March 14, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Looking to continue their success in the Southeastern Conference, the Gamecocks take a road trip to Athens, Ga., to square off against nationally-ranked Georgia in a three-game set. Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, with Sunday’s contest scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch.
Gamecocks All-Time vs. Georgia
The Gamecocks and Bulldogs have met 41 times prior to this weekend, with South Carolina holding a 23-18 advantage in the series that dates back to 1997. In Athens, however, Georgia owns a 10-5 lead. Last season, Carolina came away with a series sweep at home, snapping a six-game losing streak to its closest SEC rival by distance.
Carolina in the Month of March
In the Joyce Compton era, Carolina is 455-138 (.767) during the third month of the year. Last season, the Gamecocks went 10-10 in the month of March. On the 15th of March, Carolina has a 6-2 mark with Compton at the helm. On March 16th, the Gamecocks are 12-1.
Payne Streaking Again
Maybe a day off is what junior Ashton Payne needed. After not starting against Western Carolina on Feb. 13, Payne has gone on a tear. A pinch-hit single against the Catamounts started a 17-game hitting streak for the Richmond, Va., native. The skein is Carolina’s longest since 2003, when Jodi Fittro had an 11-game stretch that started against Furman and continued through the first day of the NCAA Regional in Tucson, Ariz. Of course, Payne is no stranger to hitting streaks. She owns the longest during both of her previous two seasons on campus, both 10 games.
She now leads the squad in hits (30), runs (13), triples (2) and total bases (38). Payne also has shown her versatility, starting 12 games at second base and eight in left field. She has reached base in all but one game so far in 2008, that being the last game against North Florida during the opening weekend of the season.
Semento Stepping Up Early During Her Freshman Campaign
Rookie Jill Semento has been a big part of Carolina’s offense during the early part of 2008. The Umatilla, Fla., freshman leads the team in batting average (.429), while she is far and away tops among Gamecocks with her .661 slugging percentage, .515 on-base percentage, two home runs and three HBP. She also is tied for the top spot in doubles (5) and second in triples (1). She has reached base safely in all but one game that she’s played, that being in the second game against North Florida. She has a team-best .412 average with runners on base and a .529 mark with runners in scoring position. She’s moved at least one runner up on 60 percent of her chances this season, tops on the squad.
Mendes Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Laura Mendes has been a force in Joyce Compton’s lineup so far in 2008. The rookie outfielder earned SEC Freshman of the Week accolades after her five-run, two-double outing in the series win over Arkansas. She hit .333 against the Lady’Backs, driving in the tying run in the seventh inningof the first game before scoring on Jessica Josker’s walk-off single.
The Loxahatchee, Fla., native is tied for the team lead with five doubles, while she stands third on the squad in batting average (.305), on-base percentage (.388) and slugging percentage (.441). Her eight runs batted in also rank third on the squad, while her 12 runs scored stand second. Mendes carries a team-high 19-game on-base streak into the weekend. The only game in which she did not reach first was her initial collegiate game, against North Florida.
Fulmer Cementing Spot in Lineup, Behind the Plate
Freshman catcher P.J. Fulmer took some time to get adjusted to the college game, but she is now a regular contributor for head coach Joyce Compton. The Blythewood, S.C., native has come on recently with a pair of mini hitting streaks (three games each) to raise her batting average to .233. Hitless going into the USF Louisville Slugger Tournament, Fulmer has since hit .333 and had a pair of RBI. Her first major offensive contribution, however, didn’t come via a base hit. Her sacrifice fly against Georgia Tech gave Carolina the 1-0 victory in the first game in Tampa.
Not only has Fulmer done better at the plate, but she’s also been a great addition behind it. She has not committed an error behind the plate and has gone 3-for-12 on catching would-be base thieves. The staff has also allowed Fulmer to call pitches, and she has especially meshed well with senior Melissa Hendon, helping her to a 24-inning shutout streak, which ended against Arkansas.
Seniors Dealing Goose Eggs
After a rough start to the season, senior pitchers Melissa Hendon and Kate Pouliot have come around recently. Both finished in the SEC top 10 in earned run average last season, and now they are bidding to do that yet again. Hendon has won her last five starts, four of those in shutouts, while striking out 46 in seven appearances (37.1 innings). She also collected a save during that stretch. She had a pair of 10-strikeout games against Arkansas, allowing only one earned run combined in the two contests. Hendon now leads the Gamecocks with a 1.01 ERA while sporting a 5-4 record.
