May 20, 2008
Hoover, Ala. – South Carolina is in Hoover, Ala. for the 2008 SEC Baseball Tournament. The Gamecocks are the No. 7 seed in this year’s conference tourney and will face the No. 2 seed LSU Tigers at 10 am CT (11 am ET) on Wednesday May 21 at Regions Park.
Carolina heads into the weekend tournament with a 37-19 mark and after finishing in fifth place in the Eastern Division with a 15-15 conference record. South Carolina and LSU met three times in the middle of April with the Bayou Bengals sweeping the Gamecocks at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. LSU won 11-3 on Friday night, rallied to defeat USC 11-10 on Saturday and held on through a pair of rain delays to win on Sunday 6-3. South Carolina last met LSU in the SEC Tournament in 2002 when the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers two times in one day to advance to the championship.
PITCHING MATCH-UP
South Carolina – Sam Dyson, Fr. (RHP) 7-0, 3.86 ERA, 37.1 IP, 37 K, 23 BB
LSU – Ryan Verdugo Jr. (LHP) 8-2, 3.54 ERA, 76.1 IP, 65 K, 26 BB
2008 Tournament Bracket
Wednesday, May 21
Game 1 10:00 a.m. #7 South Carolina vs. #2 LSU [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 2 1:00 p.m. #6 Vanderbilt vs. #3 Florida [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 3 5:00 p.m. #8 Ole Miss vs. #1 Georgia [CSS HD]
Game 4 8:00 p.m. #5 Alabama vs. #4 Kentucky [CSS HD]
Thursday, May 22
Game 5 10:00 a.m. Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 6 1:00 p.m. Loser G3 vs. Loser G4 [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 7 5:00 p.m. Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 8 8:00 p.m. Winner G3 vs. Winner G4 [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Friday, May 23
Game 9 3:00 p.m. Winner G5 vs. Loser G7 [FSN HD] (XM 199)
Game 10 6:30 p.m. Winner G6 vs. Loser G8 [FSN]
Saturday, May 24
Game 11 10:00 a.m. Winner G8 vs. Winner G9 [FSN HD] (XM 199)
Game 12 1:30 p.m. Winner G7 vs. Winner G10 [FSN HD] (XM 199)
Game 13* 5:00 p.m. Winner G11 vs. Loser G11 [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 14* 8:00 p.m. Winner G12 vs. Loser G12 [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Sunday, May 25
Game 15* 3:00 p.m. Winner G13 vs. Winner G14 [FSN HD] (XM 199)
* – If both bracket winners are undefeated, there will be no 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. games on Saturday and the championship game Sunday would be Game 13.
All Times are Central
[FSN/FSN HD] – FSN South, FSN Southwest, Sun Sports
[CSS/CSS HD] – Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast
SEC TOURNAMENT RECORD
Year Won Lost Pct.2007 2 2 .5002006 1 2 .3332005 1 2 .3332004 4 0 1.0002003 1 2 .3332002 4 2 .6672001 3 2 .6002000 2 2 .5001999 0 2 .0001998 0 2 .0001997 0 1 .0001995 0 2 .0001994 0 2 .0001993 0 2 .0001992 3 2 .600Totals 21 27 .438
SEC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM2006 -- Mike Cisco, P2005 -- Neil Giesler, 3B2004 -- Brendan Winn, OF; (Kevin Melillo/Steven Tolleson - Co-MVP's)2002 -- Gary Bell, P; Drew Meyer, SS; Steve Thomas, OF2001-- Michael Floyd, OF; Bryon Jeffcoat, 2B2000 -- Drew Meyer, SS1992 -- Jerry Shepherd, OF; Burke Cromer, 3B; Dave Willman, C
2007SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 2, Lost 2 (Tied 3rd)South Carolina def. Florida 4-3 (12 inn.)Arkansas def. South Carolina 6-0South Carolina def. Florida 5-3Arkansas def. South Carolina 3-2
2006SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.Won 1, Lost 2 (Tied 5th)South Carolina def. Kentucky 4-2Vanderbilt def. South Carolina 11-1 (7 inn.)Georgia def. South Carolina 16-10
2005SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.Won 1, Lost 2 (Tied 5th)South Carolina def. Tennessee 12-2Mississippi State def. South Carolina 6-2Tennessee def. South Carolina 4-1
2004SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 4, Lost 0 (1st)South Carolina def. Ole Miss 7-6 (10 inn.)South Carolina def. Tennessee 5-1South Carolina def. Arkansas 3-2South Carolina def. Vanderbilt 3-2
