March 10, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina won a pair of games vs. Stetson in midweek competition and followed that up with a three-game sweep of Brown to improve to 15-0 on the year. The 15-game winning streak is the best start for South Carolina since the 2004 season when the Gamecocks opened with an 18-0 record.

Record: 15-0
SEC: 0-0
Home: 13-0
Neutral: 1-0
Away: 1-0

Last Week: 5-0
3/4/14 – Stetson (W, 7-1)
3/5/14 – Stetson (W, 4-2)
3/8/14 – Brown (W, 13-0)
3/8/14 – Brown (W, 8-0)
3/9/14 – Brown (W, 1-0)

NOTES:
South Carolina won a pair of games vs. Stetson in midweek competition and followed that up with a three-game sweep of Brown to improve to 15-0 on the year. The 15-game winning streak is the best start for South Carolina since the 2004 season when the Gamecocks opened with an 18-0 record.

South Carolina did not allow a run in the entire Brown series with three shutouts to extend the team’s total to eight on the year. South Carolina outscored Brown 24-0 with victories of 13-0, 8-0 and 1-0.

South Carolina’s pitching staff has put together a 1.20 ERA in the first 15 games with 140 strikeouts to 30 walks in 135.0 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .198 against Carolina. The Gamecocks have allowed only 20 runs this season in 15 games. South Carolina’s bullpen has a streak of 42.0 consecutive innings not allowing a run dating back to the season-opening game vs. Bucknell. The Gamecocks have allowed double-digit hits just once.

Freshman right-hander Wil Crowe improved to 3-0 on the year with eight scoreless innings in the 1-0 victory on Sunday. Crowe limited Brown to just four hits and one walk while striking out nine batters. He has a 0.99 ERA in a team-high 27.1 innings with 21 strikeouts to only three walks, opponents are hitting just .176 against him.

Sophomore infielder Marcus Mooney was Carolina’s top hitter this past week. Mooney hit .474 (9-for-19) vs. Stetson with a run scored and four RBI. He raised his season average to .340 (18-for-53) and is up to a .444 on-base percentage. Mooney owns a nine-game hitting streak and is tied for the team lead with seven multi-hit games. Nine of Mooney’s 10 RBI this year have come with two outs.

Sophomore left-hander Jack Wynkoop is 4-0 on the year after earning a win vs. Brown on Saturday. Wynkoop pitched eight scoreless innings allowing just four hits and no walks with five strikeouts. His eight innings pitched tied a career-high he set as a freshman vs. Kentucky. Wynkoop has a 1.37 ERA in 26.1 innings with 24 strikeouts to three walks.

Junior catcher Grayson Greiner was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List for the top catcher in college baseball last week. Greiner followed that up with a .455 (5-for-11) average in the Brown series with six runs scored and a RBI. With five hits and a walk, Greiner scored all six times he reached base in the Brown series. Greiner is hitting .373 (19-for-51) with 18 runs scored and 19 RBI. His .608 slugging percentage is the best mark on the team.

Junior left-hander Jordan Montgomery is now 3-0 on the year after a win vs. Brown in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. Montgomery allowed no runs on four hits in 5.1 innings with no walks and eight strikeouts. Montgomery is 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings with a team-high 25 strikeouts to eight walks.

Sophomore infielder DC Arendas had a career day in the doubleheader vs. Brown. He went 3-for-6 with a career-high five RBI in the 13-0 win and followed that up with a solo homer and two runs scored in the 8-0 win in the nightcap. Arendas is hitting .279 (12-for-43) with seven runs scored and 12 RBI.

Junior right-hander Joel Seddon worked a pair of perfect innings to record two saves this week. He worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts in the 4-2 win over Stetson and a perfect ninth in the 1-0 win over Brown. Seddon has not allowed a run or a hit in 9.2 innings and owns five saves in eight appearances. He has 13 strikeouts on the year.

Junior outfielder Tanner English is hitting .300 (15-for-50) with seven runs scored and 12 RBI. He has recorded a team-high 10 RBI with two outs. English hit .333 (4-for-12) with four runs scored in the Stetson and Brown series.

Freshman left-hander Josh Reagan won his first career start in the 7-1 win over Stetson. Reagan worked five innings and allowed one run, unearned, on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Reagan is 2-0 in four appearances with nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings.

Junior outfielder Connor Bright went 3-for-4 with two doubles in the 13-0 win over Brown. Bright leads the team with a .418 average (23-for-55) with 14 runs scored and 15 RBI. He has a team-high eight doubles as well as a team-best .477 on-base percentage.

Three freshman relievers all had a pair of scoreless relief appearances this week. Right-hander Matthew Vogel pitched three scoreless innings, left-hander John Parke pitched two scoreless innings, as did right-hander Taylor Widener. Also going 1.2 scoreless in the 13-0 win over Brown was freshman Reed Scott.

Three Gamecock players have started all 15 games this year, Connor Bright, junior first baseman Kyle Martin and junior center fielder Tanner English.

Several Gamecocks earned their first career starts this week. Freshman infielder Jordan Gore started at second in Sunday’s 1-0 win with freshman Weber Pike at the designated hitter spot. Freshman catcher Logan Koch started the 4-2 win over Stetson on Wednesday.

Sophomore left-hander Vince Fiori pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in the 4-2 win over Stetson. He was followed up by senior right-hander Hunter Privette, who earned his first win of the year with a scoreless inning of relief.

South Carolina’s 13-0 victory over Brown featured a team-high 18 hits. The 18-hit total is third highest by the Gamecocks in a game in the Chad Holbrook era. South Carolina has reached double-digit hit totals in 10 of 15 games this year.

South Carolina is batting .320 (162-for-507) as a team with a .409 on-base percentage and a .450 slugging mark. The team is fielding .980 with only 11 errors. The Gamecocks have seven errorless games this year.

NEXT WEEK
3/11 – Furman (7 p.m.)
3/14 – Ole Miss (7 p.m.)
3/15 – Ole Miss (4 p.m.)
3/16 – Ole Miss (1:30 p.m.)