March 18, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecocks of South Carolina look to get back on track after a tough weekend against No. 22/20 Georgia, but the opponent may be tougher as they host No. 8/9 Tennessee in a doubleheader on Wednesday at Beckham Field. First pitch for the day’s action is set for 3 p.m.

Gamecocks All-Time vs. Tennessee
The Gamecocks and Lady Volunteers have met 34 times previously, with Tennessee holding an 19-15 lead in the series. In Columbia, the programs have both won eight games each. The Orange and White have dominated the most recent meetings, winning 12 consecutive dating back to 2003.

Carolina in the Month of March
In the Joyce Compton era, Carolina is 455-141 (.763) during the third month of the year. Last season, the Gamecocks went 10-10 in the month of March. On the 19th of March, Carolina has a 8-1 mark with Compton at the helm.

Payne Leading the Way at the Plate
Junior Ashton Payne has been the sparkplug for the Gamecock lineup this season. The Richmond, Va., native leads the squad in batting average (.376), runs scored (13), hits (32), triples (2) and total bases (40). She saw her hitting streak of 18 games snapped in the second game against No. 22/20 Georgia. That streak is the third-longest documented string in Gamecock history. The skein was Carolina’s longest since 2003, when Jodi Fittro had an 11-game stretch. Of course, Payne is no stranger to hitting streaks. She owns the longest skein during both of her previous two seasons on campus, both 10 games.

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 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 stands second in triples (1) and batting average (.369). She has a team-best .368 average with runners on base and a .474 mark with runners in scoring position. She’s moved at least one runner up on 57 percent of her chances this season, tops on the squad.

Mendes Named SEC Freshman of the Week on March 10
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 inning of 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 fourth on the squad in batting average (.288) and third in on-base percentage (.390) and slugging percentage (.409). Her eight runs batted in also rank third on the squad, while her 12 runs scored stand second. Mendes saw her team-best 20-game on-base streak snapped against No. 22/20 Georgia on Saturday.

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 .217. Her first major offensive contribution 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-15 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 Finishing Careers Strong
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 had won her last five starts, four of those in shutouts, before stumbling against No. 22/20 Georgia. During the winning streak, she fanned 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.

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 her Saturday’s work, Pouliot came back on that 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 team-best 1.43 ERA.

Robinson Looking Strong Returning from Elbow Surgery
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 5-5 with a 1.88 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 16 games while playing in five others so far in 2008. She has shown her versatility as well, starting games at all four infield positions this season.

Gamecocks Very Experienced Going Into 2008
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 Tennessee Lady Volunteers
Tennessee enters the week with a 25-4 mark overall and a 3-3 record in the SEC. The Lady Volunteers have a No. 8 ranking in the latest NFCA/USA Today Top 25 coaches’ poll and a No. 9 rating in the USA Softball/ESPN.com national listings. The squad stands second in the SEC in both batting average (.319) and on-base percentage (.421). Opponents hit .174 against the Lady Vol pitchers, fourth best in the league. Always a solid defensive squad, UT ranks third in the SEC with its .973 fielding percentage. The opposition has just 12 steals against the Big Orange, tied for second lowest in the league. The defense has allowed no triples this season, a mark only fellow top-10 team Florida can boast of in the SEC.

Veterans are the top producers for this program. Senior Tonya Callahan has a .434 batting average, third best in the league, while she has reached base at a conference-best .570 clip. Her .750 slugging percentage stands second in the SEC. Fellow senior Shannon Doepking has a .414 batting average and .517 on-base percentage, both good enough for seventh in the league, and she rates just one RBI behind Callahan with 25 for the team lead. Slap-hitters Kenora Posey (.377) and Lillian Hammond (.360) both sport batting averages above .350. The senior Posey ranks third in the league with 25 stolen bases in 28 attempts, while junior Hammond is perfect with six steals in as many attempts.

Senior Megan Rhodes has finished her apprenticeship behind All-American Monica Abbott and has held her own this season. She has compiled a 1.89 ERA with an 11-2 record. She has struck out 99 batters in 88.2 innings pitched while also compiling four saves. Freshman Ashton Ward has been a touch better, going 14-2 with a 1.52 ERA in 93 innings pitched. Both have five complete games and two shutouts.

The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Tennessee – March 21, 2007
The No. 1 Tennessee Lady Vols scored one run to defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks, 1-0, and recorded the doubleheader sweep. Kate Pouliot (12-3) and the Gamecocks held the Lady Vols to just two hits, a season low for Tennessee, but it wasn’t enough as Tonya Callahan drove in Lindsay Schultzer with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly for the winning run. Megan Rhodes (7-1) recorded the win while Monica Abbott earned her second save of the season.