April 18, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. –

Gamecocks at Auburn – April 19-21
Jane B. Moore Field, Auburn, Ala.

Fri., April 19, 7 PM | Live Audio | | @GamecockSoftbll
Sat., April 20, 6 PM (ESPNU) | WatchESPN/ESPN3 Video | Live Audio | | @GamecockSoftbll
Sun., April 21, 2 PM | Live Audio | | @GamecockSoftbll

2013 SC SB Notes (4/18)

South Carolina Team Notes

• Winning five-consecutive games (2/24-3/3) by the run rule is the best as far as those records go (since 1995). The previous best stretch of run-rule wins came in 1995.
• The April 10, game-one win over Coastal Carolina stands as the 10th run-rule win for the Gamecocks this year and the first since March 8 (vs. UMass).
• This is the first time since 1997 that South Carolina has recorded double-digit run-rule shortened wins.
• South Carolina’s leadoff batter has reached 47.7 percent of the time so far in 2013, second in the SEC.
• The Gamecocks won their first 13 games by scoring seven or more runs.
• In the win over Radford (2/24), redshirt senior Audrey Broyles tossed her first shutout since Feb. 26, 2011, against Elon. This was a three-hitter to defeat the defending Big South regular-season champs.
• Also recording their first shutouts as Gamecocks this year were sophomore Katelynn Howser (vs. Buffalo) and freshman Katie Marks (vs. Florida International).
• Gamecock pinch hitters are 9-for-31 (.290) at the plate and reach base at a .421 clip, drawing six walks and taking one hit by pitch.

Samie Garcia: Setting New Standards

• Senior shortstop Samie Garcia became the first Gamecock under Beverly Smith to be selected in the NPF Draft, going with the 14th overall selection (second of the fourth round) to the NY/NJ Comets in the April 1 event.
• Garcia leads the Gamecocks in nine offensive categories entering the weekend, and she stands in the top 15 in numerous career listings.
• She’s third in batting average (.367), second in on-base percentage (.435) and fourth in slugging percentage (.543).
• With seven triples on the year, Garcia is tied for fifth with 12 in her career. Garcia is also fifth in hit-by-pitches (14), 11th in total bases (272), 12th in runs (116), tied for 12th in homers (12) and 19th in doubles (28).
• Currently, Garcia ranks as the 15th toughest Gamecock in recorded history to strike out, going 14.31 at bats per strikeout.
• In the per-game categories, she’s second in hits (1.21), third in runs (0.76), fifth in triples (0.08), seventh in doubles (0.18), eighth in home runs (0.08), 11th in walks (0.31) and 17th in RBI per game (0.44).
• She stole four bases in the Stetson Lead-Off Classic to move into the top 10 in that category. Now with 17 on the year, she’s tied for fifth in career stolen bases (43) and third in stolen bases per game (0.28).

Schedule Has Not Been Kind to Gamecocks

• South Carolina opened the 2013 season with 22 road games (five weekends + one midweek DH) and 29 of 32 outside Columbia due to ongoing construction at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• The 1997 team spent 23 of its first 26 games away from home in the most similar stretch in the Gamecocks’ SEC-era history.
• The 1988 squad played its first 31 games away from Columbia (six weeks on the road), while the 1987 team spent its first 20 games traveling (10 days).
• The Gamecocks have 31 of their 53 scheduled games against teams who made the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
• Out of 42 games, South Carolina has played 28 against top-100 RPI opponents, going 11-17 in those contests.
• Of the 11 games left, nine pit the Gamecocks against top-100 RPI foes, including this weekend’s foe Auburn (65). Those nine are all in SEC play (Mississippi State 28, Florida 2).
• The first 12 SEC games came against top-20 RPI teams in this week’s report.
• All 24 SEC games are against NCAA tourney participants.
• One more SEC game for the Gamecocks will be televised, the April 20 contest at Auburn by national outlet ESPNU.
• The Gamecocks lost their first three TV contests, all to top-15 foes.

Some Single-Game Marks Rewritten in 2013

• South Carolina beat Alabama State 29-0 (5) on March 2, setting a new NCAA-era record for runs in a game and tying the program record for margin of victory.
• The Gamecocks tied their high of 25 RBI in that Alabama State contest.
• Sophomore Olivia Lawrence broke the runs-scored record against the Hornets, crossing home five times.
• Chelsea Hawkins tied the single-game homer record with two blasts against Kennesaw State, also on March 2.

