April 18, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina starts a season-long eight-game homestand with a pair of midweek non-conference games this week. NC State comes to Beckham Field for a 5 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday afternoon, while Charlotte makes the short drive down I-77 for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday. The contest against the Charlotte 49ers stands as the Gamecocks’ StrikeOut Cancer game. Both games will be available via Gametracker and live audio feed at GamecocksOnline.com.
Scouting the North Carolina State Wolfpack
North Carolina State brings a 21-20 record into Tuesday’s contest at Beckham Field. The Wolfpack offense seems similar to the Gamecocks, posting a slash line of .270/.356/.382 as a unit compared to SC’s .274/.353/.395. Bridget Desbois leads the offense with a .328 batting average and .401 on-base percentage. Bethany Wells provides the power, slugging at a .509 clip with seven home runs and 27 RBI. Alyssa Ishibashi actually tops the team in on-base percentage with a .424 mark. Alyssa Allbritten is second on the team with 25 RBI and a .453 slugging percentage. But NC State does not run, stealing just 16 bases in 26 tries.
The duo of Kayla Cox and Morgan Peeler handle duties in the circle. Cox leads the staff with a 3.35 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 142.0 innings. However, she is 10-12 while walking 73 batters, or over one every two innings. Opponents have also hit 24 homers against Cox. Peeler holds a 9-7 record with her 3.63 ERA. She’s struck out 68 and walked 60 in 113.2 innings.
Series History Versus the Wolfpack
The Gamecocks own a 3-0 advantage in the short series, winning a single game in 2006 before taking down the top-seeded Wolfpack twice in the 2007 Columbia Regional to eliminate NC State from the field of 64.
Last Meeting vs. NC State – March 17, 2010
South Carolina’s Jessica Josker ripped a bases-clearing double into the gap in left-center in the bottom of the fifth inning to lift the Gamecocks to a 4-3 win over NC State in NCAA Regional play at Beckham Field. With two outs and Gamecock runners on the corners, NC State intentionally walked McKenna Hughes to load the bases and get to Josker. The move proved fatal for the Wolfpack as Hughes ended up being the winning run on Josker’s double.
Scouting the Charlotte 49ers
Charlotte brings a 24-19 record to Beckham Field on Wednesday after sweeping an Atlantic 10 doubleheader from George Washington. Tenaya Tucker leads the offense with a line of .404/.484/.750, topping the team in doubles, homers and RBI. Briana Gwaltney is tied with Tucker with both 10 homers and 39 RBI. Whitney Williams has stolen 18 bases in 23 tries and has reached base at a .425 clip. Kalie Lang has five homers and 32 RBI.
Katy Hackett leads the 49ers in the circle, posting a 2.17 ERA and a 16-10 record. She’s struck out 183 batters in 187 innings, walking 55 in the process. Lang has been the reliever with 14 appearances all out of the bullpen. She has a 5.51 ERA in 47 innings.
Series History Versus the 49ers
South Carolina is 30-5 all-time against Charlotte, including a victory on Feb. 23 this year at the D.L. Phillips Complex, which snapped a three-game 49er winning streak in the series. In Columbia, the Gamecocks are 16-3 against Charlotte, falling in the last two meetings at Beckham Field.
Last Meeting vs. Charlotte – Feb. 23, 2011
South Carolina put together 11 hits on the day, including a 3-for-4 outing from sophomore right fielder Hannah Milks, to take a 6-0 win at Charlotte. Sophomore shortstop Samie Garcia reached base all four times up while going 2-for-3 with her second home run of the year and two runs scored. Senior designated player Laura Mendes also had a two-hit day, going 2-for-2 while driving in two. Junior leftfielder Kaitlin Westfall also had two RBI, and freshman second baseman Dana Hathorn added a double and an RBI.
Carolina in the Month of April
Since 1984, the Gamecocks are 353-202-1 (.636) in the fourth month of the year. In April SEC games, South Carolina is 100-110 (.476).
Great Start to the Season
The Gamecocks have eclipsed their record from last year. With 23 wins overall and five in Southeastern Conference action, South Carolina surpassed its win totals in both categories from 2010 before the halfway mark of this year, which the Gamecocks officially hit in the last game of the Auburn series.
Offensive Improvement Easy to See
South Carolina is not prominently displayed in the SEC’s team stat rankings, but it would be bad for one to think that the team has not progressed at the plate. After 44 games in 2011, the Gamecocks have already surpassed their 2010 total in every offensive statistic other than at bats, strikeouts and sacrifice hits. The Garnet and Black have a batting average that is 58 points better than last year (.274-.216), an on-base percentage 66 points improved (.353-.287) and a slugging percentage 107 points better (.395-.288).
South Carolina Confident with Two Runs Scored
The Gamecocks own a 21-10 record when they score two runs or more in a game. That includes a 19-6 mark when posting three or more.
No Southpaws Please!
South Carolina has not figured out lefty pitchers this year, going 1-7 against starting southpaws. The team’s batting average against lefties is just .228.
The Speed Proves Its Worth When Not There
South Carolina has gone 4-11 in games when it has not stolen a base. When swiping two or more, the Gamecocks are 16-5.
Showing Off the Wheels
South Carolina has recorded 72 stolen bases already in 2011. That total surpasses the 2001 team as the best in a decade and trails just three Gamecock teams in history: 1992 (79), 1994 (75) and 1995 (87). It should lock the Gamecocks into more steals than games played for just the fourth time in history, joining the three years previously mentioned.
And it’s not one person doing the work on the bases. Seven different Gamecocks have tallied four or more stolen bases, led by Samie Garcia’s 15. Four have tallied double figures in thefts, making the 2011 team the first in South Carolina’s recorded history (since 1983) to have four individuals steal 10 or more bases. Only eight times has more than one Gamecock made it to 10+ SB in a year. Garcia leads the way with 15, while Hannah Milks has 14, Lauren Lackey 13 and Dana Hathorn 11.
The Long Ball Effective for Gamecocks
South Carolina has already hit 21 home runs on the season, matching the high of 2006 and 2007 in the past six years. It has been a big help to the squad this season, as the Gamecocks are 15-4 in games in which they have hit a homer. South Carolina has won just twice when the team did not record at least one triple or one home run.
Offensive Onslaughts More Prevalent than Last Three Seasons
On five occasions, South Carolina has tallied 10 or more runs in a game this season. That matches the total of 10-or-more run games in the 2007-10 seasons combined, a total of 207 games. The Gamecocks have also shortened five games this season, topping the total from the last three years.
