Feb. 27, 2012
South Carolina-Presbyterian Pregame Notes in PDF format 
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina (6-0) continues the 2012 season this weekend with a Tuesday afternoon non-conference tilt vs. Presbyterian (0-7) at Carolina Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Live video broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com with live radio on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station 107.5 FM with Andy Demetra and Tommy Moody on the call.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Tuesday
South Carolina – Jordan Montgomery (Fr. LHP) – 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 1 SO
Presbyterian – Beau Dees (Fr. LHP) – 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 2 BB, 5 SO
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: SC leads 42-19
Last 10 GamesDate Winner Score Site4-15-47 PC 7-3 Clinton4-29-47 PC 6-4 Kingstree4-27-48 PC 1-0 Clinton5-3-48 SC 6-0 Columbia3-31-53 SC 7-5 Columbia5-6-98 SC 5-4 Columbia3-10-08 SC 2-1 (10)Columbia3-9-09 SC 6-5 Columbia3-3-10 SC 15-0 Columbia5-10-11 SC 6-1 Columbia
DID YOU KNOW??
South Carolina’s Frank Sherer hurled the school’s third no-hitter on May 3, 1948 in a 6-0 win over Presbyterian. S. Carolina has six no-hitters in school history including two against Presbyterian. The other no-hitter vs. PC came on May 3, 1932 by Grayson Wolfe.
QUICK RECAP
South Carolina continued the 2012 season with a weekend sweep of Elon at Carolina Stadium. South Carolina defeated the Phoenix 8-1 in Friday’s opener, 3-2 in game two and 6-0 in the series finale. South Carolina is now 6-0 on the year and will next be in action on Tuesday, Feb. 28 hosting Presbyterian at 4 p.m. at Carolina Stadium.
ROTH HONORED BY SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
South Carolina senior left-handed pitcher Michael Roth was honored by the Southeastern Conference with Bobby Wahl of Ole Miss as Co-Pitchers of the Week, the league office announced on Monday afternoon. Roth hurled seven innings of no-hit ball and limited Elon to just three walks while striking out seven batters in the 8-1 win over the Phoenix in the series opener on February 24.
Roth is 1-0 for the season with a 0.69 ERA in 13 innings with 13 strikeouts to just three walks. This is the second time in Roth’s career that he has earned Pitcher of the Week accolades from the SEC.
Last season, Roth won SEC Pitcher of the Week after allowing one run on three hits in the 3-1 win vs. Vanderbilt on April 15 while striking out eight batters.
A CALL TO ARMS
The Gamecock pitching staff was impressive the entire weekend allowing just three runs, one earned, on seven hits in 27 innings of work with 32 strikeouts vs. the Phoenix. After six games, the Gamecock pitching staff is 6-0 with a league-best 0.83 team ERA. The pitchers have allowed just seven runs, five earned on 18 hits in 54 innings while striking out 68 batters to just 12 walks. Opponents are hitting only .102 against them, also best in the SEC.
CHECK IT OUT!
The seven-run total allowed by the Gamecock pitching staff through the first six games is the lowest run total to start a season since 1977, when the Gamecocks allowed just six runs in their first six games. 10 of 14 Gamecock pitchers that have seen action have not allowed an earned run.
LET’S GET IT STARTED
All three Gamecock starting pitchers earned wins over the weekend. Junior right-hander Matt Price followed him up with five innings of one-hit ball in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Phoenix. It is the only hit he has allowed in two starts this year. He tied a career-high with eight strikeouts as well in the victory. Price is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 15 strikeouts to just four walks in 10 innings pitched. Junior right-hander Colby Holmes hurled 5.2 scoreless innings and limited Elon to just three hits in Sunday’s 6-0 victory over Elon. Holmes is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and has 12 strikeouts to just three walks in 10.2 innings of work. In 33.2 innings, the Gamecock weekend rotation of Roth, Price and Holmes has yielded only three runs on nine hits while striking out 40 batters to 10 walks allowed.
ACTION FROM THE `PEN
For the second consecutive week, junior left-hander Tyler Webb gave the Gamecocks a quality outing out of the bullpen. He tied a career-high with seven strikeouts in 3.2 innings of relief work and allowed just one hit and two runs, both unearned. Webb won his seventh career game and his first of the season in the 2-1 win over VMI in the opener. In a relief outing, Webb worked 2.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and struck out four batters.
Sophomore right-hander Forrest Koumas picked up his second save of the season in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Elon. With runners on first and second base and two outs, Koumas struck out the final out to end the Phoenix’s threat and seal the Gamecock win. Koumas picked up his first career save in the 2-1 win on Opening Day. Koumas had 0.2 perfect innings with a strikeout to end the game.
Junior right-hander Ethan Carter and freshman right-hander Evan Beal combined for three perfect innings to close out the 6-0 win over Elon. On the first weekend, Carter returned to the mound for the Garnet & Black for the first time since 2010 and picked up a victory in relief of Matt Price in the 3-2 win over VMI. Carter’s four innings are the most ever in his career with the Garnet & Black and he delivered with just two hits allowed while striking out six of the 13 batters he faced.
IF YOU BUILD IT – THEY WILL COME
South Carolina is among the nation leaders in attendance after two weekends. South Carolina has totaled 44,781 in attendance for six home games for an average of 7,463.
Opening Day was sold out with a crowd of 8,242 in attendance. The three-game series vs. VMI totaled 23,253 for an average of 7,751 per contest.
