Feb. 25, 2013
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina (5-1) continues action on Tuesday afternoon hosting Furman (5-1) at Carolina Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network including flagship station 107.5 FM, “The Game.” Live video broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com as well as live Gametracker stats.
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network affiliates/Flagship WNKT FM 107.5 “The Game” in Columbia. Andy Demetra and Tommy Moody will call the action.
Television: None
Internet: Live Gametracker stats and Live video streaming at GamecocksOnline.com. Additional coverage on Twitter @GamecockBasebll and Facebook/Gamecocksonline
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Tuesday
South Carolina – Jack Wynkoop (Fr. LHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.0 IP, 1 BB, 0 SO
Furman – Nate Smith (Sr. LHP) 0-0, 4.22 ERA, 10.2 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO
THE OPPONENT
Both Carolina and Furman enter with 5-1 records for the season. Furman has a pair of victories over Michigan Stat e as well as two wins over Miami (Ohio) and a win over Cincinnati. Furman’s one defeat was a 6-1 loss vs. Gardner-Webb on Feb. 20, 2013.
Head coach Ron Smith is in his 20th season as head coach for the Paladins. Furman went 28-31 last year with a 13-17 record in the Southern Conference. The Paladins return six position starters from last year’s team. Junior shortstop Hunter Burton leads Furman at the plate with a .429 average (9-for-21). Senior catcher/first baseman Paul Nitto is hitting .375 (9-for-24) as well with a homer and seven RBI. Furman’s probable starting pitcher Nate Smith is 0-0 with a 4.22 ERA in two starts. He has pitched 10.2 innings with 13 strikeouts.
GAMECOCKS IN THE RANKINGS
South Carolina is ranked for the third straight week. The Gamecocks are No. 7 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball and No. 8 in the USA Today coaches’ poll.
NOTES:
South Carolina continued the 2013 season with a weekend sweep of Albany at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks defeated Albany 8-3 in the opener followed by victories of 14-1 and 6-4 on Sunday in a doubleheader. South Carolina is now 5-1 on the year and will next be in action on Tuesday hosting Furman at 4 p.m. The Gamecocks will meet Clemson this weekend in a three-game series with Friday’s contest at Clemson, Saturday’s game at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. and Sunday’s series finale in Columbia.
Sunday’s 14-1 victory featured a combined no-hitter by Colby Holmes, Forrest Koumas and Josh Knab. It is the first no-hitter by a Gamecock team in 38 years since March 26, 1975 when Ray Lavigne hurled a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over George Mason. It is the seventh no-hitter in school history and the first combined no-hitter as well.
Holmes opened the outing with six innings of work allowing just one walk and an unearned run. He struck out three batters. Koumas followed with two scoreless innings in which he walked three and struck out one. Knab closed out the no-hitter with a perfect ninth inning inducing three consecutive groundouts. Holmes is now 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA in a team-high 12.1 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .077 against him.
Senior infielder LB Dantzler continues to swing a hot bat. Dantzler went 9-for-13 (.692) at the plate with two doubles, two homers, six runs scored and 10 RBI. He had 17 total bases for the weekend with a .733 on-base percentage as well as a 1.308 slugging percentage. Dantzler is hitting .545 (12-for-22) for the season with three homers and 13 RBI as well as a .593 on-base percentage and a 1.045 slugging percentage. In Friday’s 8-3 win, Dantzler tallied a career-high four hits and career-high five RBI with a home run. He followed that up with a 2-for-4 game with three runs and four RBI in the 14-1 win and closed out the weekend 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in the 6-4 victory.
Dantzler tied three Carolina Stadium records for a three-game series with 17 total bases, nine hits and six runs scored. It is the most hits in a three-game series at Carolina Stadium since Jackie Bradley Jr. tallied nine in a three-game series vs. Vanderbilt (May 1-3, 2009). It is the most total bases since Nick Ebert finished with 17 vs. Georgia (May 14-16, 2009). It is the most runs since Jackie Bradley Jr. had six vs. Mississippi State (April 2-4, 2010).
Sophomore left-hander Jordan Montgomery improved to 2-0 on the year with a win in the 8-3 victory over Albany. Montgomery worked five innings and allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Montgomery had a streak of 17.2 consecutive innings without allowing a run snapped in the top of the fourth when he yielded a solo home run. Along with two victories, he has a 1.64 ERA in 11.0 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts as well.
Junior outfielder Graham Saiko reached base in all five plate appearances in the 8-3 victory. He went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, a RBI and three walks. Saiko is hitting .300 (6-for-20) for the season with six runs scored and a .481 on-base percentage as he leads the Gamecocks with seven walks for the season.
Senior left-hander Tyler Webb picked up his second save of the year in the 6-4 win vs. Albany with 0.2 scoreless innings and a strikeout. Webb made his third appearances of the season and the 81st of his Gamecock career tying him with Kip Bouknight (1998-01) for seventh all-time in school history. The record is 102 set last year by Matt Price (2009-12). Webb has four strikeouts in 2.2 innings of relief.
Sophomore outfielder Tanner English has hit safely in all six games this year. English is hitting .421 (8-for-19) for the season with seven runs scored and a .542 on-base percentage. English went 3-for-4 with two runs in the 14-1 win over Albany.
Freshman right-hander Curt Britt earned his first career save in his first career stint on the mound. Britt worked four innings of relief in the 8-3 victory over the Great Danes and allowed just one run on two hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Senior infielder Chase Vergason launched his second career home run in the 14-1 win over Albany. His previous homer came on May 5, 2012 at Arkansas. Vergason finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. The three runs batted in were a career-high with the three hits tying a career-high as well. Vergason is hitting .385 (5-for-13) with a .579 on-base percentage. He has scored six runs.
Senior left-hander Nolan Belcher improved to 1-1 for the season with a win in the 6-4 victory. Belcher allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings with no walks and seven strikeouts. Belcher leads the Gamecocks with 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work.
Freshman infielder Max Schrock drove in at least one run in all three games this past weekend. Schrock was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in the 14-1 win and followed that up with a 2-for-4 game with a triple in the 6-4 victory. Schrock has seven RBI for the year, second highest on the team and leads the Gamecocks with three stolen bases as well.
Sophomore infielder Joey Pankake had a RBI in each game as well this weekend. Pankake is hitting .353 (6-for-17).
Sophomore outfielder Connor Bright made his first start of the season in the 14-1 win and went 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored.
Carolina’s nine-run total in the bottom of the 5th inning vs. Albany was the most runs in an inning by the Gamecocks since 10 on March 9, 2010 in the bottom of the third of a 12-4 win over Valparaiso.
Before Saturday’s game, the Gamecocks honored members of the 1977 National Runner-Up squad. June Raines’ first club was recognized for their achievements and presented College World Series rings. Former players that returned were: William Allen, Jamie Chakales, Ronnie Crapps, John Hinkel, Hal Hutchens, Mark Kish, Randy Martz, Chuck McLean, Richard Ness, Robbie Parrish, Don Repsher, David Small, Michael Toalson and Mookie Wilson. Steve King’s daughter also accepted her father’s ring. Athletic trainer Daryl Driggers, assistant coach Johnny Hunton and June Raines attended as well.
