Gamecocks Host Western Carolina in Tues. DH at 3 PM

Feb. 24, 2014

Gamecocks Host Western Carolina (DH)
Tues., Feb. 25 – 3 p.m.
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
Coverage: Game 1 Live Video |
Game 2 Live Video | | @GamecockSoftbll

2014 SC Softball Stats – 2/23

South Carolina Team Notes

• Nickie Blue earned her first SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Feb. 24 after picking up a win and two saves in relief as well as her first career shutout during the prior week.
• 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 13 RBI in 16 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 2,007 games in its softball history, going 1310-691-6 (.654) 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 six 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.
• She 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 11-2 start is bettered only by a 12-1 mark by the 2009 team in the last six years of Gamecock Softball.
• After posting only eight hits combined in the first two games, South Carolina tallied at least eight in each the next seven.
• Junior Sarah Mooney, a transfer from James Madison, has a team-best five homers on the year, two from tying for a spot in the single-season charts at South Carolina.
• Freshman Kaylea Snaer leads the Gamecocks in eight offensive categories after three weeks of play.
• She already has five 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 (15) and walks (6) charts in a year.
• Snaer’s also posted two or more hits seven times and multiple RBI in six games, both tops on the team.
• Snaer has only failed to reach base once this season (vs. Boston University, 2/21).
• Six of Snaer’s 15 RBI have come with two outs.
• Freshman Nickie Blue is 7-1 on the season, starting seven of her 12 appearances.
• Blue has produced more than double the ground-ball outs (59) than fly outs (27).
• 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 52 in 39 innings, a rate (9.33 K/7IP) more than double her career standard (4.56) entering the year.

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.

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.
• Eight games into the home slate, the Gamecocks have already matched their home win total a year ago, going 7-1 this year compared to 7-10 in Carolina Softball Stadium a year ago.
• 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 Western Carolina

• The Catamounts come into Tuesday’s doubleheader with a 3-6 overall record but taking three straight to end the Spartan Classic at USC Upstate.
• Western Carolina did fall to Mississippi 16-4 in five innings in a tournament at the College of Charleston.
• The school in North Carolina plays its 10th and 11th game of the year in the state to its south before heading west to play in Georgia’s tournament next weekend.
• The Catamounts are replacing five starters from a year ago but return top hitter Taylor Sigmon, who hit 9 doubles, 7 homers and drove in 28 runs in 2013, all tops on the team.
• Sigmon is 2-for-2 stealing bases and has the lone homer so far in 2014 for WCU.
• Also back is Amelia Griffin, who posted a team-best 16-of-18 in the stolen-base department.
• Heather Chastain, a returner, leads the team with a .381 batting average.
• All but 17.1 innings return from last year’s 20-36 pitching staff, led by Jordan Garrett.
• A year after posting 208 innings, she’s tossed 25 of the team’s 57 and has a 2.80 ERA, fanning 28 batters while walking 11.
• Second starter Mallory Broome has struggled, posting an 8.14 ERA, striking out 16 batters while walking 11 in 16.1 innings of work.

Series History vs. the Catamounts

• The Gamecocks have won the previous two meetings, both at Beckham Field in 2007 and 2008.

The Last Time – Western Carolina at South Carolina – Feb. 13, 2008

• The Gamecocks gave head coach Joyce Compton her 900th win at the school with a 3-0 victory over Western Carolina.
• Laura Mendes went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and two RBI, while Lisa Longo went 2-for-4 with two runs scored from the leadoff spot.
• Kate Pouliot and Krystle Robinson combined for the shutout win, Robinson fanning five in two innings for her first save of the year. Pouliot struck out seven in five innings.