Feb. 23, 2012
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hosting its second home tournament of the year, South Carolina brings in Appalachian State, Elon, George Washington and Presbyterian to Beckham Field for this year’s Gamecock Invitational. The Gamecocks’ first game is slated for a 5 p.m. first pitch on Friday afternoon against the Elon Phoenix. All South Carolina games will have live audio at GamecocksOnline.com, while Gametracker live stats will be available for all 10 games of the event at GamecocksOnline.com.
Almost a Completely New Field for Gamecock Invitational
The four teams coming to Columbia this weekend have played a combined two games against South Carolina in their softball histories. Only Elon has squared off against the Gamecocks, with those two games coming in a doubleheader last season.
Carolina in the Month of February
In the 20-plus years of starting the season in the second month of the year, Carolina is 153-71-1 (.682) during February. Last year, the Gamecocks went 9-4 during the season’s opening month.
Hathorn Leads Gamecocks Past Winthrop
Sophomore second baseman Dana Hathorn has provided stellar defense and clutch offense during her time at South Carolina. In the Feb. 22 win over Winthrop, Hathorn provided two two-run doubles to help lead the team to a 9-1 win in five innings over the Eagles. The SEC leader in assists, the Orlando, Fla., native tops the Gamecocks with a .441 batting average.
Big RBI Games Already Surpassing Last Year
The Gamecocks have posted three four-RBI games already in 2012, one more than in the whole of 2011. Sophomores Chelsea Hawkins (2/11) and Dana Hathorn (2/22) both drove home four in wins over Winthrop, while junior Samie Garcia had a grand slam in the win over Providence (2/17).
Westfall A Double Machine in Early Going . . .
Senior leftfielder Kaitlin Westfall leads the SEC with seven doubles this season, three more than her closest competition. Five came in the Blue & Gold Feisberg Memorial, as she posted two each in wins over Illinois-Chicago and Villanova. Last season, P.J. Fulmer led the team with 10, while Georgia’s Megan Wiggins posted 23 to lead the league.
While Lackey Likes Stretching It to Three . . .
Westfall’s teammate and fellow outfielder Lauren Lackey posted two triples in two games on Feb. 19, tying for the SEC lead in that category. Lackey is looking to be the first Gamecock since Ashton Payne in 2007-08 to lead the team in triples in consecutive seasons. With two more triples, Lackey would tie for ninth in program history with nine in her career.
Childs Likes to Trot
Senior third baseman Evan Childs has tallied three homers on the year, hitting two in the two games on Feb. 19 at Florida International. She’s tied for fifth in the league in long balls. Childs is vying to be the first Gamecock since McKenna Hughes (2004-07) to lead the team in homers twice in her career.
Garcia Grand at FIU
Junior shortstop Samie Garcia led the Gamecocks during the Blue & Gold Feisberg Memorial, posting nine RBI in the event, with four coming on one swing. Her grand slam versus Providence helped propel South Carolina to the 9-1 (5) win. She holds an nine-game hitting streak entering the weekend, matching her career best.
South Carolina Defense Downfall in Losses
A common thread runs through the Gamecocks’ three losses: defensive errors. In the setbacks, the Gamecocks committed seven errors combined and allowed nine unearned runs. The only game that would stay tied without those runs would be against Tennessee State; the rest would all favor the Gamecocks.
Last season, South Carolina posted 60 errors in 56 games and had a respectable .964 fielding percentage. It made a difference, as South Carolina went 21-19 when making one or no errors. That record fell to 5-7 in games with two errors. When the Gamecocks made three or more errors, they went 0-4.
White Spotless for First Time vs. Illinois-Chicago
Senior pitcher Kierstyn White tossed her first career shutout the trip to Miami. She blanked defending Horizon League champs Illinois-Chicago, coming within two outs of a no-hitter. The two-hit blanking stands out even more, as White tossed 74 pitches in the seven-inning affair. She now has three complete games on the year, the last coming in Sunday’s 15-3 win over Villanova.
Quartet Claim Palmetto Classic All-Tourney Honors
South Carolina took home the team title from the Palmetto Classic, and four Gamecocks led the way on the all-tournament team. Senior Kaitlin Westfall claimed MVP honors, leading South Carolina with five RBI on the weekend. Joining her on the team was another senior, Evan Childs, who posted a huge day in the win over Cleveland State. Sophomore Dana Hathorn captured a spot, collecting a hit in each of the four games, while redshirt junior Audrey Broyles also garnered recognition. Broyles had the complete-game win over Western Kentucky, an eight-inning affair.
