May 2, 2011
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina continued the 2011 season with a non-conference win vs. Liberty and sweeping a three-game series vs. Auburn at Carolina Stadium. Carolina has now won all 11 three-game series it has played. South Carolina sits in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC, 35-8 overall with a 17-4 record in league play. Carolina’s three-way tie in the SEC is with Vanderbilt and Florida, both teams the Gamecocks defeated in two of three games earlier in the year.
Record: 35-8
SEC: 17-4
Home: 26-3
Away: 8-5
Neutral: 1-0
This Past Week: 4-0
4/26/11 – Liberty (W, 9-6)
4/29/11 – Auburn (W, 2-1)
4/30/11 – Auburn (W, 10-2)
5/1/11 – Auburn (W, 7-3)
NOTES:
Sophomore first baseman Christian Walker continues to be hot at the plate. He leads the Gamecocks with a .373 batting average (62-for-166) He has a .456 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage. He is tied for first in the SEC with 44 RBI and tied for second with nine home runs. His slugging percentage and batting average rank fourth in the conference with his on-base percentage sixth best. His 104 total bases is also tied for first in the league. Walker has a seven-game hitting streak and has reached base in 29 consecutive games.
Junior shortstop Peter Mooney was stellar at the plate in the leadoff role the entire weekend for the Gamecocks. In Sunday’s 7-3 victory, Mooney was 2-for-2 with two RBI. He also had two hits in the 2-1 win over Auburn on Friday. Mooney has a season-high nine-game hitting streak. He has raised his batting average to .289 (46-for-159) with 30 runs scored and a .403 on-base percentage.
Junior left-hander Michael Roth had a stellar start in Friday’s 2-1 win over Auburn despite a no-decision. Roth allowed just one run on seven hits with six strikeouts and a walk in eight innings of work. He remains 9-1 with a 1.24 ERA in 79.2 innings with 72 strikeouts and 19 walks. Opponents are hitting just .206 against him. His ERA ranks second in the league with opposing batting average third best. His innings pitched is second highest, strikeouts third highest. He is tied with two other pitchers for wins in the SEC also.
Senior right-hander John Taylor factored in both Friday and Sunday’s wins for the Gamecocks over Auburn. Taylor earned the victory with one perfect inning of relief in the 2-1 win on Friday. Taylor leads the SEC in ERA (0.82), opposing batting average (.158) and appearances (28). For the season he is 4-1 in 44 innings pitched with 46 strikeouts to just 14 walks.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Price earned his 13th save of the season with two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts in the 7-3 win over Auburn on Sunday. Price is 4-2 on the year with a 1.97 ERA in 32 innings with 45 strikeouts to just nine walks. Price has 23 career saves, third highest in school history. He has not allowed a run in 21 of 23 relief appearances this year.
South Carolina’s pitching staff continues to be one of the best in the nation after the weekend sweep vs. Auburn. For the season, the Gamecocks own a team ERA of 2.58 with 354 strikeouts to just 135 walks. Opponents are hitting only .218 in 383.0 innings pitched. The opposing batting average is second best mark in the conference with the ERA third best. In 21 SEC games this year, Carolina’s pitching staff has compiled a 17-4 record and a 2.06 ERA. Through conference play, opponents have just 48 runs on 135 hits in 188 innings and are hitting just .206. The 2.06 ERA and ..206 opponents batting average leads the SEC in SEC games.
South Carolina has flashed the leather as of late. The Gamecocks lead the SEC with a .977 fielding percentage and just 38 errors in 43 games for the season. The team’s .981 fielding mark in 21 SEC games is also the best in conference play.
For the season, the Gamecocks are hitting .294 (422-for-1436) as a team with a .439 slugging percentage. The team has 36 home runs.
Senior catcher Brady Thomas had a stellar weekend vs. Auburn and raised his batting average to .317 (44-for-139). He has a .394 on-base percentage and a .460 slugging percentage. Thomas is second on the team in batting average.
Senior second baseman Scott Wingo tallied a game-winning RBI single in the 2-1 win over Auburn on Friday night. Wingo tied a single-game record for the Gamecocks on Sunday in the 7-3 win with four walks vs. the Tigers. Wingo has a .310 batting average (44-for-142) with three HR and 21 RBI. His on-base percentage of .450 is second best on the team.
South Carolina is 28-0 after six innings with a lead and 32-0 on the year after eight innings with a lead. The Gamecocks are 27-2 when out-hitting an opponent and 12-6 in games decided by two runs or less. Carolina is 32-5 when holding an opponent to five runs or less. Carolina outscores its opponent 73-33 in the first two innings.
The crowds at Carolina Stadium continue to be some of the best in the country including a sellout of 8,242 on Saturday in the 10-2 win over Auburn. Carolina has a total attendance of 214,865 fans in 29 games for an average of 7,409.
South Carolina has now defeated Auburn in 12 consecutive three-game series dating back to 1998. The Gamecocks lead the series history vs. Auburn 37-19.
Next Week:
5/4/11 – at Wofford (7 p.m.)
5/6/11 – at Ole Miss (7:30 p.m. ET)
5/7/11 – at Ole Miss (3 p.m. ET) (SportSouth)
5/8/11 – at Ole Miss (2:30 p.m. ET)
