Gamecocks Travel to Wed. Game at Charlotte

Feb. 18, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecocks at Charlotte
D.L. Phillips Complex
Wed., Feb. 19, 4 p.m.
Coverage: Live Audio | | @GamecockSoftbll

2014 SC Softball Notes – 2/18

2014 SC Softball Stats – 2/16

South Carolina Team Notes

• The four double plays in the Florida Atlantic win (2/16) is believed to be a school record, as it matches what was once listed but could not be verified.
• The college veterans have come through with runners on third and less than two outs, as Dana Hathorn, Ashlyn Masters and Sarah Mooney have posted 10 RBI in 12 chances.
• Both of South Carolina’s losses have come when they’ve given up five earned runs.

History in the Making

• South Carolina has played 2,002 games in its softball history, going 1305-691-6 (.653) in its 41st season of sponsorship.
• With the season-opening 1-0 win over Iowa, the Gamecocks gained their 1,300th program victory.
• Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith needs 11 more triumphs to crack the century mark, and her 18th victory this year would put her in second in program history past Lou Piel.
• Smith became the third-winningest coach in program history with the 13-0 (5) victory over UNC Greensboro.
• Smith is the third Gamecock head coach to coach a fourth season at South Carolina, joining Piel and NFCA Hall-of-Fame coach Joyce Compton.

Quick Starts

• This year’s 6-2 start is bettered only by a 12-1 mark by the 2009 team in the last five years of Gamecock Softball.
• After posting only eight hits combined in the first two games, South Carolina has tallied at least eight in each the next six.
• Freshman Kaylea Snaer leads the Gamecocks in 11 offensive categories after two weeks of play.
• She already has three doubles and three homers, the latter almost halfway to the top-15 in a season at South Carolina.
• She’s also a quarter of the way to listings on the Gamecocks’ RBI (10) and walks (6) charts in a year.
• Snaer’s also posted two hits and multiple RBI (2 in 3, 3 in 1) in half of South Carolina’s games while reaching base in all eight contests.
• Five of Snaer’s RBI have come with two outs.
• Freshman Nickie Blue has started six of the Gamecocks’ eight games in the circle, winning five of those outings.
• Blue has produced more than double the ground-ball outs (39) than fly outs (18).
• Redshirt junior Julie Sarratt already owns three saves on the year, tying for ninth at South Carolina in a single season. Her next would move her into fourth with five others.
• Sarratt’s fanned 30 in 21 innings, a rate (10 K/7IP) more than double her career standard (4.56).

Opening Weekend Notes

• South Carolina spent the opening weekend at home at the newly-finished Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field, a year after spending the first five weeks on the road waiting for construction to finish.
• The Gamecocks went 3-1 in the Carolina Classic, posting three shutouts on the weekend.
• South Carolina last recorded three shutouts in its first four games in 2003. The team had two shutouts in its first four games from 2004-07.
• Freshman Kaylea Snaer hit two homers in her first weekend in the Garnet and Black, while rookie Nickie Blue went 3-0, pitching in all four games.
• Sarah Mooney and Taylor Williams both had home runs in their first weekend as a Gamecock as well.
• Over 1,000 fans paid to see the weekend’s action, the largest paid crowds for regular-season softball at South Carolina in history.

Gamecocks Added to Their Rich History in NCAA Tournament

• South Carolina made its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first since 2007.
• The Gamecocks are 31-29 in those trips, making three Women’s College World Series in their history (1983, 1989 and 1997).
• Four times, South Carolina has won a regional.
• The Gamecocks made their seventh regional final (in multi-team regionals) in 14 appearances. The regionals in 1982-83 were best-of-three series against one opponent.

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).
• While both Williams, freshmen Taylor and Victoria are not sisters.
• Chelsea Hawkins is the niece of Tia Rogers (2002-04 letter-winner).

