March 26, 2010

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – With a confidence-boosting win at Coastal Carolina under their belts, the Gamecocks step back into Southeastern Conference action with a three-game series against Auburn this weekend. Start time for both Saturday and Sunday’s action at Beckham Field is set for 1 p.m. EDT, and you can follow the action via Gametracker at GamecocksOnline.com or the audio feed from Gamecocks All-Access.

Compton Hits Another Milestone
With Wednesday’s win at Coastal Carolina, Gamecock head coach Joyce Compton hit another milestone in her career in Columbia, S.C. The victory stands as her 950th in her career in the Garnet and Black. She is the ninth coach in NCAA Division I history to win at least 950 games at one school, cementing her names alongside fellow legends like Arizona’s Mike Candrea and Michigan’s Carol Hutchins.

Broyles Out
The Gamecocks will continue on this season without its top starter, as sophomore Audrey Broyles has undergone surgery on her right shoulder. 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. Wednesday’s surgery by Dr. James Andrews should have Broyles back in the circle in time for the 2011 season for the Gamecocks.

Carolina in the Month of March
Since 1984, the Gamecocks are 407-194-3 (.676) in the third month of the year and 365-170 (.682) in the Joyce Compton era. This year, the Gamecocks are at 2-10 in March. In SEC play, the Gamecocks are 72-74 (.493) in this month.

Scouting the Auburn Tigers
The Tigers from the plains of Auburn enter the weekend with a 16-12 overall record and a 2-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Pitching has been the calling card this season for Auburn, as the Tigers stand second in the league with a 1.90 ERA on the season. They also stand second in strikeouts with 260 in 195.1 innings of work. While the pitching has been stellar, the offense has dragged down the club a bit. The Tigers rank 10th in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in the SEC. Defense has also been an issue, as the Tigers stand 10th in fielding percentage as well. In eight SEC games, Auburn has scored 12 runs, with five of those games coming against the top two pitching staffs in the league (Florida and LSU).

The pitching ace is Anna Thompson, who stands fifth in the league with a 1.00 ERA in 91.0 innings. Shes struck out 167 batters, second-most in the conference, while walking 24. Thompson has thrown five shutouts this season and has held opponents to a .140 batting average, the lowest among SEC pitchers. Jenee Loree and Angel Bunner have ERA’s of 2.55 and 2.57, respectively. Amber Harrison leads the way at the plate, leading Auburn in most offensive categories. Kelley Smiley stands second in both batting average and on-base percentage, while Lauren Guzman is second in slugging percentage, helped by her team-leading three home runs.

Gamecocks All-Time vs. Auburn
The Gamecocks hold a 21-17 mark all-time against Auburn, including a victory in the final game of last year’s series. In Columbia, the Gamecocks are 11-4 against the Tigers, with the final two wins coming in a doubleheader sweep on Sunday in 2008.

The Last Series – South Carolina vs. Auburn – March 28-29, 2009
South Carolina dropped the series on the plains last season, but the bus ride back was much nicer when the Gamecocks took the final game of the weekend, 5-0.

A seventh-inning rally came up a run short, as South Carolina dropped a 3-2 decision to Auburn on Saturday evening at Jane B. Moore Field. Auburn broke through in the sixth. With Kyndall White at first with one down, Tiger head coach Tina Deese called for a hit-and-run on the 3-2 pitch, and it paid off in a big way. Elizabeth Eisterhold lined a ball right to the spot where the Gamecock shortstop Evan Childs was before breaking to cover the bag. The ball skipped to the left field wall, allowing White to score from first on the double. South Carolina starter Audrey Broyles got Tayrn Gray to line out for the second out of the frame. Amber Harrison added what proved to be much-needed insurance when she roped a ball over the wall in left center for a homer, making it 3-0 for the host Tigers. The Gamecocks came up in the seventh and got a one-out hit from Ashton Payne. Jacqueline Wetherbee delivered with a two-run, pinch-hit homer out to left to make it a one-run game, 3-2. But Auburn hurler Anna Thompson got a line out and a routine fly ball to end the inning and the game.

Auburn closed the second game with a flurry, scoring four runs each in the fifth and sixth to take a 12-4 win over South Carolina in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader.

Gamecock starter Audrey Broyles tossed a six-hit shutout to lead South Carolina past Auburn, 5-0, to salvage the final game of the three-game set on Sunday afternoon. Broyles scattered those six hits and one walk over seven innings while striking out eight in her second career shutout. Auburn’s Anna Thompson got the loss, allowing two earned runs on three walks and three hits while fanning six in four innings of work. P.J. Fulmer and Jill Semento both scored two runs, while Lauren Lackey went 2-for-3 with an RBI.Lindsay Walker had an RBI single, while Kaitlin Westfall blasted a bases-loaded triple.

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.

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 six offensive categories: batting average (.376), hits (35), triples (1), RBI (21), on-base percentage (.396) and slugging percentage (.538). Mendes also tops the team and is tied for the SEC lead with 10 doubles. She’s one double from tying for 19th at South Carolina with 25 in her career. After the home run at Coastal, she’s 10th on the career slugging percentage charts at .436.

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 35 doubles, but only five triples have been given up by the Gamecocks in 2010. The outfield also has 11 assists, with the three listed above all making at least one. Lackey has made six, including five from right field.

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’s tied for second on the squad with 13 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 12 plate appearances, South Carolina pinch hitters are 1-for-11 with two RBI. Kandyce Redondo broke the ice in the first Arkansas game with an infield single. Earlier in the year, 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.

Bats Showed 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.

Still Looking for That Right Mix
Even with just 13 position players on the roster, South Carolina has still done quite the mixing and matching, trying to find the right player at the right position. Junior P.J. Fulmer has started every game at catcher, but no other position has had the same starter in every contest. The closest spot is in center, as senior Adele Voigt has started all but the two games she missed with a leg injury. In 29 games, the Gamecocks have used 16 different defensive alignments behind their pitchers. In the same thought, the lineup has been shuffled many times too, with 25 different batting orders attempting to generate the offense.

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 single-game 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.

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 (.346), while her one stolen base is tied for second on the squad. Her eight doubles are second on the team and seventh in the SEC while her 13 RBI tie her for second on the squad.

The Fall’s Shining Star Struggling in Spring
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 4.00 and has 22 strikeouts against 23 walks in 49.0 innings. She has also hit seven batters and tossed five illegal pitches with runners on base.

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.

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.

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.

Not a Good Stretch
South Carolina suffered through its longest losing streak in program history, falling in 11 straight games. It did, however, avoid the longest winless streak, which came in 2005. Wednesday’s win at Coastal Carolina ended the stretch.

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 an NCAA Regional and advanced into an NCAA Super Regional for the first time. The Gamecocks hope for the same thing this year, after finishing under .500 the previous two seasons.