March 8, 2004
Columbia, S.C. – Riding a 12-game winning streak, the University of South Carolina baseball team (12-0) has moved up to No. 3 in the nation in the latest Baseball America poll released this afternoon. The Gamecocks defeated Clemson twice this past weekend and earned a win vs. Furman on Wednesday to remain undefeated for the 2004 season. South Carolina also moved up one spot to No. 4 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Poll.
South Carolina begins a nine-game homestand this Tuesday vs. Yale in the first of a two-game set with the Bulldogs. South Carolina will start junior LHP Matt Campbell (2-0, 0.00 ERA) with first pitch at Sarge Frye Field set for 7 p.m. Live Gametracker stats will be available at USCSPORTS.COM.
WEEKLY NOTES:
South Carolina extended its winning streak to 12 games with three more wins this weekend vs. Furman and No. 18 Clemson …
SOUTH CAROLINA AT THE PLATE
The Gamecocks have hit a home run in all 12 games this season, 29 on the year and are batting .374 as a team on the year with 10 of 12 games featuring a USC offense with at least 10 hits … Junior infielder Steve Pearce leads the way for South Carolina with a team-high eight HR, 25 RBI and a slugging percentage of 1.111, Pearce has not struck out in 45 at bats (23-for-45, 18 runs) and walked four times … Senior infielder Bryan Triplett is batting .396 on the season and owns a team-high 12-game hitting streak, including seven multi-hit games on the year, Triplett hit a two-run HR for the Gamecocks in Saturday’s 5-2 win vs. Clemson … Senior catcher Landon Powell owns an eight-game hitting streak, longest in his career at South Carolina and has a .347 batting average with three HR and 12 RBI, Powell also has six doubles on the year, which moved him to fifth on the SC All-Time list for doubles in a career … Sophomore infielder Steven Tolleson is batting .436 on the year (17-for-39) and hit the game-winning HR for the Gamecocks in the 8-7 win vs. Clemson, Tolleson also owns four stolen bases on the year.
SOUTH CAROLINA ON THE MOUND
The USC pitching staff currently owns a team 1.85 ERA with 147 strikeouts and 16 walks in 107 innings pitched … Junior RHP Billy Buckner threw seven 2/3 innings and improved to 3-0 in Saturday’s 5-2 win vs. Clemson … Buckner struck out 16 batters vs. the Tigers, one short of an individual school record (3-0, 3.27 ERA) … Buckner has hurled 22 innings on the year and has 34 strikeouts to two walks … Junior RHP Chad Blackwell picked up two saves on the week vs. Furman and vs. Clemson and also earned a win in relief in Sunday’s extra inning affair with the Tigers … Blackwell has five saves and has pitched 12 1/3 innings and owns 19 strikeouts with just one walk, three runs and four hits allowed, Blackwell threw a career-high four innings in Sunday’s win vs. Clemson … Junior RHP Jason Fletcher improved to 2-0 in Wednesday’s 7-4 win vs. Furman, Fletcher owns a 0.00 ERA and has struck out 15 batters with no walks and allowed no runs on eight hits in 11 1/3 innings pitched.
GAMECOCK TIDBITS
South Carolina and Clemson played in front of capacity plus crowds this weekend with 6,307 fans at Sarge Frye Field (SC) on Saturday and 6,480 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium (Clemson) on Sunday … Sunday’s game vs. South Carolina and Clemson featured a pair of brothers facing off in a battle at the plate … USC freshman catcher Ryan Mahoney batted against his brother, Clemson junior pitcher Collin Mahoney, with the elder Mahoney getting a strikeout against Ryan … South Carolina is outscoring opponents 69-3 in the first three innings and 139-24 on the year.
