Softball Hosts No. 21/20 Kentucky for SEC Weekend

April 4, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. –

Gamecocks vs. Kentucky – April 5-7
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field

2013 SC SB Notes (4/2)

South Carolina Team Notes

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.
South Carolina’s leadoff batter has reached 48.2 percent of the time so far in 2013, second in the SEC.
In four of the 14 losses, the Gamecocks drew one or no walks. Only once in a win (0 vs. Villanova) did South Carolina walk less than two times.
The 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).
Gamecock pinch hitters are 9-for-26 (.346) at the plate and reach base at a .452 clip, drawing four walks and taking one hit by pitch.

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.
Garcia leads the Gamecocks in nine offensive categories entering the week, and she stands in the top 15 in numerous career listings.
She’s third in batting average (.364), third in on-base percentage (.433) and fourth in slugging percentage (.535).
After her national-lead-tying seventh triple against Appalachian State (4/3), Garcia is tied for fifth with 12 triples in her career.
Garcia is also fifth in hit-by-pitches (14), 13th in runs (110) and total bases (254) and tied for 14th in homers (11).
Currently, Garcia ranks as the 17th toughest Gamecock in recorded history to strike out, going 13.74 at bats per strikeout.
In the per-game categories, she’s second in hits (1.19), third in runs (0.76), fifth in triples (0.08), eighth in home runs (0.08), 10th in doubles (0.17) and 11th in walks (0.31).
She stole four bases in the Stetson Lead-Off Classic to move into the top 10 in that category. Now with 15 on the year, she’s tied for sixth in career stolen bases (41) and second in stolen bases per game (0.29).

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 12 times this year through 29 games.
Senior shortstop Samie Garcia has seven triples on the year, tying for 11th in Gamecock history. Her next would tie her with Tina Plew (1997) with eight in a year.
Junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins made it a 13-way tie for 15th place with six homers already this season. Her next ties her for 10th with five other players.
Junior Ashlyn Masters has three sacrifice flies, good to tie for 12th on the single-season list. Another would tie her for seventh with six others.
Garcia’s 15 stolen bases is tied for 13th in a single season with five other players. One more ties former teammate Hannah Milks for 12th.

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.
Sophomore 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.

In Wins and Losses, Who Stands Out?

As a team, the Gamecocks slug .583 in wins and .340 in losses and reach base at a .469 clip in wins and just .316 in losses.
If Alaynie Page gets on base, South Carolina is successful. She holds a .521 on-base percentage in wins and a .264 mark in losses. The same could be said for Kristen Struett (.474 to .174) and Chelsea Hawkins (.462 to .261).
Audrey Broyles is 4.04 earned runs better (2.00 to 6.04) in wins than losses, while Katie Marks is 3.55 earned runs better in the same formula (2.36 to 5.91).

Schedule Notes

South Carolina opens the 2013 season with 22 road games (five weekends + one midweek DH) and 29 of 32 due to ongoing construction at the new 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 have 31 of their 53 scheduled games against teams who made the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Out of 32 games, South Carolina has had 17 games against top-100 RPI opponents, going 5-12 in those contests.
All but four of the remaning foes are in the top-100 of the RPI currently, including 12 games against the top 50.
All 24 SEC games are against NCAA tourney participants.
Four of South Carolina’s SEC games will be on television, including one on national outlet ESPNU.
The Gamecocks lost their first three TV contests, all to top-15 foes.

Diving Deeper into Gamecock Pitchers

The Gamecocks have their most trouble in the fourth inning, with opponents scoring 35 runs and the staff tallying a 6.56 ERA in the middle frame.
The sixth isn’t much better, with a 6.18 ERA in 22.2 innings.
Redshirt senior Audrey Broyles continues to be at her best in pressure situations. Opponents hit .184 against her with runners on and two outs, while that drops to .167 with runners in scoring position and two outs.
Broyles also has her highest strikeout rate (5.2 per 7 IP) with runners in scoring position.
With two strikes, opponents are 20-of-108 (.185) against Broyles.
Freshman Katie Marks does well with runners in scoring position and two outs, holding foes to a .242 batting average while fanning 9.1 per seven innings.
When Marks gets batters to two strikes, they are 17-of-106 (.160) at the plate.
Marks polishes off hitters at 1-2 best, with 13 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 .217 in those situations.

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 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 its doubles and 52 percent of its 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.
The team returns over two-thirds of the innings thrown 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, Samie Garcia is the cousin of Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

Scouting Kentucky

The Wildcats, ranked in both national polls, bring a 24-9 mark into the weekend, including a 5-4 SEC record.
Kentucky, under six-year head coach Rachel Lawson, is solid in the circle again.
Freshman Kelsey Nunley leads the squad in nearly every major pitching category, including a 2.00 ERA and 104 K’s in 129.1 innings.
Foes hit .209 against Nunley, but she has hit 20 batters.
Lauren Cumbess (2.52 ERA, 64 IP) is the No. 2 starter, holding foes to a .200 batting average. She does have eight illegal pitches that have advanced runners.
Sophomore Griffin Joiner leads the Wildcats with a .468 on-base percentage and .716 slugging percentage, hitting eight homers and driving in 28 runs.
Freshman Maisie Steed ranks second on UK with six homers. Cumbess (22 RBI), Alice O’Brien (21 RBI) and Christian Stokes (20 RBI) help with the run production.
Freshman Sylver Samuel has stolen 11 bases in 12 tries, while senior Kara Dill has swiped six in eight tries.
Two Wildcat freshmen, Samuel and Stokes, are from South Carolina, Simpsonville and Chesterfield, respectively. Both played on the same travel ball team as SC rookies Jordan Bizzell and Alaynie Page.