2003SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.Won 1, Lost 2 (Tied 5th)Alabama def. South Carolina 9-7South Carolina def. Vanderbilt 3-2Auburn def. South Carolina 5-1
2002SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 4, Lost 2 (2nd)South Carolina def. Arkansas 10-1LSU def. South Carolina 8-3South Carolina def. Arkansas 6-2South Carolina def. LSU 10-8South Carolina def. LSU 5-4Alabama def. South Carolina 6-2
2001SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 3, Lost 2 (Tied 3rd)Miss. State def. South Carolina 2-1South Carolina def. Auburn 5-4South Carolina def. Georgia 10-2South Carolina def. Miss. State 7-6Miss. State def. South Carolina 1-0
2000SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 2, Lost 2 (Tied 3rd)Kentucky def. South Carolina 6-4South Carolina def. Auburn 11-4South Carolina def. Kentucky 12-5Florida def. South Carolina 12-4
1999SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 0, Lost 2 (Tied 7th)Mississippi St. def. South Carolina 7-5Louisiana State def. South Carolina 2-0
1998SEC Tournament at Hoover, AlaWon 0, Lost 2 (Tied 7th)Mississippi St. def. South Carolina 9-8Louisiana State def. South Carolina 6-0
1997SEC Tournament at Columbus, Ga.Won 0, Lost 1 (Tied 7th)Mississippi State def. South Carolina 12-9
1995SEC East Tournament at Knoxville, Tenn.Won 0, Lost 2 (Finished 6th)Kentucky def. South Carolina 6-2Tennessee def. South Carolina 8-0
1994SEC East Tournament at Lexington, Ky.Won 0, Lost 2 (Finished 5th)Kentucky def. South Carolina 6-5Tennessee def. South Carolina 8-1
1993SEC East Tournament at Columbia, S.C.Won 0, Lost 2 (Finished 5th)Georgia def. South Carolina 3-1Vanderbilt def. South Carolina 11-7
1992SEC Tournament at New Orleans, La.Won 3, Lost 2 (Finished 3rd)Arkansas def. South Carolina 8-6South Carolina def. Vanderbilt 14-1South Carolina def. Arkansas 9-5South Carolina def. Florida 14-4Louisiana State def. South Carolina 6-3
A LOOK BACK
South Carolina went 3-1 on the week with a non-conference win vs. The Citadel, 10-2, along with two wins in the three-game series vs. Tennessee. Saturday’s victory vs. the Vols featured a walk off home run by Reese Havens, who launched a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Gamecocks to a 10-8 victory. Saturday’s 7-5 win over Tennessee featured 7.1 innings of work from senior right-hander Nick Godwin, who improved to 6-3 on the year.
NUMBERS TELL A STORY
South Carolina owns a 31-2 record when scoring six runs or more this season. The Gamecocks are also 30-2 when out-hitting its opponent. South Carolina is 15-12 in games decided by three runs or less this year.
MERRIFIELD HITTING HIS STRIDE
Freshman outfielder Whit Merrifield continues his case for Freshman All-America honors as he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored in last Tuesday win vs. The Citadel. His batting average is .319 (third highest on the team) and he has scored 54 runs. Merrifield leads the team in multi-hit games with 24 on the year.
SMOAK NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR DICK HOWSER TROPHY
South Carolina junior first baseman Justin Smoak is one of 16 players in the nation to be named a semifinalist for the 2008 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Smoak is among the SEC and nation’s leaders in several offensive categories as he enters the week with a .389 batting average, 20 HR and 61 RBI. His slugging percentage is also at .758 with an on-base percentage of .509.
Smoak has compiled 59 career home runs in three seasons at Carolina, tying him for seventh on the SEC All-Time Career List. He is eighth on the USC All-Time career list for hits with 238 in his career and fifth on the career list in doubles (52).
Twice this season, Smoak tied a school record with three home runs in one game. He accomplished the feat in a 10-1 win over Wofford on April 23 as well as on April 14 in a 14-4 victory over USC Upstate.
Smoak is considered one of the top prospects in that nation for the 2008 MLB Draft. He was a freshman All-America in 2006 and a third team All-America selection by Baseball America as a sophomore after the 2007 season.
