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Feb. 26, 2014

TEMPE, Ariz. –

The Dugout Club – Jordan Bizzell

South Carolina at the ASU Louisville Slugger Classic
Farrington Stadium – Tempe, Ariz.
South Carolina’s Schedule and Coverage (all times Eastern)
No. 3/3 Arizona State – Thurs., Feb. 27, 9:30 PM
Live Audio | | @GamecockSoftbll

No. 19/20 Minnesota – Fri., Feb. 28, 2:15 PM
Live Video | | @GamecockSoftbll

Ball State – Fri., Feb. 28, 4:30 PM
Live Video | | @GamecockSoftbll

Detroit – Sat., March 1, 2:15 PM
Live Video | | @GamecockSoftbll

2014 SC Softball Notes – 2/26 Get Acrobat Reader

2014 SC Softball Stats – 2/25 Get Acrobat Reader

South Carolina Team Notes

  • This year’s 13-2 start is bettered only by a 12-1 mark by the 2009 team in the last six years of Gamecock Softball. The 2007 Gamecocks went 24-3, the best start since the first year of SEC play.
  • 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 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 17 chances.
  • 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.
  • After posting only eight hits combined in the first two games, South Carolina tallied at least eight in each the next seven and six or more hits in 12 of the 13 games.
  • South Carolina’s defense, since its loss to Maryland, has committed either one or zero errors since, helping the team to its current nine-game hitting streak.
  • The Gamecock leadoff hitters have reached base at a .484 clip, fourth best in the SEC.
  • 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.
  • The Gamecocks’ win in game one against Western Carolina came when they were down after five innings, the first South Carolina triumph coming back that late in a game this season.
  • Both of South Carolina’s losses have come when they’ve given up five earned runs.

Snaer’s Early Start

  • Freshman Kaylea Snaer leads the Gamecocks in six offensive categories over a quarter of the way through the season.
  • She already has three homers, almost halfway to the top-15 in a season at South Carolina.
  • She’s also a third of the way to listings on the Gamecocks’ doubles (5), RBI (15) and walks (8) charts in a year.
  • Snaer’s 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 twice this season (vs. Boston University, 2/21; vs. Western Carolina-2, 2/25).
  • Six of Snaer’s 15 RBI have come with two outs.

The Pitchers Reign Supreme

  • Only in two games have the Gamecock pitchers allowed a triple or a homer, against Ohio and in the first game against Western Carolina.
  • The group posted a 29-inning scoreless streak from the final game at Florida Atlantic through the final game of the Gamecock Invitational, with the UNC Wilmington posting an unearned run in the first inning.
  • Freshman Nickie Blue is 8-1 on the season, starting seven of her 13 appearances.
  • Blue has produced more than double the ground-ball outs (66) than fly outs (30).
  • 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 58 batters in 46 innings, a rate (8.83 K/7IP) almost than double her career standard (4.56) entering the year.
  • Sarratt struck out a career-high 10 in the win over Maryland.

The Road Gets Tougher Starting Now

  • The Gamecocks have scheduled 24 of their 55 regular-season games against teams who made the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The first two of these games are this weekend against Arizona State and Minnesota.
  • 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 Arizona State

  • A Women’s College World Series participant last year, Arizona State is 17-0 in 2014 and holds the No. 3 spot in both major polls.
  • Yet to venture from Farrington Stadium, the Sun Devils did run-rule NC State 9-1 (5) and shut out Oklahoma (7-0), both NCAA Tournament teams in 2013.
  • All three NFCA All-Americans return, but they lost head coach Clint Myers to Auburn.
  • Senior Cheyenne Coyle and junior Amber Freeman hit 20 and 18 homers last year, respectively, with both knocking 11 doubles.
  • The 1st-team All-American Freeman had 61 RBI, while the 2nd-teamer Coyle posted 66.
  • Of note, Coyle spent two seasons at Florida before joining ASU.
  • In 2014, the Sun Devils have hit 29 homers, five each by Coyle and junior Bethany Kemp, while holding the opposition to two.
  • Senior Alix Johnson leads the team currently with a .949 slugging percentage, posting seven doubles and four homers while walking 15 times in 54 plate appearances.
  • The third All-American back is senior pitcher Dallas Escobedo, a second-team selection. She tossed 250.2 innings, fanning 325 while walking 74 with a 2.32 ERA.
  • Escobedo has a 0.45 ERA in 47 innings, fanning 81 and walking 7 thus far.
  • Escobedo’s weak spot, if any, is homers, as she gave up 39 last season.
  • Senior Mackenzie Popescue has served as ASU’s second starter, last year tossing 140.2 innings with a 1.94 ERA. This season, she’s at 0.62 in 45.1 innings, striking out 72 and walking 14.

Ties between South Carolina and Arizona State

  • Sun Devils assistant coach Boo Gillette spent the past three years as an assistant at North Carolina, a job once held by both Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith and associate head coach Lisa Navas.

Series History vs. the Sun Devils

  • Arizona State holds a narrow 5-4 lead in the series that dates back to 1983.
  • In the trips to Tempe, South Carolina is 1-2 against ASU, winning in 1999 before dropping games in 2000 and 2001.

The Last Time – Arizona State vs. South Carolina – Feb. 28, 2004

  • In the 2004 NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Gamecocks beat the Sun Devils 5-3 in Columbus, Ga.
  • Meghan Cornett went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and three RBI in the win.