South Carolina set a record for season tickets sold this year with a total of 5,580 sold in the preseason, surpassing the previous record of 5,414 set last year. South Carolina’s total attendance of 297,279 for 40 games last year at Carolina Stadium was second highest in the country.
The Gamecocks own a 98-19 (.838) record since opening the facility on Feb. 21, 2009.
WALKER PROVIDES A PUNCH
Friday’s 8-1 win featured junior first baseman Christian Walker, who reached base all four times at the plate including two hits, a homer and five RBI in the victory. The five RBI tied a career-high. Walker hit safely in all three games of the series and owns a five-game hitting streak. He leads the team in hitting with a .381 average (8-for-21) with a homer and eight RBI.
Walker had a combined four hits in the doubleheader on Saturday vs. VMI. In the 13-1 victory he drove in a pair with a RBI single in a seven-run fourth inning and he also scored a run.
ENGLISH HAS A KNACK
Another key offensive contributor early in the season has been freshman outfielder Tanner English. He scored a run in all three games of the Elon series and hit safely in all three games as well. English drove in three runs for the weekend with a key two-run triple to left-center in 6-0 win over Elon in the second inning. English is hitting .333 (7-for-21) for the season with five runs scored and five RBI.
English also factored in all three victories of the VMI series. He tallied two hits in the opener vs. VMI, had a RBI base hit in the 3-2 victory and capped that off with two runs scored and a RBI in the 13-1 win in the series finale.
PANKAKE SHOWCASE
Freshman shortstop Joey Pankake also had a knack for getting on base in the Elon series. He was 2-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored in the 8-1 win in the opener. He had two walks in Saturday’s victory and a hit and a run scored in the Sunday series finale. Pankake is hitting .263 (5-for-19) with five runs scored.
LB LIGHTS IT UP
Junior third baseman LB Dantzler launched a three-run homer in the first inning of Sunday’s 6-0 win over Elon. Dantzler leads the team with two homers and nine RBI. Dantzler was solid in his debut vs. VMI as he tallied a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning as South Carolina defeated VMI 2-1 in the opener. Dantzler followed that up with a three-run homer, a double and four RBI in the 13-1 win over VMI that helped Carolina sweep the Keydets. Dantzler finished the weekend 4-for-11 (.364) at the plate with five RBI and a .727 slugging percentage.
MARZILLI LEADS IT OFF
Junior outfielder Evan Marzilli has reached base safely in all six games. He is hitting .333 (8-for-24) for the year with a team-high six runs scored. He also has two stolen bases and has driven in three runs as well.
Marzilli returned to the leadoff role and was effective in the first weekend vs. VMI as he hit .500 (6-for-12) with a .538 on-base percentage. Marzilli had a 3-for-4 day at the plate on Opening Day. He scored the game-winning run in the opener and also was effective in the 13-1 victory as he went 2-for-4 with a triple, run scored and two RBI.
AT THE PLATE & ON THE FIELD
South Carolina hitters are hitting .292 (56-for-192) for the year with 35 runs scored. The Gamecocks own a .349 on-base percentage and a .422 slugging percentage. South Carolina has played pretty clean in the field as well with a .982 fielding percentage and just four errors through the first six games.
ROTH A CANDIDATE FOR THE LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
South Carolina senior left-handed pitcher Michael Roth is one of 30 NCAA baseball student-athletes named as a candidate for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, it was announced on February 23. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Roth is in his second straight year as captain for the baseball team. He is a Preseason All-America selection and was a 2011 consensus All-American and CollegeBaseballInsider.com’s National Player of the Year. Last year, Roth was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team and was a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American as well. He also earned the NCAA Elite 88 award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA of all student-athletes in the 2011 College World Series.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2012 NCAA College World Series, which will be held June 15-26 in Omaha.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I head coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
DYNAMIC DUO BEHIND THE DISH
Freshman catcher Grayson Greiner is hitting .333 (7-for-21) after six games with two doubles and two RBI.
He had an impressive debut hitting .400 (4-for-10) in his first career games with the Garnet & Black in the VMI series. He had two hits in the opener and also had a key defensive play in the top of the ninth inning as he nabbed the potential tying run at second base on a stolen base attempt. He was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored in the 13-1 win as well.
Junior catcher Dante Rosenberg played a pivotal role in the 3-2 win over VMI on Saturday. Rosenberg was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and a RBI including the game-winning RBI hit in the bottom of the sixth inning in the victory.
SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE RANKINGS
South Carolina sits at No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. The Gamecocks are also No. 3 in Baseball America’s Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll.
CAROLINA BASEBALL CATEGORY LEADERS
HITTINGBatting Average Christian Walker.381Games Played Seven Players 6At Bats Evan Marzilli 24Runs Evan Marzilli 6Hits Evan Marzilli/Christian Walker 8Doubles Grayson Greiner/Dante Rosenberg 2Triples Three Players 1Home Runs LB Dantzler 2Runs Batted In LB Dantzler 9Slugging Percentage LB Dantzler. .571Walks Joey Pankake 3Hit By Pitch Grayson Greiner/Christian Walker 1On Base Percentage Christian Walker.458Stolen Bases Evan Marzilli 2
PITCHINGEarned Run Average 10 Players 0.00Wins Colby Holmes 2Losses N/A N/AAppearances Seven Players 2Games Started Three Players 2Saves Forrest Koumas 2Innings Pitched Michael Roth 13.0Walks Matt Price 4Strikeouts Matt Price 15Opposing Batting Average Four Players .000