TRACKING SMOAKHOME RUN CAREER TOP 11 LIST59 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)48 Hank Small (1972-73-74-75)47 Garrett Carter (1985-86-87-88)45 Jeff Parnell (1990-91-92-93)44 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)43 Chris Boyle (1981-82-83-84)42 Steve Pearce (2004-05)41 Tripp Kelly (1998-99-2000-01)41 Charlie Aldrich (1985-86-87)40 James Darnell (2006-07-08)39 Phil Disher (2005-06-07-08)
RBI CAREER TOP 3 LIST198 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)198 Chris Boyle (1981-82-83-84)196 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
DOUBLES CAREER TOP 7 LIST67 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)61 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)54 Michael Campbell (2003-04-05-06)53 Greg Morhardt (1982-83-84)52 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
RUNS CAREER TOP 5 LIST223 Derick Urquhart (1995-96-97-98)215 Mike Curry (1996-97-98)212 Drew Meyer (2000-01-02)209 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)182 Jeff Parnell (1990-91-92-93)182 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
HITS CAREER TOP 8 LIST303 Mac White (1991-92-93-94)299 Michael Campbell (2003-04-05-06)285 Drew Meyer (2000-01-02)265 Landon Powell (2001-02-03-04)265 Derick Urquhart (1995-96-97-98)250 Mike Curry (1996-97-98)245 Hank Small (1972-73-74-75)238 Justin Smoak (2006-07-08)
TRACKING Justin SmoakTHE SEC RECORD BOOKCareer Home Runs1. Eddy Furniss, LSU (265 games) 80 1995-982. Brad Cresse, LSU (236 games) 78 1997-003. Matt LaPorta, FLA (215 games) 74 2004-074. Rafael Palmeiro, MSU (183 games)67 1983-855. Andy Phillips, ALA (244 games) 61 1996-996. Will Clark, MSU (175 games) 61 1983-857. Justin Smoak, SC (188 games) 59 2006-08 Trey McClure, LSU (234 games) 59 1996-99 Josh Etheredge, AUB (222 games) 59 1995-98
THE SEC TOURNAMENT
South Carolina heads to Hoover with the longest current streak among SEC schools, 12 straight years as one of the eight teams to qualify for the conference tournament. The Gamecocks best finish in that time span was a championship in 2004, when Carolina won all four games to win the tournament including a 3-2 victory in a the final game vs. Vanderbilt. Carolina also made the title game in 2002 but fell to Alabama.
SEC TOURN. REACHED IN THE LAST NINE YEARS (2000-2008)
1. South Carolina 92. LSU 83. Alabama 7 Florida 7 Ole Miss 76. Arkansas 6 Georgia 6 Mississippi State 69. Vanderbilt 510. Auburn 4 Tennessee 412. Kentucky 3
AT THE PLATE, ON THE MOUND & IN THE FIELD
Carolina leads the SEC in home runs on the year with 99 in 56 games. The team is batting .301(592-for-1976) with 396 runs scored in 56 games. The pitching staff owns a team ERA of 4.34 in 504.0 innings with 439 strikeouts to 193 walks. Carolina is fielding .977 as a team, also leading the SEC.
THE HOME RUN
The Gamecocks have 55 home runs in the last 28 games as well. Four different Gamecocks have double figure home run totals: James Darnell (18), Phil Disher (16), Reese Havens (16) and Justin Smoak (20). The Gamecocks have homered at least once in 50 of 56 games this year. South Carolina is 34-16 when hitting at least one home run.
THE WILL TO WIN
Junior left-hander Will Atwood hurled his first career complete game in a 6-5 win vs. Florida. He holds a 4.98 ERA. He has worked 72.1 innings and has struck out 59 batters with opponents only hitting .271 against him. He has won five of his 10 SEC starts with two no-decisions.
GODWIN IS GOOD
Senior right-hander Nick Godwin came up big in his Friday night start vs. Tennessee as he limited the Vols to just four runs, two earned, in 7.1 innings of work to earn a victory.
Godwin also defeated Clemson twice this year and owns a 6-3 record with a 2.95 ERA. He has 70 strikeouts in 79.1 innings pitched with opponents only batting .206 against him. Godwin also is tied for the league lead with eight pickoffs on the year.