Single-Season Record Already Fallen; Others to Watch

• Junior second baseman Dana Hathorn has already broken the single-season hit-by-pitch mark, getting plunked 19 times this year through 42 games.
• Senior shortstop Samie Garcia has seven triples on the year, tying for 11th in Gamecock history. One more sees her join Tina Plew in 10th with eight in a single season.
• Junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins made it a six-way tie for 10th place with seven homers already this season. Her next ties her with four others for sixth.
• Sophomore centerfielder Kristen Struett is tied for 12th with 39 RBI in a season. Her next ties her for eighth with four other players, including former teammate Evan Childs, who had 40 last year.
• Redshirt senior Kelley Dillon has been hit seven times this year, tying for third on the single-season listing behind her teammate Hathorn and Kristin Hall (8, 2005).
• Junior Ashlyn Masters has three sacrifice flies, good to tie for 12th on the single-season list. Another would tie her for seventh with six others.
• Garcia’s 17 stolen bases is tied for 10th in a single season with Toinette Reed and Tricia Popowski. Two more would knot Garcia with Tina Plew and Christie Dammer in eighth.

In Wins and Losses, What Stands Out?

• As a team, the Gamecocks slug .578 in wins and .331 in losses and reach base at a .469 clip in wins and just .314 in losses.
• If Kristen Struett gets on base, South Carolina is successful. She holds a .461 on-base percentage in wins and a .219 mark in losses. The same could be said for Alaynie Page (.489 to .268) and Chelsea Hawkins (.446 to .270).
• Audrey Broyles is 3.84 earned runs better (2.35 to 6.19) in wins than losses, while Katie Marks is 3.28 earned runs better in the same formula (2.33 to 5.61).
• Julie Sarratt has a 23/9 K/BB ratio in 32.1 innings in wins, and a 17/21 mark in 37.2 innings in losses.

Diving Deeper into Gamecock Pitchers

• The Gamecocks have their most trouble in the fourth inning, with opponents scoring 41 runs and the staff tallying a 5.83 ERA in the middle frame.
• The sixth isn’t much better, with a 5.14 ERA and 31 runs scored in 32.2 innings.
• Audrey Broyles has her highest strikeout rate (4.8 per 7 IP) with runners in scoring position.
• With two strikes, opponents are 22-of-128 (.172) against Broyles.
• Freshman Katie Marks has a strikeout rate of 7.9 with runners on and two outs and 7.7 with runners in scoring position and two outs.
• Marks likes a clean slate, with foes batting .238 against her in leadoff situations and .218 when the bases are empty.
• When Marks gets batters to two strikes, they are 23-of-138 (.167) at the plate.
• Marks polishes off hitters at 1-2 best, with 18 of her K’s coming in that count.
• Redshirt sophomore Julie Sarratt also does well with runners on and two outs, with the opposition hitting .158 in those situations. They also hit .118 in bases-loaded spots against Sarratt.

Roster Notes

• South Carolina returns four position starters from last year’s team, including 40 starts in right field (Chelsea Hawkins), 44 at catcher (Shelby Gonzales) and 54 each at both shortstop (Samie Garcia) and second base (Dana Hathorn).
• The Gamecocks’ 2012 leaders in batting average, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, slugging percentage, walks and stolen bases graduated.
• Eighty-two percent of the team’s sacrifice hits departed, the highest of any offensive category. The next highest percentage is stolen bases (71%).
• Despite losing doubles leader Kaitlin Westfall and single-season home run record-tying holder Evan Childs, the Gamecocks have 51 percent of their doubles and 52 percent of their homers back in 2013.
• With the 11 departed players, the Gamecocks also lost players who took 41 of their 65 pinch-hitting appearances and the top four pinch runners.
• Back is the 2012 team leader in runs scored (Samie Garcia, 41), who also tied for the team lead in stolen bases (11).
• The team returns over two-thirds of the innings pitched in 2012, including ERA leader Audrey Broyles and strikeout leader Katelynn Howser.
• Coming back from season-long injuries last year are redshirt senior Kelley Dillon and redshirt sophomore Julie Sarratt.
• Nine newcomers join the roster, including six freshmen, a sophomore transfer and two junior-college transfers.
• The team is again dominated by South Carolina natives, with 40 percent of the roster hailing from the Palmetto State.

Family Ties

• The Masters sisters Ashlyn and Lauren are the first siblings to play on the same Gamecock team and the second set ever in the program’s recorded history, after the Troesh sisters, Leanna (1997-99) and Debralee (2000-03).
• Junior Chelsea Hawkins is the niece of Tia Rogers (2002-04 letter-winner).
• While not a Gamecock, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is the cousin of Samie Garcia.