Roster Notes

• South Carolina returns six position starters from last year’s team, including at second base (Dana Hathorn), in left (Alaynie Page) and in right field (Chelsea Hawkins). All 59 starts in center field and at designated player return as well as the majority of starts at first and third bases.
• In the loss of Samie Garcia, the Gamecocks lose their leader in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, slugging percentage, sacrifice hits and stolen bases and the only person who started at shortstop.
• The greatest losses come in triples (7 of 10) and sacrifice hits (9 of 19).
• In the rest of the offensive categories, the Gamecocks bring back from 70.7 percent (doubles) to 80 percent (home runs) of their production from 2013, a season where the Gamecocks set six team offensive records.
• Back is the 2013 team leader in on-base percentage (Dana Hathorn, .463), home runs (Chelsea Hawkins, 8), walks (Alaynie Page, 26) and hit by pitches (Dana Hathorn, 25).
• In the circle, the team loses almost 60 percent of the innings and strikeouts from a year ago but returns team ERA, IP, K and win leader Julie Sarratt.
• Nine newcomers join the roster, including eight freshmen and the transferring Sarah Mooney, who earned Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year honors at James Madison.
• The team is again dominated by South Carolina natives, with 36.4 percent of the roster (eight players) hailing from the Palmetto State. Georgia is second with three players.
• The Gamecocks hail from 10 states this year, adding players from North Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, California, Texas and Virginia.

More on the Newest Gamecocks

• With nine new student-athletes, South Carolina retooled after losing seven players, four to graduation and three to transfers.
• Three of the incoming eight freshmen have been honored by MaxPreps.com on their High School All-America teams, including two on its small school listings.
• Kaylea Snaer earned second-team accolades in the country, while, on the small school lists were Taylor Williams (first team) and Victoria Williams (second team).
• The Williams and Snaer join Alaynie Page as Gamecocks who earned those honors. Page made the Junior All-America list earlier at Boiling Springs High School.
• The eight freshmen all represent different states: California (Snaer), Colorado (Nickie Blue), Georgia (Effie Manahan), Illinois (Kate Shereyk), North Carolina (Macey Webb), South Carolina (V. Williams), Texas (T. Williams), and Virginia (Mackenzie Moler).
• Nickie Blue is the first Gamecock to be listed over 6-0 since Melanie Henkes (6-3) in 2006.
• The lone transfer this year, Sarah Mooney, earned 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year accolades.
• Leading the Dukes in eight offensive categories, Mooney won the CAA triple crown and set new program records with 17 homers and 67 RBI in 59 games.
• Mooney moves closer to home in two aspects, hailing from the greater Charlotte area and also likely to serve as the Gamecocks’ starting catcher.

The Joys of Playing at Home and Other Schedule Notes

• After playing only 17 games at its home facility last season, tying the second-lowest mark in the SEC era (since 1997), South Carolina has scheduled 34 games for Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field before hosting the 2014 SEC Softball Tournament.
• It would take no rainouts and two postseason games at home to tie the 2002 team’s record with 36 home games in a year.
• The Gamecocks have scheduled 24 of their 55 regular-season games against teams who made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
• A total of 35 of the Gamecocks’ scheduled games come against teams that finished in the top 100 of the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index last year. Twenty-one of those are against RPI top-50 teams.
• After facing nothing but NCAA Tournament participants in conference play last year, South Carolina has two conference weekends against non-tourney teams this year (home vs. Mississippi & Auburn).
• Two of the Gamecocks’ SEC contests will be on television, including the opening game to ESPN’s national coverage (March 22 at Tennessee on ESPNU).
• The Gamecocks’ April 19 game against LSU will also be on ESPNU, while all nine games of the SEC Softball Tournament will be on the ESPN family of networks.

Scouting Charlotte

• After weather disrupted the 49ers’ schedule, they finally take to their home field for game 3 of their 2014 season with a 1-1 record.
• Charlotte’s top-four hitters return from last year’s team that went 24-26, including top slugger Chelsea Ingersoll and the one who tied her for second in RBI, Jessica Plemmons.
• Natalie Capone and Chelsea Lisikatos both had on-base percentages over .400 along with Ingersoll.
• Briana Gwaltney graduated after driving in a team-high 36 runs to go with seven homers and 32 runs scored.
• Lisikatos (4.63 ERA, 126.1 IP) is the only returning pitcher with innings, but three freshman pitchers have been brought on to help out.
• Mackenzie Hauser started one game, giving up three earned runs in six innings.
• Beth Blackburn and Brittany Mitchell join Hauser in the freshman pitching trio.
• Lexi Betancourt tossed a shutout in the 49ers’ win, fanning eight without walking anybody.

Series History vs. the 49ers

• The Gamecocks are 35-5 all-time against Charlotte, including a 12-2 mark in the Queen City.
• South Carolina has won each of its last two trips to the D.L. Phillips Complex.

The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Charlotte – April 24, 2013

• South Carolina swept a doubleheader from Charlotte, 10-2 (5) and 5-0, at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Codee Yeske hit a grand slam in the game-one win, the first in the new stadium’s history.
• Audrey Broyles threw the shutout in game two, while Shelby Gonzales drove in three of SC’s runs, including hitting a homer.