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April 11, 2008

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Bringing in a seven-game winning streak, South Carolina hosts Southeastern Conference Western Division foe Mississippi State for a three-game series at Beckham Field this weekend. Saturday’s doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start, with Sunday’s contest also scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs come to Columbia with a 32-15 overall record and a 6-10 SEC record, currently eighth in the league. They have lost four straight, including a mid-week, non-conference contest against Mississippi. Mississippi State clings to the No. 24 position in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings.

Carolina in the Month of April Under Joyce Compton
In the Joyce Compton era, Carolina is 287-134-1 (.681) during the fourth month of the year. Last season, the Gamecocks went 7-9 in April. All-time on April 12, Carolina owns a 9-3-1 mark. The Gamecocks’ record on April 13 stands at 15-3.

Gamecocks All-Time vs. Mississippi State
The Mississippi State Bulldogs have taken on South Carolina on 36 occasions, and the Gamecocks have gone 20-16 in those matchups. In Columbia, the Garnet and Black have won seven of the 11 contests, but it’s been three years since the Dogs have ventured to Beckham Field. The last series in the Palmetto State saw Carolina win two games to one. Last season, the Bulldogs swept the Gamecocks in Starkville, Miss., which was only the second series sweep by any team in the 13 seasons they have competed.

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 (.377), runs scored (20), hits (46), triples (4) and total bases (59). 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, and the 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. She had a seven-game string snapped in game two of the doubleheader against Auburn.

Mendes Making Mark in Freshman Campaign
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 weekend 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 in doubles (6) while ranking second in runs (19), home runs (2), runs batted in (13) and walks (12). She stands third on the squad in batting average (.316), slugging percentage (.442) and on-base percentage (.398). Mendes saw her team-best 20-game on-base streak snapped in game two on March 15 against No. 22/20 Georgia, but she currently has a seven-game hitting streak heading into the weekend.

Musical Lineups Maybe Coming to an End?
Through 35 games, South Carolina has yet to run the same eight positions players on the field in the same spots in back-to-back games. However, if you limit that to everyone outside of the battery, things have gotten consistent for the last five. Seven fielders and the designated player have been identical in that quartet of contests, with only the pitcher and the catcher changing. It seems that freshman P.J. Fulmer has been teamed with senior ace Melissa Hendon, while fellow rookie Cassie Gogreve works with senior Kate Pouliot and redshirt freshman Krystle Robinson, though Fulmer did work all seven innings at Coastal with both Robinson and Pouliot.

Senior Pitchers 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 a stretch of five consecutive winning starts from Georgia Tech through the second game against Arkansas, four of those in shutouts. 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. After dropping four straight, she’s come back to take three in a row, getting a pair of victories and a save at Kentucky before collecting a win and a save in the doubleheader against Auburn. Hendon currently leads the team with a 1.29 ERA, four saves and 110 strikeouts in 108.2 innings.

Pouliot had a great weekend in 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 5-2 record with a 1.62 ERA and one save. She picked up her latest win in relief against Coastal Carolina.

Semento Stepping Up During Her Freshman Season
Rookie Jill Semento has been a big part of Carolina’s offense during 2008. The Umatilla, Fla., freshman leads the team with her .557 slugging percentage, .427 on-base percentage, four home runs and four HBP. She stands second in doubles (5) and batting average (.330), while she’s tied for second in triples (1). She has a team-best .364 mark with runners in scoring position.

Semento had an outstanding game at Coastal Carolina, going 3-for-3 with a double and a grand slam. The blast gave Carolina the final 6-2 advantage in the seventh, while she also added her third sacrifice of the season in the outing.

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 7-5 with a 2.30 ERA and a save.

Schoonmaker Contributes 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 19 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. Battling a foot injury sustained at Kentucky, Schoonmaker will be unable to play this weekend and will be reevaluated on Monday.

Bases Loaded Not Always Best Situation to Score, Especially Right Off
The Gamecocks have been adept at loading the bases this season. Scoring runs in those situations has been a different topic, particularly in the first inning. Nine times in 2008 has South Carolina loaded the bases, and only once has the squad scored, that coming against Michigan with one out. Contrast that to the seventh, where the Garnet and Black have packed the sacks on four occasions, three with two outs. Runs came home all four times, including one to tie the game against North Florida (2/10) and a pair of come-from-behind efforts to beat Kentucky (3/29) and Coastal Carolina (4/9). The team also has success in the fifth with the bases juiced, scoring seven runs in the six occurrences, the latest coming in game two against Auburn with no one out before Lindsay Walker’s bases-clearing triple. Carolina has gone 12-for-39 (.308) with the bases loaded.

