March 16, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Looking for the team’s first Southeastern Conference wins of the year, South Carolina hosts Arkansas in a softball doubleheader on Wednesday at Beckham Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT, and It will be Garnet, Black and Green Day at Beckham Field as well, as fans who bring recycleable aluminum cans, plastic bottles or paper will receive a reusable grocery bag in exchange. For those unable to attend, you can follow the action on GamecocksOnline.com via either Gametracker or the Gamecocks All-Access audio feed, where Brad Muller will have the call.

Broyles Out
The Gamecocks will continue on this season without its top starter, as sophomore Audrey Broyles has been shut down due to injury. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native was on pace for an amazing season after tossing two consecutive one-hitters in the Florida Atlantic Strike Out Cancer Tournament. Through 32.1 innings of work, Broyles had allowed just two earned runs while posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 13:1. But her control vanished in her next two starts, going five innings in each while walking six and fanning six. The ace role now falls to sophomore Kelsey Goodwin, as she has been effective yet without getting a win on the season.

Schedule Ranks Among The Toughest
Head coach Joyce Compton always assembles a tough schedule for her squads, but the rise of the SEC has helped make that schedule automatically among the toughest in the nation the past few seasons. This year is no exception, as the Gamecocks are slated to face three of the top five and eight of the top 25 teams in the preseason polls this season. Of those 20 games against the preseason top 25, 14 of those games will come away from Beckham Field. In fact, all 11 games against the preseason top 10 will happen in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Gainesville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

While facing three of the top five is rough, the Gamecocks have had tougher slates before in regular-season play. Twice South Carolina has faced four of the top five teams in the preseason NFCA coaches poll in 2001 and 2003 and three on two more occasions in 1997 and 1999. There will be no sympathy from another SEC member, however, as Auburn is slated to face all five top-five teams this year.

Quite the Scheduling Quirk
While a team can only start something once, it seems the Gamecocks have been the starting point for more than their fair share of teams this season. Wednesday’s games against Arkansas stand as the Razorbacks’ first league outings of 2010, the third such opponent to open their league slate against the Gamecocks. Mississippi and South Carolina started SEC play against each other, while LSU took on the Garnet and Black in their first encounter against another SEC foe last weekend. Arkansas enters Wednesday’s action as the only team not to have played a league game yet this season.

Bats Show Early Life
While snow kept South Carolina from starting its season as planned, the Gamecocks began the season hot at the plate. The team has won two mercy rule-shortened games (Coastal Carolina and North Florida), while another went seven but was a 15-1 Gamecock win. The squad owns two season bests in the SEC this year, including eight doubles in the Coastal Carolina victory.

Childs Ties Another Single-Game Record In Romp Of Longwood
Sophomore Evan Childs is becoming known for big bursts of offense early in the year. In her second career game, she tied the program record with two homers against the College of Charleston. This season, she waited until game four to put up a historic mark. The Conway, S.C., native hit three doubles in the second game against Longwood, tying Ashley Smith’s six-year-old record.

Mendes, Walker Lead Gamecocks To Season-Opening Win
Behind two doubles by both senior Lindsay Walker and junior Laura Mendes, the Gamecocks won their first game of the 2010 season over Coastal Carolina. Those four doubles accounted for half of the Gamecocks’ total of eight, the most since a six-double outbreak against Mercer on March 5, 2005. The 17 hits were the most since South Carolina recorded 20 in a 15-2 (5 inn.) win over South Dakota State earlier on that same day in `05.

Back to Bash
Junior Laura Mendes ranks as the top Gamecock hitter returning from last year’s squad. Her powerful left-handed bat should once again anchor the lineup, where she hopes to best her eight doubles and two triples from a year ago, both of which led the squad.

So far, Mendes leads the team in these six offensive categories: batting average (.370), hits (27), triples (1), RBI (15), on-base percentage (.395) and slugging percentage (.493). Mendes is also tied with Evan Childs for first on the team and fourth in the SEC with seven doubles.

