Jan. 15, 2003

Columbia, S.C. – The 2003 South Carolina baseball team has been selected to finish in first place in the SEC Eastern Division, as voted by the league’s 12 baseball coaches in the 12th annual preseason SEC poll.

The 2003 South Carolina baseball team will hold its first official team practice of the season on Jan. 16, beginning at 2:30 p.m. South Carolina owns preseason rankings of eighth (Collegiate Baseball) and 14th (Baseball America).

Head Coach Ray Tanner is entering his seventh season as head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina. Over the past three seasons under Coach Tanner, South Carolina has won more games than any team in Division I baseball, with 162 wins. The 2002 Gamecocks set a single-season record for wins finishing with a 57-18 record, reaching the championship game at the College World Series.

The Gamecocks have won two of the last three SEC Championships (2002, 2000) as well as three of the last four SEC Eastern Division Titles (2002, 2000, 1999). Carolina has also made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional. USC also set a new total attendance record in 2002 with 151,521 fans flocking to Sarge Frye Field.

Among the returning players include, preseason All-American catcher Landon Powell. Powell was catcher on the USA Baseball National Team in the summer of 2002 and batted .292 with 12 HR and 53 RBI with the Gamecocks last season. Third baseman Brian Buscher returns after playing all 75 games at third base for USC and batting .323 with 20 doubles and six triples. Also back in the starting lineup is infielder Justin Harris, who earned All-CWS honors and was a .295 hitter in his first season wearing the Garnet and Black.

In addition the returning position players, South Carolina also welcomes back a majority of last year’s pitching staff. Senior left-handed pitcher Steven Bondurant was 7-4 in 2002 with a 4.30 ERA. Junior left-handed pitcher David Marchbanks was 9-4 witha 4.98 ERA and sophomore left-hander Matt Campbell was 4-2 with a team-best 2.43 ERA. Also back is sophomore right-handed pitcher Aaron Rawl, who came on strong at the end of his freshman season and posted a 7-2 record witha 3.89 ERA.

Points for the poll were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion. The conference schedule begins the weekend of March 15.

South Carolina opens the 2003 season on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. at Sarge Frye Field against Charleston Southern.

Eastern Division
1) South Carolina (11) — 61 points
2) Florida (1) — 49 points
3) Georgia — 40 points
4) Tennessee — 33 points
5) Vanderbilt — 19 points
6) Kentucky — 14 points

Western Division
1) LSU (8) — 52 points
2) Miss. State (4) — 43 points
3) Auburn — 34 points
4) Alabama — 28 points
5) Ole Miss — 27 points
6) Arkansas — 11 points

SEC Champion: LSU (7); Mississippi State (3); South Carolina (2)

() – first place votes