabama State contest.
• Olivia Lawrence broke the runs-scored record against the Hornets, crossing home five times.
• Chelsea Hawkins tied the single-game homer record with two blasts against Kennesaw State, also on March 2.

Samie Garcia: Setting New Standards

• Senior shortstop Samie Garcia became the first Gamecock under Beverly Smith to be selected in the NPF Draft, going with the 14th overall selection (second of the fourth round) to the NY/NJ Comets in the April 1 event.
• She earned second-team All-SEC honors this year, the second-straight year the Gamecocks have had someone on the all-conference squad.
• Garcia leads the Gamecocks in 11 offensive categories, and she stands in the top 15 in numerous career listings.
• She’s second in batting average (.369), third in on-base percentage (.433) and fourth in slugging percentage (.538).
• With seven triples on the year, Garcia is tied for fifth with 12 in her career.
• Garcia is also fifth in hit-by-pitches (16), 10th in total bases (293) and hits (201), 11th in runs (120), tied for 12th in homers (12) and tied for 16th in doubles (32).
• Currently, Garcia ranks as the 16th-toughest Gamecock in recorded history to strike out, going 13.97 at bats per strikeout.
• In the per-game categories, she’s second in hits (1.21), fourth in runs (0.72), fifth in triples (0.07), seventh in doubles (0.19), 11th in home runs (0.07), 11th in walks (0.28) and 17th in RBI (0.43).
• She stole four bases in the Stetson Lead-Off Classic to move into the top 10 in that category. Now with 18 on the year, she’s fifth in career stolen bases (44) and fourth in stolen bases per game (0.27).

Other Hitters in SC’s Top 20 Career Charts

• Senior catcher Shelby Gonzales now ranks fifth after her game-winning homer in the regular-season finale vs. No. 2/3 Florida with 0.09 round trippers per game.
• Junior second baseman Dana Hathorn would have broken the career hit-by-pitch record with just this season’s 23. She’s now at 32. She’s also tied for 19th in stolen bases (21).
• Hathorn is 15th in batting average (.300) and 10th in on-base percentage (.376). In per-game stats, she’s eighth in RBI (0.50), 12th in runs (0.50), 14th in hits (0.90) and 17th in stolen bases (0.13).
• Junior right fielder>Chelsea Hawkins is eighth in career slugging percentage (.489), eighth in homers (16) and 19th in batting average (.290).
• In per-game stats, Hawkins is second in homers (0.12), ninth in RBI (0.50) and 13th in doubles (0.17).

Single-Season Record Already Fallen; Others to Watch

• Junior second baseman Dana Hathorn has already broken the single-season hit-by-pitch mark, getting plunked 23 times this year through 55 games.
• Senior shortstop Samie Garcia has seven triples on the year, tying for 11th in Gamecock history. One more sees her join Tina Plew in 10th with eight in a single season.
• Garcia is also tied for eighth in hits, one shy of tying Tricia Popowski’s 1991 output. She’s also 12th in runs, needing two to tie for 11th with Dana Fulmer’s 50 in 1994.
• Garcia’s 16 doubles are tied for sixth in a single season, and her next would join her with Danielle Quinones and Tricia Popowski in fourth.
• Garcia’s 18 stolen bases is 10th in a single season, one shy of tying Tina Plew and Christie Dammer in eighth.
• Junior right fielder>Chelsea Hawkins made it a five-way tie for sixth place with eight homers already this season. Her next ties her for fourth with Samantha Jennings and Joyce McMillin.
• Sophomore centerfielder Kristen Struett is tied for sixth with 41 RBI in a season. Two more tie her with Tina Plew’s 43 in 1996 in fifth.
• Freshman left fielder Alaynie Page’s next walk would put her into a three-way tie for 14th with 24, joining Meagan Donohoo and Tricia Popowski.
• Both redshirt senior Kelley Dillon and Page have been hit seven times this year, tying for third on the single-season listing behind their teammate Hathorn and Kristin Hall (8, 2005).
• Junior Ashlyn Masters has four sacrifice flies, tying for seventh with six others. Her next knots her with three with five in a year.

How the Gamecocks Made the SEC Tournament And About the Win

• The Gamecocks won their first SEC Tournament game since 2003 with a 6-3 win over seventh-seeded and host Kentucky in the first round.
• It was South Carolina’s first SEC Tourney win since May 9, 2003 over Mississippi State.
• It took a win over No. 2/3 Florida, the first win over the Gators since 2003, ending a 28-game losing streak, to secure the berth, the first in Beverly Smith’s head coaching career.
• South Carolina swept its first SEC series of the year at Mississippi State, marking the first road three-game SEC sweep for the Gamecocks since doing it at Kentucky over March 29-30, 2008.
• It’s the first three-game sweep in Starkville in history for South Carolina.
• The Gamecocks won their first SEC series of 2013 at Auburn, the first winning weekend in any SEC road series since the 2011 Arkansas win (4/16-17).