Steady Influence Behind The Plate
Junior catcher P.J. Fulmer has been a solid contributor for two years. She started 43 of the team’s 45 games last season behind the plate, lending leadership to a staff that had four members in their first year in the SEC. She’ll be relied upon once again to guide a young staff, as there will be two juniors and three sophomores throwing for the Gamecocks.

Fulmer has started every game at catcher again this season, and she ranks third on the squad with 10 runs batted in on the year.

Need Some Help in the Pinch
The shorter bench for the Gamecocks this season has shown up mostly in pinch-hitting situations. In 11 plate appearances, South Carolina pinch hitters are 0-for-10 with two RBI. Audrey Broyles brought home a run with a bases-loaded walk, while Kaitlin Westfall also has a run batted in off the bench. Last season, Gamecock pinch hitters hit .179 with eight RBI.

Carolina in the Month of March under Joyce Compton
In the Joyce Compton era, Carolina is 461-164 (.738) during the third month of the year.

Runs Coming in Bunches
This season, South Carolina has scored nine or more runs in four separate games. The last season this happened was in 2005, when the squad posted 15, 13, 12, 10 and nine runs in games during the year.

Bringing In The Palmetto State’s Best
The Gamecocks have been very active recruiting the best from their own state. The 2009 freshman class included Evan Childs and Kierstyn White, while the 2010 rookies include Briana Hamilton and Hannah Milks. The latter duo will get their chances around the infield, with Hamilton possibly getting time at all four positions and Milks concentrating on the left side.

Strength Always In The Circle
The Gamecock teams that have gone the farthest have always had strong pitching. While there’s only one addition to the pitching staff this year in April Borchardt, who is primarily an outfielder, there are reasons for hope. Returning sophomores Audrey Broyles and Kierstyn White both learned many lessons during their freshman season as they combined to throw 230 of the squad’s 312 innings. Rick Pauly has also joined the staff after a successful stint as head coach at Spartanburg Methodist College. A longtime pitching instructor at the high school level, Pauly hopes his methods translate to the top level of collegiate softball.

The Fall’s Shining Star
Junior Ashley Chastain came in without a lot of fanfare last year, but she finished the spring with a bang. The winner in the season-ending contest against Kentucky, Chastain continued that momentum into the fall. She won all four games in which she pitched while tossing one complete game. She did not allow an earned run in 22 innings while tying for the team lead in strikeouts.

The spring has not been great so far for Chastain. While she leads with four wins and tops the squad with two saves, she ranks third in ERA at 3.33 and has 17 strikeouts against 17 walks in 40.0 innings. She has also hit six batters and tossed four illegal pitches with runners on base.

Nice Double, Can You Do It Again?
Evan Childs did something last season that has only happened three other times in Gamecock history (since 1982). The Conway, S.C., native led South Carolina in both home runs and stolen bases, putting her name among legends like Dana Fulmer, Christie Dammer and Lindi James. She was also the first Gamecock to accomplish the feat during the Southeastern Conference era. What will she do for an encore? That is something everyone is waiting to see.

Childs stands second on the team in slugging percentage (.400) and ranks third on the squad in batting average (.262) and fifth in on-base percentage (.310). Her seven doubles are tied for first on the team and fourth in the SEC while her 11 RBI stand second on the squad.

Last Remaining Vestiges
The year 2007 was a magical one for South Carolina softball. The squad won 38 games and advanced into the program’s first NCAA Super Regional. From that squad, only two players remain, and both played a significant role on that team. Adele Voigt and Lindsay Walker both played in every game that season, with Walker not missing a start at shortstop and Voigt starting all but one game in the outfield.

The Glove Where Triples Goes To Die Came From This State, Too
South Carolina native Joe Jackson had a glove that was described as the place where triples go to die. This year’s Gamecock outfield could follow in the legacy of the great Jackson. Both senior Adele Voigt and sophomore Lauren Lackey have above-average speed that could help keep balls out of the gaps. And newcomer April Borchardt picked up three steals during the fall while covering a lot of ground when in the outfield. That trio was the opening-day starters, with Voigt shifting to center after claiming SEC All-Defensive honors in left in 2009, with Borchardt flanking her in left and Lackey in right.