Injuries Taking a Toll on Gamecock Depth
A squad that could boast of good depth to start the season has been decimated by injuries. A pair of seniors, Lisa Longo and Chrissy Schoonmaker, are both out for this weekend with different leg injuries. Longo had knee surgery last week that will force her to seek a medical hardship for a fifth year, while Schoonmaker injured her ankle at Kentucky and will be out again this week. Both freshmen Jill Semento and Laura Mendes have missed time due to injuries, Mendes twice having to miss games for different maladies. Adele Voigt also has sat out contests because of injuries. Of the 18 players on the roster, only Ashton Payne has played in all 35 games.

Walker’s Resurgence Comes in Move Up the Lineup
Sophomore shortstop Lindsay Walker had been struggling with the bat in 2008. So what does Hall of Fame coach Joyce Compton do? Moves her to the second spot for the first time in her career. It has worked through seven games. The Fayetteville, Ga., native has hit .316 since the move up the line-up, scoring three runs in the process. Her biggest contribution came with her bases-loaded triple in game two against Auburn, giving the Gamecocks the lead and eventual win. She has proven to be adept handling the bat with six sacrifices in the skein, including three in the first game at Kentucky. Those bunts have solidified a weakness the club had, as she is the eighth person to hold down the No. 2 spot. For the season, Walker now has a .224 batting average with four doubles.

Martinez Feeling at Home . . . on First?
Senior Becky Martinez has made a seamless transition across the diamond. The senior had played 148 games at third base in her career (as well as 16 in the outfield as a freshman) before Joyce Compton penciled her in as the starting first baseman in the final game at Kentucky. She has taken to her new corner well, handling 46 chances without an error through five games. She had made seven errors at the hot corner already this season. At the plate, Martinez has hit .195 with an on-base percentage of .327, fourth on the team.

What Is It with Odd-Numbered Innings?
Don’t expect the Gamecocks to score too many runs in even-numbered innings. Out of the 104 runs compiled by South Carolina, just 21 have come in the second, fourth, sixth and eighth innings. The squad likes to add on runs in the final inning the most, scoring 24 in the seventh. The Garnet and Black have also scored 23 in the third and 21 in the first. Opponents also should strike early. The most runs Carolina has given up is 17 in the fifth, with the only other double-digit innings coming in the first (14), second and fourth (12 each).

Extra Innings Breakdown
If the Gamecocks don’t end things in the eighth, there’s a good chance they won’t win. Opponents have won one extra-inning games in the ninth, while Carolina has taken two of three in eight innings.

South Carolina in the NCAA Stat Rankings
The Gamecock pitching staff stands 27th in the country with a 1.68 ERA overall. That’s third best in the league, while the 2.14 mark in SEC action stands second. Senior Melissa Hendon ranks 39th in the nation with her 1.29 ERA. That is good for fourth in the conference, and she’s also fourth with her 1.39 ERA in league games.

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 returned 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 Mississippi State Bulldogs
The 24th-ranked Bulldogs of Mississippi State have a one-two offensive punch that matches up with the best in the land. Sophomore Chelsea Bramlett leads her team with a .449 batting average. The catcher is also speedy, stealing 38 bases in 40 attempts. She is hitting .389 in SEC play, fifth-best in the league, and has stolen the second-most bases in conference games with nine. Bramlett is one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award. Shortstop Courtney Bures holds a .371 batting averages and leads the club with 31 RBI. The former All-American shortstop also leads the Dogs with 17 walks on the season. In SEC games, Bures has a .372 average, ninth-best in the league. Her .481 on-base percentage in league games stands eighth.

The Bulldogs burn up the basepaths, swiping 22 in 16 league games. That’s second in the SEC. Three players stands in the nation’s top 100 players for stolen bases per game. Bramlett is fifth in the country, while Nakita Boyce and Brittany Bell also made the top 100.

Kelsey Nurnberg is the top starter for State. She has a 2.02 ERA in 145.2 innings. She’s struck out 81 hitters on the season, and she’s compiled four shutouts. Misty Flesher holds a 2.03 ERA and has started 17 games in the circle. She has fanned 88 hitters in 113.2 innings.

In SEC games only, Mississippi State stands third in batting average but seventh in runs scored. That can partly be attributed to a league-low .000 batting average (0-9) in bases loaded situations. State’s pitching ranks eighth in ERA (3.30) and 10th in strikeouts. The pitchers make you put the ball in play, allowing just 26 walks in 106 innings in league action. That’s second best, just behind South Carolina’s 22.

The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Mississippi State – April 1, 2007
In a see-saw battle right from the start, the South Carolina Gamecocks could not hang on as they suffered an eight-inning, 8-7 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The win gave the first series sweep ever to the Bulldogs. State scored four runs in the seventh to tie the game and force extra innings. In the eighth, Katie Cooley hit a sacrifice fly to score Chelsea Bramlett for the winning run.