In Wins and Losses, Who Stands Out?

• As a team, the Gamecocks slug .551 in wins and .311 in losses and reach base at a .439 clip in wins and just .298 in losses.
• The Gamecocks have struck out 129 times in the 23 losses and 98 in the 32 wins.
• If Kristen Struett gets on base, South Carolina is successful. She holds a .465 on-base percentage in wins and a .233 mark in losses. The same could be said for Alaynie Page (.439 to .262) and>Chelsea Hawkins (.397 to .267).
• Audrey Broyles is 4.60 earned runs better (1.79 to 6.39) in wins than losses, while
• Katie Marks is 2.58 earned runs better in the same formula (2.10 to 4.68).
• Julie Sarratt has a 54:33 K:BB ratio in 73 innings in wins, and a 24:26 ratio in 48.1 innings in losses.

Diving Deeper into Gamecock Pitchers

• The Gamecocks have their most trouble in the fourth inning, with opponents scoring 46 runs and the staff tallying a 4.96 ERA in the middle frame.
• The sixth isn’t much better, with a 4.14 ERA and 34 runs scored in 45.2 innings.
• Audrey Broyles has her highest strikeout rate (5.2 per 7 IP) with the bases loaded, while it’s 4.4 with runners in scoring position.
• With two strikes, opponents are 31-of-174 (.178) against Broyles.
• Freshman Katie Marks has a strikeout rate of 14.0 with the bases loaded, 7.2 with runners in scoring position and two outs and 7.1 with runners on and two outs.
• When Marks gets batters to two strikes, they are 27-of-173 (.156) at the plate.
• Marks polishes off hitters at 1-2 best, with 26 of her K’s coming in that count.
• Redshirt sophomore>Julie Sarratt also does well with runners on and two outs, with the opposition hitting .172 in those situations. They also hit .182 with runners in scoring position and two outs against Sarratt.
• Sarratt’s foes hit .190 against her in leadoff situations and .221 when the bases are empty.
• Sarratt has escaped others’ jams as well, only allowing three of the 15 runners she’s inherited to score.

Updates from USF Under Armour Showcase

• The Gamecocks won their first extra-innings game of the year in their second try, beating Penn State 4-3 in eight innings.
• Freshman hurler Katie Marks fanned 14 in 13.1 innings during the event, throwing a complete game in the nine-inning affair against Northwestern.
• South Carolina picked up its ninth run-rule win of 2013 against UMass, the reigning Atlantic 10 champs, matching the 2000 team for its most run-rule wins this century.
• Senior catcher Shelby Gonzales had two homers on the weekend, her first two of 2013.

Statements Made in Statesboro

• South Carolina picked up its first win against a 2012 NCAA Tournament team when it downed Georgia Southern 7-2 on Sunday.
• The Gamecocks scored their most runs in the NCAA era (since 1982) with a 29-0 victory over Alabama State. That also matches the largest margin of victory in recorded history at South Carolina, tying a 32-3 win over Allen in 1977.
• The team tied a program high with 25 RBI in the game, matching the output from a 27-0 win over Coppin State on March 31, 1996.
• Only in 1996 have the Gamecocks scored more than 56 runs in a four-game stretch, posting 62 runs vs. Coppin State and Virginia twice each in a weekend.
• The 1988 team scored 55 (vs. North Carolina, Georgia Southern twice and McNeese State), while the Gamecocks tallied 52 the 2013 opening weekend vs. Michigan State and Stetson, twice each.
• Sophomore>Olivia Lawrence broke the school record by scoring five runs in the Alabama State game, topping a mark set nine times, including thrice this year.

Postcards from Orlando

• Sophomore pitcher Katelynn Howser garnered her first career shutout in the Gamecocks’ 8-0 (5) win over Buffalo, giving up only one hit.
• It was the first one-hitter for a Gamecock hurler since 2011, when>Julie Sarratt did it against Coastal Carolina (4/11/11), and the 56th since 1995 for South Carolina.
• Samie Garcia tripled in each of the last four games, matching her 2012 total in those four games.

