April 13, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. – After dropping last week’s meeting against the Spartans, the South Carolina Gamecocks look for revenge against the fellow system school of USC Upstate on Wednesday afternoon at Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. First pitch of the single game is set for 5 p.m. EDT, and you can follow the action on the Gamecocks All-Access audio feed or on Gametracker at GamecocksOnline.com.
Compton Hits Another Milestone
With last 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. Other Division I coaches to win 950 games at one school include JoAnne Graf (FSU), Elaine Sortino (UMass), Eugene Lenti (DePaul), Margo Jonker (Central Michigan) and Diana Ninemire (California).
Carolina in the Month of April
Since 1984, the Gamecocks are 346-189-1 (.646) in the fourth month of the year and 319-166-1 (.657) in the Joyce Compton era. In April SEC games, South Carolina is 97-101 (.490).
Scouting the USC Upstate Spartans
USC Upstate enters Tuesday’s game against Charlotte at 26-10 but on a three-game losing streak after dropping the final game at North Florida and the doubleheader at Jacksonville on the weekend. The Spartans are outstanding defensively, making just 15 errors on the season while holding one of the top fielding percentages in the country at .984. That helps the pitching staff, led by Morgan Childers. She tossed a two-hitter in last week’s game against South Carolina and holds a 22-5 record on the season with a 0.87 ERA. She’s fanned 299 batters while walking just 52 in 169.0 innings. Opponents hit just .111 against her. Childers has tossed 10 shutouts and 19 complete games in 23 starts.
Katie Zauner and Crislyn Chewning lead the Spartan offense, with Zauner pacing the squad in batting average (.362) and Chewning topping them in slugging (.505) and on-base (.418) percentages. Seven different Spartans have double-digit RBI, while Chewning (10) and Kim Brasil (12) can steal bases. Six Upstate players have started all 36 games, including Keri Sarratt, the sister of South Carolina signee Julie Sarratt.
Gamecocks All-Time vs. USC Upstate
The two system schools have met twice previously, both at Beckham Field. South Carolina took last year’s meeting, while the Spartans captured the earlier battle. This will be the first regular-season game at Spartanburg-based school in history.
The Last Meeting – South Carolina vs. USC Upstate – April 6, 2010
South Carolina dropped a 6-0 decision to USC Upstate on Tuesday afternoon at Beckham Field. Spartan starter Morgan Childers (21-3) kept the Gamecock starting lineup, which was missing leading hitter Laura Mendes, off balance the entire game. Childers tossed a two-hit shutout, walking one while striking out 12. Upstate posted three runs in the first, all with two outs. RBI singles from Katie Zauner, Monica Hall and Cheyanna Ohlrich helped chase Gamecock starter April Borchardt (3-3). With runners at first and third, sophomore Kierstyn White came on and threw one pitch to get out of the jam, as the South Carolina infield defense caught Lauren Quevedo trying to score on the double-steal attempt. Kim Brasil put the Spartans up, 4-0, after her one-out RBI single scored pinch-runner Katelyn Molkenthin. The score stayed at 4-0 until the sixth, when two more two-out runs crossed the plate for USC Upstate. Cristlyn Chewning drove in Brasil after her two-out double, while Chewing scored on an error. The Gamecocks left six runners on base, including two in the seventh. Sophomore Evan Childs had one of the two hits, a double in the fourth, while she led off the seventh with a walk. A one-out hit from the pinch-hitter Mendes put runners at first and second with one down, but Childers got a groundout and a strikeout to end the game.
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 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., with the final two destinations marking South Carolina’s last six games of the year.
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. No sympathy came from Auburn, however, as the Tigers were 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 once again anchors the lineup, where she has at least matched her totals in every extra-base-hit category from a year ago.
So far, Mendes leads the team in seven offensive categories: batting average (.383), hits (46), triples (2), home runs (2), RBI (28), on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (.567). Mendes also tops the team and is tied for second in the SEC with 12 doubles. She’s tied for 17th at South Carolina with 26 two-baggers in her career. After the home run at Coastal, she’s 10th on the career slugging percentage charts at .453.
Need Some Help in the Pinch
The shorter bench for the Gamecocks this season has shown up mostly in pinch-hitting situations. In 17 plate appearances, South Carolina pinch hitters are 3-for-16 with two RBI. Kandyce Redondo broke the ice in the first Arkansas game on March 17 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.
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 51 doubles, but only five triples have been given up by the Gamecocks in 2010. The outfield also has 12 assists, with the three listed above all making at least one. Lackey has made six, including five from right field, while Voigt has five from center.
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.
Fulmer has started every game at catcher again this season, and she’s second on the squad with 14 runs batted in.
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.
Broyles Out
The Gamecocks will continue on this season without their 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. Her surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews, should have Broyles back in the circle in time for the 2011 season for the Gamecocks.
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 each 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 40 games, the Gamecocks have used 21 different defensive alignments behind their pitchers. In the same thought, the lineup has been shuffled many times too, with 36 different batting orders attempting to stimulate the offense.
Childs Ties Another Single-Game Record in Romp of Longwood
Sophomore Evan Childs has become known for big bursts of offense, especially 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.
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.
Childs stands third on the team in slugging percentage (.294), while her one stolen base is tied for third on the squad. Her nine doubles are second on the team and tied for ninth in the SEC while her 14 RBI tie for second on the squad.
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.
The Fall’s Shining Star Struggling in Spring
Junior Ashley Chastain came in without a lot of fanfare last year, but she finished the 2009 spring season 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 the team with four wins and is tied for tops on the squad with two saves, she ranks second in ERA at 4.88 and has 33 strikeouts against 36 walks in 66.0 innings. She has also hit 11 batters and tossed five illegal pitches with runners on base.