Broyles Goes the Distance and More
Redshirt junior Audrey Broyles passed a personal milestone in her first start of 2012, tossing 117 pitches in the complete-game victory over Western Kentucky. That marked the first time since 2010 that Broyles had thrown that many pitches, when she threw 120 in the loss at Florida Atlantic. Broyles felt so strong that she tossed another 1.1 innings against Winthrop on Saturday.
A Much Better Showing in 2011
South Carolina posted one of the best turnarounds in the country last year, the first under Beverly Smith. The 12 1/2 game improvement tied for 12th in NCAA Division I, and the mark was the eighth best for a team that finished 2010 under .500.
Record Speed in 2011
Last season, South Carolina recorded 79 stolen bases, tying the 1992 team for the second most in program history. That trailed only the 1995 squad (87) and marked just the fourth time in recorded history (since 1982) that the Gamecocks averaged over a steal per game (1992, 1994, 1995). The 2011 team did set one speed record, attempting to steal 99 stolen bases. The team 79.8 percent success rate ranks third in the last decade.
Returning junior Hannah Milks had her name written in the single-season record books twice for her work on the basepaths last year. Her 0.32 steals per game ranked ninth in Gamecock history, while her and senior Lauren Lackey’s perfect percentage became the sixth and seventh such seasons at South Carolina. Milks stole 16 bases without being caught, one more than Lackey.
Gamecocks Among Most Experienced Teams in NCAA Division I
South Carolina has 10 seniors listed on the roster for 2012, which is believed to be the most in NCAA Division I this year. Seven position starters return from last year, losing starters at catcher and designated player. When removing two players expected to sit out this year due to injury along with the starts by last year’s seniors, the Gamecocks bring back 92.3 percent of their outfield starts and 84.8 percent of infield starts from third to first.
Offensive Improvement Easy to See from `10 to `11
In 2011, the Garnet and Black tallied a batting average that was 51 points better than 2010 (.267-.216), an on-base percentage 54 points improved (.341-.287) and a slugging percentage 94 points better (.382-.288).From 2010 to 2011, the Gamecocks posted 89 more runs, 130 more hits, 14 more doubles, 10 more triples, 16 more homers, 36 more walks and 66 more stolen bases in `11. They also had 76 less strikeouts in 253 more at bats.
Offense (and Speed) Return Almost Fully from Last Year
South Carolina has a lot of offense returning from last year’s team. In almost every major category (minus doubles and sacrifice flies), the Gamecocks have at least two-thirds of their firepower back. Most exciting is the 96 percent of stolen bases back from last year, the highest percentage of any spot. The chart in the PDF version of the notes shows the full breakdown of what comes back for Beverly Smith’s team.
Gamecocks Set Painful Record in 2011
South Carolina, as a team, took more hit by pitches than in any season previous, getting hit 37 times. The previous mark came in 2009, when the team took 32 pitches off their collective bodies. Those are the only two seasons in record of over 30 HBPs.
And the Pitching Has Picked Up, Too
The Gamecock offense was not the only thing that improved from `10 to `11. The team’s ERA finished more than a run and a half better than in `10 (3.31-4.97). South Carolina tossed four more complete games and seven more shutouts than the year before, and opponents hit 66 points lower (.253-.319) against the team. In roughly 60 more innings, the Gamecocks compiled four more strikeouts and just one more walk.
Plenty of Pitching Opportunities for All
Unlike the offense, there is a lot of pitching to fill in for the Gamecocks this spring. Find the breakdown for the pitching that returns from Audrey Broyles and Kierstyn White in the PDF version of the notes linked above.
Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, Etc.
In last year’s 26-30 season, South Carolina went 7-11 in one-run games and 1-3 in extra-inning affairs. Turning half of those one-run losses into wins would move the Gamecocks a long way to their goal of NCAA Tournament eligibility. The Gamecocks matched their extra-inning win total from last season with the 5-4 victory in eight over Western Kentucky and stand at 1-1 in one-run games.
South Carolina Made Defenses Work in `11
The Gamecocks did a great job putting balls in play during 2011, posting the least number of strikeouts as a team in the SEC (230). That played a role in South Carolina’s offensive resurgence.
There’s Plenty of Depth Again
South Carolina’s softball roster this season is comprised of 22 student-athletes, one less than last year. And after a year of work for 16 of those, there is a viable backup at every position who could see time for a variety of reasons. Two players, Kelley Dillon and Julie Sarratt, are likely out for the year due to offseason surgeries.