Scouting Minnesota

  • The Golden Gophers are 12-1 on the season and hold the 19th spot in the latest NFCA poll.
  • The lone loss came against No. 1/2 Florida (15-2 [6]) in Las Vegas, while they beat LSU in Baton Rouge 1-0 in the year’s opening weekend.
  • Minnesota also won at UNC Greensboro 8-0 (5) last weekend, the only common foe thus far.
  • Under fourth-year head coach Jessica Allister, Minnesota went to its first NCAA Tournament last season in a decade.
  • One All-American returns in junior Kaitlyn Richardson, who led the team in five offensive categories including all three “slash” stats (.430/.544/.705).
  • Also returning is junior Tyler Walker, a year after posting 15 doubles, 12 homers and 53 runs while finishing behind Richardson in the slash categories (.379/.462/.681).
  • Both are doing well in 2014, leading the team in every category except for walks, stolen bases and sacrifice bunts between them.
  • Senior Bree Blanchette has stolen five bases in six tries, while junior Erica Meyer is 4-for-4 and leads the squad with four sacrifice bunts.
  • Meyer (23-of-27 SB), Walker (20-of-23) and Blanchette (18-of-19) led the team in stolen bases a year ago.
  • In the circle, senior Sara Moulton and sophomore Nikki Anderson return, with Moulton tossing a majority of the innings during the Golden Gophers’ run last year
  • Moulton tossed 275.2 innings, fanning 308 and walking 69 to tally a 1.57 ERA in 2013, and she’s already gone 53.1 innings with a 0.92 ERA, striking out 76 and walking only nine.
  • Freshman Sara Groenewegen has gone 23.2 innings, striking out 38 and walking 11 for a 4.14 ERA. She’s allowed four home runs.
  • Groenewegen has also hit four homers and driven in 10 runs this year.

Series History vs. the Golden Gophers

  • The Gamecocks are 2-0 against Minnesota all-time, including a win in the 1988 Mideast Regional at Arizona.

The Last Time – Minnesota vs. South Carolina – March 7, 1992

  • In the Texas A&M Invitational, the Gamecocks picked up a 3-0 win over the Golden Gophers.

Scouting Ball State

  • The Cardinals are 7-2 on the year after going 37-17 last year in the Mid-American Conference, winning the league’s regular-season crown.
  • The two losses came to Virginia Tech and USC Upstate in a trip to Spartanburg two weekends ago.
  • Both of the Cardinals’ top-two pitchers return, led by junior ace Nicole Steinbach, who posted a 2.28 ERA in 160 innings, striking out 114 and walking 39.
  • Sophomore Kelsey Schifferdecker also returns after a 2.87 ERA in 134 innings, striking out 61 and walking 41.
  • Schifferdecker has been better this season with a 2.05 ERA and 13 strikeouts against 6 walks in 30.2 innings. Steinback has a 3.21 ERA in 24 innings, posting 19 K’s and 12 walks.
  • The top-two hitters are also back, led by Jennifer Gilbert, who hit 23 homers and posted 70 RBI as a junior.
  • Senior Taylor Rager had 15 doubles, 12 homers and 48 RBI last season.
  • Two of the top base stealers return in junior Hanne Stuedemann (11-of-12 SB) and sophomore Briana Evans (11-of-15).
  • Loren Chilar, a starter in 2013, leads the team in batting average (.419) and on-base percentage (.486).
  • Audrey Bickel ranks second in both categories (.414 and .452), respectively.
  • Gilbert and sophomore Emily Dabkowski both have two homers, while Rager leads the team with a .741 slugging percentage.

Series History vs. the Cardinals

  • South Carolina is 2-1 all-time against Ball State, with both wins coming in Columbia in 1992.

The Last Time – Ball State at South Carolina – March 1, 1992

  • After taking a 3-0 win on the extra day of the year, South Carolina gained a 6-2 win over Ball State.

Scouting Detroit

  • A year after going 5-45, the Titans are 2-7. They have been no-hit two of the last three times out, both by Southern Miss.
  • Detroit’s top returning hitter, senior Sara Cupp, hasn’t played in 2014, but she went .387/.475/.613, also posting a team-high 24 RBI with 13 doubles and six homers.
  • Redshirt junior Kayla Kostich ranked second on the team in the latter categories (10 2B, 5 HR, 22 RBI) but only reached base at a .290 clip.
  • The top base stealer, Alyssa Schaub, is gone after taking 13 in 17 tries.
  • Junior Kat Hoffman leads the team with a .364 batting average so far, while sophomore Katy Severson is the team leader with a .467 on-base percentage.
  • Sophomore Christa McGahuey has two homers and has a team-best .542 slugging percentage.
  • As a team last season, Detroit posted a 7.11 ERA, walking 176 batters and striking out only 134 in 307 innings.
  • Hoffman and Julia Maksym tossed over half the innings last season, and Hoffman has both wins this year. Both have pitched in six games and thrown 20.2 innings.
  • The team also has a .951 fielding percentage in 2014, a step up from last season’s .931 mark.

The Last Time – South Carolina vs. Detroit – March 10, 1987

  • South Carolina defeated Detroit 7-0 in games played in Orlando, Fla. during Joyce Compton’s first season.

History in the Making

  • South Carolina has played 2,009 games in its softball history, going 1312-691-6 (.655) 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 four 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 moved into third on SC’s coaching wins list with the 13-0 (5) victory vs. 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.

Gamecocks Added to Their Rich History in NCAA Tournament

  • South Carolina made its 16th appearance in the 2013 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).
  • The program has five AIAW World Series trips in its history as well prior to 1982.
  • 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.

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