Pouliot has also been stronger, especially during the Carolina Classic. She carried a perfect game into the sixth against Bucknell in her first game before allowing a run in the seventh, the only run to score against Carolina during the home tournament. Not satisfied with Saturday’s work, Pouliot came back on Sunday and was even better, throwing her first career no-hitter against the Bison. She matched her season best with seven K’s while allowing only one walk in the contest. She now has a 3-1 record with a 1.14 ERA.
Robinson Back from Elbow Ligament Replacement with Look of an Ace
Redshirt freshman Krystle Robinson had a rough go of things during her first year in Columbia. She pitched in just five games before a torn ligament in her throwing arm ended her season. Now after working her way back, she has become the force that Joyce Compton and staff thought she could be after recruiting her from Valdosta, Ga. Robinson threw two straight shutouts against Wisconsin and Gardner-Webb, mowing down a career-high 12 batters in the complete-game victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs. For the season, Robinson is 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA and a save.
Schoonmaker Back And Ready to Contribute After Life-Threatening Injury
What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, senior Chrissy Schoonmaker had a halo on her upper body to support a neck that had been broken in three places. On Feb. 8, Schoonmaker finally took the field to start her senior season. The Sebastian, Fla., native has made an amazing recovery from the injury suffered in an accident during her trip back to Columbia, S.C., from Thanksgiving break in 2006. The redshirt senior co-captain, who has started at numerous positions for the Gamecocks during her career, has been penciled into the line-up for 13 games while playing in five others so far in 2008.
Gamecocks Very Experienced Going Into 2008
With a veteran-laden roster returning for the Gamecocks, there is some wonder as to why they were picked so low in the SEC coaches’ poll. Eight position players and the entire pitching staff from a year ago are back for head coach Joyce Compton’s NCAA Super Regional club.
In terms of the offense back, Carolina returns 81 percent of its hits, 76 percent of its runs, 72 percent of its doubles, 71 percent of its runs batted in, 81 percent of its stolen bases and 69 percent of its walks. The only category that the Garnet and Black have a hole to make up is home runs, where only 48 percent are back. The 11 long balls hit last year by McKenna Hughes was a single-season record.
South Carolina Picked to Finish Fourth in SEC East
Despite returning nearly every starter from last season’s NCAA Regional championship squad, the Southeastern Conference coaches picked the Gamecocks to finish fourth in the five-team SEC East in their preseason poll. Florida was chosen to win the East, while Tennessee was picked second. Georgia was selected third, while Kentucky came in fifth. Alabama was the coaches’ choice to win the SEC West and the overall crown.
Scouting the Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia stands at 23-8 on the year and is ranked No. 22 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)/USA Today Top 25 and No. 20 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll. The Bulldogs were swept last weekend in Baton Rouge by LSU, scoring just three runs against the Tigers. Georgia’s success seems to be based on small-ball tactics. They have four starters that hold on-base percentages over .400, and two of those four have 10 steals each. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the SEC in sacrifices, with 39 to their credit so far, and the squad owns 33 steals on the season. Georgia’s pitching ranks 10th in ERA among the 11 teams in the league, while allowing a conference-worst 72 earned runs. Part of that is because the Bulldogs have only committed 11 errors on the year, leading them to the top spot in the fielding percentage category at .987. They also allow runners to move, as squads have stolen 19 bases, second most in the SEC.
Junior Kristin Schnake leads Georgia in hitting with a .369 batting average and .411 on-base percentage. She has three triples and is tied for the team lead with 10 steals with Taylor Schlopy. Schlopy, a freshman, has the second-best OBP on the squad (.407), while her batting average stands fourth at .287. Freshman Alisa Goler and senior Melissa Wood have provided the thump in the middle of the order. Goler holds a .307 batting average and .406 on-base percentage, both third on the team, while her .500 slugging percentage stands second. Her 12 doubles lead the SEC, while her 24 RBI top the squad. Wood has a team-leading .518 slugging percentage, thanks to five doubles and five homers. She comes in with a .404 OBP and 22 RBI. Freshman Megan Wiggins has 20 RBI with seven doubles, second best on the squad.
The Bulldogs have an interesting pitching setup. Sarah McCloud and former Gamecock Christie Hamilton start the majority of games, but sophomore Kate Gaskill leads the staff with a 1.18 ERA and a 10-3 mark, despite starting only four games. Gaskill has pitched 65.1 innings, striking out 90 batters and holding opponents to a .196 batting average. McCloud has started 15 games, going 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA. Hamilton owns a 3.62 ERA with a 6-2 mark, punching out 54 hitters in 58 innings thrown.
The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Georgia – March 11, 2007
South Carolina used five RBI from McKenna Hughes to complete a three-game sweep of Georgia, 6-2. Melissa Hendon picked up the win with her two-hit performance. Hughes went 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, while Ashton Payne was 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