Opening Weekend Notes

• South Carolina scored 52 runs on the opening weekend of 2013, picking up two run-rule victories while scoring double-figures in all four games.
• It ranks as the first time the Gamecocks have scored double-figure runs in four-consecutive games in the NCAA era (since 1982).
• The only other time in the NCAA era that the Gamecocks scored double figures in three-straight games was 1995 (10 at Virginia, 11 vs. George Mason and 11 vs. USF), later matched this year.
• The 15 runs in the opener against Stetson is the most in a season opener in the program’s NCAA era.
• The two run-rule wins to start the year matches the 1993, 1996 and 2004 squads.
• On three occasions, Gamecock student-athletes tied the then-school record in runs scored. Twice, Samie Garcia accomplished the feat on Feb. 9, while Alaynie Page did it as well in the second game (vs. Stetson, Feb. 9).
• Samie Garcia reached base in each of her first 10 plate appearances.

Roster Notes

• South Carolina returns four position starters from last year’s team, including 40 starts in right field >Chelsea Hawkins), 44 at catcher Shelby Gonzales) and 54 each at both shortstop Samie Garcia) and second base Dana Hathorn).
• The Gamecocks’ 2012 leaders in batting average, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, slugging percentage, walks and stolen bases graduated.
• Eighty-two percent of the team’s sacrifice hits departed, the highest of any offensive category. The next highest percentage is stolen bases (71%).
• Despite losing doubles leader Kaitlin Westfall and single-season home run record-tying holder Evan Childs, the Gamecocks have 51 percent of their doubles and 52 percent of their homers back in 2013.
• With the 11 departed players, the Gamecocks also lost players who took 41 of their 65 pinch-hitting appearances and the top four pinch runners.
• Back is the 2012 team leader in runs scored Samie Garcia, 41), who also tied for the team lead in stolen bases (11).
• The team returns over two-thirds of the innings pitched in 2012, including ERA leader Audrey Broyles and strikeout leader Katelynn Howser.
• Coming back from season-long injuries last year are redshirt senior Kelley Dillon and redshirt sophomore>Julie Sarratt.
• Nine newcomers join the roster, including six freshmen, a sophomore transfer and two junior-college transfers.
• The team is again dominated by South Carolina natives, with 40 percent of the roster hailing from the Palmetto State.

Family Ties

• The Masters sisters Ashlyn and Lauren are the first siblings to play on the same Gamecock team and the second set ever in the program’s recorded history, after the Troesh sisters, Leanna (1997-99) and Debralee (2000-03).
• Junior>Chelsea Hawkins is the niece of Tia Rogers (2002-04 letter-winner).
• While not a Gamecock, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is the cousin of Samie Garcia.

Scouting Houston

• The Cougars went 40-18 in 2013, including a 19-5 mark in Conference USA, which sent four teams to this year’s NCAA Tournament.
• Coming in second in C-USA, Houston fell in the finals of their tournament to Marshall, 3-1.
• Pitching is the Cougar’s calling card, with the team posting a 2.60 ERA in 380 innings.
• Redshirt junior Bailey Watts leads the team with a 2.13 ERA in 164 innings, striking out 109 but walking 82. Foes hit .221 against the second-team All-Conference USA pitcher.
• Junior Diedre Outon has tossed 112 innings, posting a 2.75 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 55 walks.
• Summer Groholski, a sophomore, has a 2.79 ERA in 70.1 innings. She’s struck out 39 but walked 35.
• The Cougars boast of a trio of .300 hitters, but the best ranks third in batting average.
• Junior catcher Haley Outon, who earned C-USA Player of the Year accolades, has a .350/.483/.731 line, leading the team in slugging percentage and with 15 homers and 61 RBI.
• Senior third baseman Holly Anderson, a first-team All-C-USA infielder, has a team-high .374 batting average and stands second on the team with 12 homers, 50 RBI and a .673 slugging percentage.
• Freshman centerfielder Katie St. Pierre, who garnered a spot on both the C-USA first team and All-Freshman Team, has a .369/.462/.411 line, stealing a team-best 14 bases in 19 tries.
• Sophomore second baseman Kayla Holland hits .310 with a .382 on-base percentage.
• Junior shortstop Kendra Cullum has been hit 36 times, boosting her on-base percentage to .492, tops on the team. She also has a team-high 22 sacrifices.

Ties between South Carolina and Houston

• Houston sophomore Jennifer Hooker (Taylor) and South Carolina freshman Katie Marks (Katy) went to different high schools around Katy, Texas.

Common Opponents Between SC & UH

• The teams shared three opponents, with the Cougars going 3-2 against UCF, Alabama and Mississippi State. The Gamecocks went 3-4 against the same foes.

