April 10, 2006

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina baseball ranks No. 7 in the Baseball America Top 25 and No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30 released on Monday afternoon (April 10). South Carolina is 27-6 and 9-3 in the SEC heading into Wednesday night’s (April 12) non-conference tilt at Clemson. First pitch is set for 7 pm with the game televised on CSS-TV. Carolina returns home this weekend for a three-game conference set against Ole Miss. The Rebels are 19-13 and 6-6 in the SEC heading into this week. Friday’s opener is at 7 pm with live video coverage on uscsports.com. Saturday’s game is a 4 pm first pitch with SEC-TV/FSN South broadcasting the game. Sunday’s series finale will be a 1:30 pm start. All four games will be available on the Gamecock Radio Network and on uscsports.com.

Record: 27-6
SEC Record: 9-3
22-4 in home games
5-2 in road games
8-4 vs. top 25 teams

Last Week: 1-3
Wednesday – 4/5 – vs. Clemson, L, 3-2
Friday – 4/7 – vs. Alabama, W, 7-6 (11)
Sunday – 4/9 – vs. Alabama, L, 8-6 (7)
Sunday – 4/9 – vs. Alabama, L, 6-1 (7)

WEEKLY NOTES:

QUICK RECAP
South Carolina went 1-3 on the week with one win out of three games in a weekend series against Alabama … Carolina is now 27-6 on the year with a 9-3 record in the SEC … The Gamecocks and Crimson Tide sit tied atop the SEC standings … USC is one game ahead of Vanderbilt in the SEC Eastern Division … Sunday’s doubleheader losses to Alabama marked the first time this year that Carolina has dropped two straight games as well as the first series loss in school history to Alabama at home (USC won home series against Alabama in 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004) … Friday’s 7-6 victory over Alabama in 11 innings improved Carolina’s record to 3-0 in extra inning games.

PELZER
Sophomore RHP Wynn Pelzer was outstanding in relief to pick up the win in Friday’s game against Alabama … Pelzer pitched three shutout innings and allowed no hits and just one walk while striking out three batters … In four SEC appearances this year, Pelzer owns a 3-0 record with one save; he has allowed just two hits in 14 innings pitched and struck out 17 batters … On the season, Pelzer is 3-0 with 33 strikeouts and just four runs and 10 hits allowed in 27.1 innings pitched.

HAVENS
Freshman INF Reese Havens had a productive weekend at the plate against Alabama … Havens was 5-for-9 in the series with Alabama including two doubles and two runs scored to go along with five RBI including the game-winning RBI double in Friday’s win against the Crimson Tide … Havens’ batting average jumped to .296 with 23 runs scored and 25 RBI.

HOMERS ON SUNDAY
Carolina hit four home runs in the doubleheader against Alabama as Robbie Grinestaff launched his 11th of the year, Justin Smoak hit his sixth, and Cheyne Hurst and Drew Martin each hit their third of the season … Grinestaff is batting .316 (36-for-114) with a team-high 11 HR and 41 RBI.

ATWOOD
Freshman LHP Will Atwood worked a career-high 5.2 innings and allowed just two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and no walk, earning a no-decision in Wednesday’s loss to Clemson.

CISCO
Freshman RHP Mike Cisco became the first freshman Carolina pitcher since Kip Bouknight (1998) to start a Friday night SEC game last Friday (April 7) … Cisco worked 4.1 innings and allowed three runs on five hits.

CAMPBELL
Senior OF Michael Campbell increased his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games before seeing it end in the second game of the doubleheader vs. Alabama … He has now played 233 career games with the Gamecocks and is just three games shy of Mac White (1991-94) for second place on the USC Career List … His 11 at-bats this weekend vs. Alabama moved him past Drew Meyer (2000-02) with 865 career at-bats and into third place all-time …Campbell is at .298 (37-for-124) with two HR and 29 RBI including six doubles and two triples this year.

FLASHING THE GLOVE
The Gamecocks have an incredible streak of 10 games without committing an error in the field … South Carolina leads the SEC with a .987 fielding percentage and only 16 errors committed in 33 games … The team has played 21 of 33 games without an error on the year.

UP NEXT
4/12 – at Clemson – 7 pm (CSS-TV)
4/14 – vs. Ole Miss – 7 pm
4/15 – vs. Ole Miss – 4 pm (SEC-TV/FSN South)
4/16 – vs. Ole Miss – 1:30 pm