Scouting Auburn

• The Tigers enter the weekend with a 27-18 mark and a 6-12 record in Southeastern Conference play.
• Freshman Emily Carosone leads the offense with her .407/.481/.585 line, also posting 13 doubles, 30 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 12 tries.
• Carasone has been better in SEC play, posting a .453/.532/.604 line, all the best among the Tigers.
• Auburn utilizes the speed game with Carosone, sophomore Branndi Melero and redshirt sophomore Morgan Estell all stealing 10 bases and Tiffany Howard swiping nine.
• Junior Kristyn Richards has seven steals in nine tries, playing mostly in a reserve role.
• Melero provides power with eight homers and 42 RBI, both team-leading marks. Estell gets on base at a team-best .497 mark.
• Senior Brooke Lathan has 38 RBI, second on the team.
• Freshman Marcy Harper fronts the pitching staff, tossing almost half of the team’s innings (141 of 290).
• Harper has a 2.83 ERA, holds foes to a .235 batting average and fans 113 while walking 37.
• Junior Hilary Mavromat (3.29 ERA, 61.2 innings) and freshman Lexi Davis (4.42 ERA, 82.1 innings) should also see time in the circle.

Ties Between Auburn & South Carolina

• The Masters sisters and Auburn’s Liana Wuchte all graduated from Greenbriar High School in Augusta, Ga.

Important Series for Both Teams

• Both teams are chasing a spot in the SEC Tournament, which expands to 10 teams this year.
• The Tigers are among four teams with six SEC wins, but they would be 11th if the season ended today. The Gamecocks rank 12th.
• The series winner has a much better chance of making the field in Lexington, but a sweep would be prefered for that winner.
• South Carolina has nine games left in SEC play, six against teams ninth or lower in the league (this weekend and at Mississippi State 4/26-28).
  The Last Meeting

  Auburn	4
  South Carolina	1

  April 29, 2012
  Beckham Field

  Great Senior Day Crowd Watches Gamecocks Drop 4-1 Decision to Auburn Another overcapacity crowd of 921 fans packed into Beckham Field for the final home game of 2012, trying to cheer South Carolina (23-29, 3-22 SEC) to victory on Senior Day, but Auburn (31-19, 10-15 SEC) spoiled things with a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon.

  Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery
• Two sweeps gets South Carolina to eight wins before ending the year at home against Florida.
• A sweep of Auburn lowers the Tigers’ possible win total to nine if the Tigers sweep at Arkansas the last weekend of the year.
• A South Carolina sweep of Mississippi State next weekend would hurt the Bulldogs, who are 6-9 going into play at Alabama this weekend. MSU closes at Texas A&M the final week of the year.
• Arkansas is also 6-9 with home series against Kentucky and Auburn around a trip to SEC East leader Tennessee.

Where They Go Next on Career Charts

• Two more runs move Samie Garcia into a tie with Michelle Delloso into 11th on the career charts with 118.
• Garcia’s next hit ties her with Jessica Josker in 18th with 185. She is also within reach of 17th (Marianne DiRupo, 186) and 15th (Shani Cannon and Stacy Agee, 188).
• One more double ties Garcia for 18th with Danielle Quinones with 29.
• Her next triple would give Garcia fifth alone with 13, one shy of Ashton Payne in fourth (14).
• A homer by Garcia would put her in 12th alone all-time with 13.
• Chelsea Hawkins’ next homer would break a tie between her, Samantha Jennings and Tina Plew and put Hawkins in eighth all-time with 16.
• Garcia needs five total bases to tie Debralee Troesh (277) for 10th in Gamecock history.
• Dana Hathorn needs eight RBI to tie for 17th all-time with four other players.
• One walk brings Garcia even with Jodi Fittro and Cheri Laskowski for 20th on the all-time listings with 48.
• Three hit-by-pitches to Garcia would tie her for third with Kaitlin Westfall and Jacqueline Wetherbee with 17.
• If Kelley Dillon gets hit by another pitch, she’d tie Lauren Lackey and Lindsay Walker for 18th.
• One more stolen base for Garcia would push her past Tricia Popowski into fifth alone with 44 stolen bases.
• Audrey Broyles’ next win gives her 11th alone, breaking a tie with Kate Pouliot and Kim Sheridan.
• When Broyles gets through 4.2 more innings, she’ll surpass Sky Brown for eighth in SC history.
• With 16 strikeouts, Broyles would tie Angie Lear for ninth in South Carolina history.