HANGIN’ WITH MR. COOPER
South Carolina sophomore right-hander Blake Cooper heads into the week with a 5-5 record and a 4.00 ERA. He is among SEC leaders in the SEC in innings pitched with 81.0 innings logged. Cooper has 42 strikeouts to 22 walks.
Cooper SEC Pitcher of the Week following his complete game six-hitter in a 4-1 victory over Ole Miss. The complete game victory was the first of Cooper’s career and the first by a Gamecock pitcher this season. It also was the first complete game win by a Gamecock pitcher since Wynn Pelzer’s CG in a win over Evansville to capture the 2006 NCAA Regional in Charlottesville, Va. Cooper allowed just one run on six hits while striking out two and walking two to pick up the victory.
WHAT A CROWD
Gamecock fans have been out and about this final season at Sarge Frye Field. The Gamecocks are averaging 4,782 fans per contest with a total attendance of 167,393, a new school record. The season-high for attendance in a game was 5,921 fans on March 1 as Carolina defeated Clemson 10-1. South Carolina has recorded an attendance of 5,000-plus fans in 11 games this year, the last on May 3 vs. Florida.
The Gamecocks set a school record for total attendance last year with 159,545 as a total in 2007, that averaged 4,985 fans per game. It is “Extra Innings” at Sarge Frye Field as the Gamecocks prepare to move into a new baseball stadium in the beginning of the 2009.
A STRONG DISH IN THE CLUTCH
Senior Phil Disher went 4-for-4 in the rubber game vs. Florida to tie a career-high in hits and hit a two-run homer in the victory. Disher is hitting .310 (65-for-210) with 16 HR and 51 RBI as well. With 39 career homers, Disher is 11th on the top 10 list in Carolina history.
He put together his second career multi-homer game in the 8-6 win over Auburn. His two-run homer in that game helped Carolina rally to the victory. Disher went 5-for-12 in the series with three doubles, two homers and four RBI.
Nine of his 16 homers have come in SEC games, that is tied for second highest in the SEC. Disher was big in the Kentucky series going 5-for-12 with a home run and team-high seven RBI in the series to earn SEC Player of the Week honors. Disher’s home run came in Saturday’s victory over Kentucky and was his 30th career homer in a Gamecock uniform. The senior came up in the clutch again for Carolina on Sunday with a pair of RBI singles including the game winning hit in the eighth inning.
DARNELL DRIVES THEM IN
Junior third baseman James Darnell tallied five RBI and a homer in Saturday’s 10-8 win over Tennessee and leads the team and the SEC with 77 on the year as well as a conference-high 40 in SEC games. Darnell is hitting .315 with 18 HR. 11 of Darnell’s 18 homers have come in SEC games. He also has compiled five or more RBIs in six games this season.
For the third time this season, James Darnell recorded a multi-homer game as he hit a pair of home runs and tallied five RBI in a 7-1 win over Clemson. Earlier this year, Darnell twice tied a USC single-game record for home runs in a game with three in a win vs. Kentucky (3-29) and in a win vs. College of Charleston (3-18).
The three vs. Kentucky marked the first time ever that one player has done it twice. All three homers were two-run shots as he set a career-high with six RBI in the contest. That helped Darnell earned National Player of the Week from Collegiate Baseball.
COMPLETE PERFORMANCES
South Carolina continues to be impressive in 37 victories this season with a total of 331 runs in those wins. That averages to 8.9 runs per contest. 16 of the 35 wins on the year have featured at least 10 runs scored by the Gamecock offense including last Tuesday’s win vs. The Citadel as well as Saturday’s victory over Tennessee.
HAVENS AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE
Junior shortstop Reese Havens continues to swing a solid bat with a .357 batting average (79-for-221) and also owns 16 HR and 51 RBI. He has scored a team-high 68 runs and just had a 17-game hitting streak snapped. He has spent all 56 games this year at the front of the lineup as the leadoff hitter and is the SEC leader in walks with 51 free passes. Havens is fielding .960 at shortstop. He recently also just moved into the USC All-Time Career List for hits as he became the 21st player to reach the total of 200. Havens now has 205 career hits with the Gamecocks.
Havens earned SEC Player of the Week honors following his performance on opening weekend vs. East Carolina. Havens was 7-for-14 (.500) for the series with a pair of homers, six RBI and seven runs scored. His five hits in the season opener tied his career-high and he set a career-high as well with five RBI in the 22-5 win over the Pirates.