The Gamecocks’ Numbers vs. the Cougars

• Only one Gamecock remains from the 2009 team that beat Houston in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, that game’s starting and winning pitcher, Audrey Broyles.
• Broyles allowed one hit and two walks in four innings of work, fanning two without giving up a run.
• She also went 1-for-2 at the plate.

Scouting Texas

• The No. 4 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Texas holds a 44-8 overall record, finishing second in the Big 12 to overall No. 1 seed Oklahoma.
• The Longhorns handed the Sooners one of their four losses.
• Senior Blaire Luna leads Texas in the circle, tossing 200.2 innings and striking out 342. Opponents hit .126 against her.
• One of 10 finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award, Luna has walked 93 and hit 24 batters on the year.
• Senior Kim Bruins (1.65 ERA, 72 IP) and freshman Holly Kern (2.62 ERA, 53.1 IP) support Luna on the pitching staff.
• Senior third baseman Taylor Hoagland tops the Texas hitters with her .442/.628/.868 line, leading the Longhorns in six offensive categories.
• She has 13 homers, 23 stolen bases, 40 RBI, 58 runs scored and 64 walks.
• The strength of the Longhorn offense seems to be speed, stealing 108 bases in 135 tries.
• Junior centerfielder Brejae Washington leads the way with 28 stolen bases, and she’s third on the team in on-base percentage at .428.
• Junior designated player Taylor Thom has a team-best 55 RBI, tallying 12 homers and 13 doubles while stealing 20 bases.
• Senior left fielder Torie Schmidt has 18 stolen bases in 21 tries.
• Junior catcher Mandy Ogle reaches base at a .471 clip, and she’s hit nine doubles.

Ties between South Carolina and Texas

• Freshmen Erin Shireman of Texas and Katie Marks of South Carolina played on the same Texas Impact Gold travel-ball team. Texas sophomore Gabby Smith also played for the Texas Impact Gold.

Common Opponents Between SC & UT

• Both teams beat Penn State in the regular season, the only common foe. Texas won 8-4 in Fullerton, Calif, a week after South Carolina took a 4-3 win in eight innings while in Clearwater, Fla.

Scouting Army

• The Patriot League conference tournament winner, Army brings a 35-24 record into the NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the regular season.
• Army fought out of the losers’ bracket to win the event, getting two shutout performances from sophomore Morgan Lashley to claim the title.
• Lashley, the Patriot League Tournament MVP, has tossed 281.2 innings on the year, striking out 192, walking 113 and hitting 23 en route to her 2.21 ERA.
• Foes have a .211 batting average against the second-team All-Patriot League hurler.
• Freshman Braetana Roy ranks second on the team with her 115.1 innings of work, posting a 3.46 ERA with 58 strikeouts and 43 walks.
• Both are supported by stellar defense, as Army ranks 19th in the country with a .972 fielding percentage, posting 49 errors in 59 games.
• Offensively, Army likes the run with junior left fielder Amanda Nguyen, who has 40 stolen bases in 44 tries. The first-team All-Patriot League outfielder leads the Black Knights with a .412 on-base percentage.
• Second-team All-Patriot League centerfielder Christian McKone, a freshman, has 16 steals in 18 tries, ranking third on the team in batting average (.337) and on-base percentage (.404).
• Senior second baseman Alex Reynolds (4 HR, 43 RBI) and freshman third baseman Kasey McCravey (5 HR, 36 RBI) provide the power for Army.
• Reynolds made the All-Patriot League first team at second base.
• Sophomore catcher Rae Anne Payleitner earned Patriot League All-Tournament honors after hitting a three-run homer in the finals of the tournament.
• If Army’s defense has a weakness, it’s the left side of the infield with McCravey’s 18 errors and junior shortstop April Ortenzo’s 11, the only two with fielding percentages under .970 among field players.

Ties between South Carolina and Army

• Gamecock redshirt senior Audrey Broyles and Army junior April Ortenzo are both from south Florida, playing each other in high school.
• Army sophomore pitcher Morgan Lashley comes from the same travel ball group, Jersey Intensity, that Gamecock signee Mackenzie Moler plays with now.
• South Carolina freshman pitcher Katie Marks and Black Knight senior infielder Alex Reynolds both hail from Katy, Texas.

Common Opponents Between SC & Army

• Army and South Carolina both played Furman and Auburn, both losses for the Black Knights, while the Gamecocks tallied a 3-2 mark against the Paladins and Tigers.