May 9, 2002

Columbia, S.C. – The fourth-ranked South Carolina baseball team (37-11, 16-7 SEC) will host Tennessee (24-25, 9-15 SEC) this weekend at Sarge Frye Field, the last home series of the regular season. South Carolina enters the series, one-half game back of Alabama for first place in the SEC. USC leads the Eastern Division, one-half game ahead of Florida. Friday’s first pitch is set for 7 p.m., with Saturday’s game starting at 4:07 p.m. and Sunday’s game at 1:30 p.m. Friday night’s game will be broadcast on Comcast/Charter Sports, while Saturday’s contest will air on FOX Sports South. Before Saturday’s game, South Carolina will recognize nine seniors on this year’s squad.

The rotation for the weekend is as follows:
Friday:
South Carolina: Sr. LHP Gary Bell (7-2, 5.26 ERA)
Tennessee: So. LHP Ben Riley (5-2, 4.64 ERA)

Saturday:
South Carolina: So. LHP David Marchbanks (7-2, 3.95 ERA)
Tennessee: Jr. LHP Jeffery Terrell (4-7, 4.42 ERA)

Sunday:
South Carolina: Jr. LHP Steven Bondurant (5-3, 3.93 ERA)
Tennessee: TBA

USC first baseman Yaron Peters enters this weekend as the reigning SEC Player of the Week after last weekend’s series with Ole Miss. It is the second time this season that Peters has earned the honor. Fourth-ranked South Carolina won three of four games last week including a series win vs. Ole Miss. Peters batted 9-for-16 on the week (.563), including 5-for-5 with a HR and six RBI in Carolina’s 17-12 win vs. Ole Miss on Friday. The five hits and six RBI in one game was a season-high by an individual for South Carolina this season, and also ties a season-high by an individual in the SEC this season.

Peters is batting .396 on the season has started all 48 games for the Gamecocks this season. Peters leads Carolina and the SEC in RBI with 66 and is second in the SEC in home runs (17).

South Carolina has won 10 of its last 12 conference games and seven of eight SEC series this season, including all four at home at Sarge Frye Field.