Coaches Know a Bit about Winning
Last season was outside of the norm for the Gamecock coaching staff. Both head coach Beverly Smith and assistant coach Janelle Breneman came down from North Carolina, which was ranked in the top 25 in each of their last five seasons in Chapel Hill, while the Tar Heels made NCAA Tournament appearances eight times during Smith’s tenure. Calvin Beamon also knows a litle about winning, claiming crowns at all three of his amatuer stops. A high school state champion at Smoky Hill High School in Cherry Creek, Colo., Beamon won a JUCO title at the College of Southern Nevada and the College World Series during his year at Texas.
South Carolina Picked to Finish Fifth in SEC East
In the poll of Southeastern Conference coaches prior to the season, South Carolina finished fifth in the SEC Eastern Division. Florida was the pick to win the East, while Tennessee ranked second. Kentucky edged out Georgia for the third spot. Alabama was the coaches’ choice to win the SEC West, while Florida was crowned the favorite for the overall title this season by one vote over Tennessee.
Scouting the Elon Phoenix
Elon enters the weekend at 5-2 on the season, dropping its last two games during the Phoenix Softball Clash at home. The team has been good in the circle, led by Erin O’Shea. She’s tossed 25.1 of the team’s 45 innings, posting a 1.93 ERA, striking out 22 while walking 14. Two of her three complete games have been shutouts.
At the plate, five Phoenix have hit over .400 on the year, led by Tomeka Watson’s .476 mark. Cyra Cottrell tops the squad with her .933 slugging percentage, helped by her two homers and two doubles. Carleigh Nester has the team lead in RBI, driving home eight. Both Nester and Watson have stolen five bases on the season. The defense has been shaky at times, with the Phoenix averaging two errors per game this season.
Series History Versus the Phoenix
The two teams split last season’s doubleheader, the only previous meetings in history between the two teams. South Carolina won the first game of the twinbill 2-0 behind a two-hit shutout by Audrey Broyles.
Last Meeting vs. Elon – Feb. 26, 2011
Despite two hits by South Carolina leftfielder Kaitlin Westfall, the Gamecocks could not hold back the Elon Phoenix, who forced a split of the doubleheader with an 8-1 win at Beckham Field.
Scouting the Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Mountaineers hold a 4-4 record coming into the weekend’s action, winners of three of their last four. The squad has pitched well, led by the sister duo of Caitlin and Caroline Wainright. The elder Caitlin, a senior, holds a 1.95 ERA, striking out 21 and walking 15 in 28.2 innings. Freshman Caroline has tossed 22 innings, fanning 14 and walking 15 to compile a 1.91 ERA.
At the plate, Megan Rembielak leads the way with a .567/.594/.633 line (BA/OBP/SLG). She’s also stolen three bases. Allie Cashion has three of Appalachian State’s six homers and is tied for the team lead with seven RBI. Sarah Warnock has been solid at the plate (.438 average, .526 OBP), but she’s committed three errors this season.
Pembroke Pines Charter High School Reunion
Two grads from the same high school in Pembroke Pines, Fla., can greet each other this weekend. Gamecock redshirt junior Audrey Broyles and Appalachian State freshman outfielder Dani Heichen both list Pembroke Pines Charter as their high school.
Scouting the Presbyterian Blue Hose
Presbyterian is 2-3 on the year, their fifth since moving up to Division I. Pitching has been solid for the Blue Hose, though Leslie Hensley has not replicated her success from last year so far. A 1.08 ERA a season ago, Hensley holds a 3.71 ERA in 17 innings of work. She has fanned 12 and walked only four, though. Opponents have struck for six doubles among the 27 hits allowed. Kensley Loudermellk has been untouched as far as earned runs go. She’s struck out 10 and walked eight in her nine innings.
Cat Tarvin has led the squad at the plate, hitting .412 and posting a .529 slugging percentage. Morgan Durham gets on base at a team-best .474 clip and has stolen four bases. Shelby Petik has three doubles among her five hits, most on the team.
Small Connection Between Gamecocks and Blue Hose
Both teams have a player that was associated with the other within the last year. Gamecock sophomore Codee Yeske was an All-Big South outfielder for the Blue Hose in 2011, while Presbyterian catcher Erin Taylor worked with the South Carolina team this fall as a manager.
Scouting the George Washington Colonials
The Colonials bring an 0-4 record to Columbia this weekend, dropping all four games in a tournament at Coastal Carolina last weekend. Autumn Taylor did her part, going 6-for-12 with two doubles, two homers and five RBI on the weekend. Lauren Wilson added three stolen bases to go with her .600 on-base percentage.
George Washington’s pitching was not good in Conway, however. Courtney Martin led the squad with a 4.26 ERA, but she walked nine and struck out six in 12.2 innings. Kara Clauss, who led the team with a 2.38 ERA last season, holds a 10.00 mark coming into Friday’s games. Opponents are hitting .426 against her in nine innings of work.