The pitchers have allowed 24 doubles, but only three triples has been given up by the Gamecocks in 2010. The outfield also has eight assists, with the three listed above all making at least one. Voigt has half of the total.

Lone Star Connection
The Gamecocks brought in three pitchers in the 2009 signing class, but little did they know the connection the trio had. Despite hailing from Florida, South Carolina and Texas, Audrey Broyles, Kelsey Goodwin and Kierstyn White were all born in the Lone Star State. The Florida native Broyles and Goodwin both came into the world in Houston, which is still listed as Goodwin’s hometown, while White was born and grew up for a time in San Antonio.

A Good Year For A Rebound
Just once before in program history has the squad not had a winning record in consecutive seasons. The results the next season, however, were great. After going 28-28-1 and 28-30 in the previous years, the 2007 team won 38 games, hosted a NCAA Regional and advanced into a NCAA Super Regional for the first time. The Gamecocks hope for the same thing this year, after finishing under .500 the previous two seasons.

A Return To Speed?
This fall, the Gamecocks took advantage of their speed, stealing 11 bases without being caught. That equals their 2008 total and just two shy of last year’s final tally.

Scouting the Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas enters SEC play with a 15-8 overall record while winning six straight contests. The Razorbacks were an offensive-minded club the past couple of seasons, but new coach Mike Larabee’s team stands just 10th in the league in batting average so far this season. They do rank seventh in slugging and eighth in on-base percentage. The power is still in Fayetteville, as the Hogs are fourth in the league with 26 home runs. The pitching has improved in the early going, ranking fourth in the SEC with a 1.74 ERA. Defense might have a little to do with that, as the Hogs rank ninth in fielding percentage and tied for third with 29 errors.

Jessica Bachkora and Sandra Smith lead the offense, hitting half of Arkansas’ home runs this season. Bachkora leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including eight home runs, tied for second in the league. Smith has hit five homers and leads the Razorbacks with 24 runs batted in. Miranda Dixon has helped as well, ranking second on the team with a .464 on-base percentage while driving in 14 runs. In the circle, freshman Hope McLemore leads the way with a 8-3 record, a 1.37 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 66.2 innings. She’s tossed three shutouts on the season. Layne McGuirt is 4-2 with a 1.83 ERA, throwing the second-most innings on staff. The defensive hole might be at short, as Brittany Griffiths has 11 errors on the season, including three in her last two games in the Arkansas Invitational.

Gamecocks All-Time vs. Arkansas
South Carolina has been very successful against Arkansas in history, taking 23 of the 35 meetings. The Hogs have been better recently, however, taking three of the last four meetings. The first win in that stretch snapped a 16-game Gamecock winning streak in the series. In Columbia, South Carolina is 9-5.

The Last Series – South Carolina vs. Arkansas – March 11, 2009
The Gamecocks had a tough time in below 40 degree weather in Fayetteville last season, compiling just seven hits while being swept in the doubleheader at Arkansas last year.

A pair of two-run home runs propelled the Arkansas Razorbacks to a 4-0 win over South Carolina in the first game of the doubleheader at Bogle Park.

Arkansas’s Miranda Dixon kept the Gamecock bats quiet in the second game with a three-hit shutout to lead the Razorbacks to a 7-0 win. Arkansas got all the runs it would need in the first. Kayla Johnson singled home Jessica Bachkora and Tori Mort before scoring on Miranda Dixon’s single. The squad scored one in the second, as Mort plated Brittany Griffiths, who got a one-out double. Two more Razorbacks scored in the fifth, when Mort followed Bachkora’s leadoff single with a triple to right center. Whitney Cloer followed with a double to send home Mort. The Hogs added one more in the sixth when Sandra Smith scored from first on an error in right.