May 1, 2003
Columbia, S.C. – With three SEC series remaining in the 2003 season, the South Carolina baseball team returns home for a three-game set with Kentucky beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Gamecocks hold a 29-17 overall record and a 10-11 mark in conference play heading into this weekend’s games. Kentucky comes into the weekend 19-25 this season with a 6-14 record in the SEC.
Senior LHP Steven Bondurant (4-3, 3.84 ERA) takes the hill for Carolina on Friday night against Kentucky senior RHP Scott Wade (2-5, 5.55 ERA). Junior LHP David Marchbanks will get the nod on Saturday afternoon. Marchbanks is the SEC leader in wins with a 10-2 record and owns 69 strikeouts and just nine walks in 89 innings pitched. Kentucky junior LHP Heath Castle (5-3, 3.03 ERA) will start Saturday for the Wildcats.
The Gamecock bats came alive on Wednesday evening as South Carolina defeated Wofford 23-2 in Spartanburg. South Carolina set a team-high for the season for hits in a game with 26 against the Terriers. The Gamecocks had 11 extra base hits including five home runs, one a grand slam by Bryan Triplett. The Gamecocks are 23-2 this season when hitting at least one home run against the opponent. Senior 3B Brian Buscher was 4-for-5 against Wofford and raised his batting average above .400 for the season. Buscher is batting .401 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. Buscher has collected 73 hits and is one of two players to have played and started all 46 games this year. Landon Powell has also started all 46 games and enters the weekend with a .329 batting average including a team-high 18 doubles and 37 RBI.
South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner enters the weekend just two wins shy of 700 career wins. Now in his 16th season as a head coach, Coach Tanner has amassed a 698-303-3 (.697) record. Last week vs. UNC-Asheville, Coach Tanner won his 300th game as a Gamecock in a 5-1 win vs. the Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks lead the series with Kentucky 23-19 and have won seven consecutive games vs. the Wildcats as well as 10 of the last 11 games played. Carolina swept the series last year with a 6-4 win in 10 innings on Friday night and a doubleheader sweep on Sunday 6-4, and 12-6, all three games played in Lexington.
