March 24, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina won of three games at Kentucky in a weekend SEC baseball series. The Gamecocks are 19-3 on the year and 3-3 in the SEC. Carolina returns home this week to begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday vs. College of Charleston. The Gamecocks also have a midweek contest on Wednesday vs. Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. with the game televised live on FOX Sports South. SEC action resumes over the weekend with a three-game series vs. Tennessee.

Record: 19-3
SEC: 3-3
Home: 16-1
Neutral: 1-0
Away: 2-2

Last Week: 1-2
3/21/14 – at Kentucky (L, 13-5)
3/22/14 – at Kentucky (L, 2-1)
3/23/14 – at Kentucky (W, 8-3)

NOTES:
Junior infielder Joey Pankake owns a 10-game hitting streak. Pankake went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and two runs scored in the 8-3 win on Sunday vs. Kentucky. He also homered in Friday’s loss to the Wildcats. Pankake is hitting .307 (23-for-75) for the year with 12 RBI and a team-high 24 runs scored. He also has a .411 on-base percentage and a .480 slugging mark. Pankake also is batting a team-best .417 (10-for-24) in SEC action with two of his three homers in SEC play. He has six runs scored and six RBI as well.

Junior right-hander Joel Seddon worked a perfect 2.1 innings of relief for his seventh save of the year in the 8-3 win over Kentucky. Seddon struck out four of the seven batters he faced. Seddon has not allowed a run in 11 relief appearances and just two hits in the 13.2 innings he has pitched. He has 20 strikeouts to just two walks; opponents are hitting .045 against him.

Sophomore infielder DC Arendas homered for the third time of the season and scored two runs in the 8-3 win at Kentucky. He also went 2-for-4 with a double in the 2-1 loss on Saturday. Arendas has three homers and 13 RBI as well as 11 runs scored. He is hitting .262 (16-for-61) for the season.

Freshman right-hander Wil Crowe improved to 5-0 on the year with a win in the 8-3 victory at Kentucky. Crowe did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. He went six-plus innings and allowed three runs on four hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts. For the season, Crowe is 5-0 with a 1.63 ERA in 38.2 innings with 25 strikeouts to six walks. Opponents are hitting .197 against Crowe.

Junior outfielder Connor Bright is the Gamecocks’ leading hitter with a .398 average (33-for-83) with 10 doubles, 19 RBI and 19 runs scored. Bright has a team-best .436 on-base percentage and a .518 slugging percentage. Bright went 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored in Sunday’s 8-3 win over Kentucky. He has 10 multi-hit games. Bright is hitting .333 (8-for-24) in SEC games with three RBI and four runs scored.

Despite a loss, sophomore left-hander Jack Wynkoop had a quality start in the 2-1 loss at Kentucky. Wynkoop allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts. His nine strikeouts was one short of a career-high he set earlier this year vs. Eastern Kentucky. For the season, Wynkoop is 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched. Wynkoop has 34 strikeouts to four walks.

Junior first baseman Kyle Martin has hit safely in five consecutive games and also reached base in 10 straight games. Martin is hitting .346 (28-for-81) with 13 RBI and 20 runs scored. He has a .417 on-base percentage and a .506 slugging mark. His .346 average is second-best on the team just behind Bright.

Junior right-hander Cody Mincey did not allow a run in two relief appearances. He leads the team with 12 relief appearances. Mincey is 2-0 on the year in 15.2 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts to five walks. Opponents are hitting .135 against him.

Junior catcher Grayson Greiner owns a .338 average (25-fo-74) at the plate with 20 runs scored and a team-high 22 RBI. Greiner has a .427 on-base percentage and a .514 slugging percentage; both are second best on the team.

Freshman right-hander Taylor Widener pitched 2.1 innings of relief with just one unearned run allowed on one hit with no walks and three strikeouts in Friday’s loss. Widener also was the starting designated hitter in Sunday’s 8-3 win and finished with a RBI. Widener is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in six relief appearances. He has nine strikeouts to a pair of walks in 10.0 innings pitched.

Junior outfielder Tanner English had a sacrifice fly in the 8-3 win over Kentucky. He also had hits in both of Friday’s and Saturday’s games. English is hitting .324 (23-for-71) with 10 runs scored and 15 RBI. English’s on-base percentage is .402 with a .437 slugging percentage.

Freshman outfielder Gene Cone made his first career start in Sunday’s 8-3 win.

The Gamecocks are 18-1 on the year when allowing five runs or less in a game. Additionally, South Carolina is 10-0 when scoring six or more runs. South Carolina is 8-2 in games decided by three runs or less. The Gamecocks are also 16-1 on the year when scoring first in a game and 17-2 when out-hitting the opponent.

South Carolina is hitting .304 (226-for-743) as a team with a .384 on-base percentage and a .431 slugging percentage. All three of those marks are among SEC leaders. The pitching staff leads the league with a 1.87 ERA. The Gamecocks have 193 strikeouts in 197.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .213 against the Gamecocks. South Carolina has fielded .978 as a team with only 18 errors.

This Week
3/25 – College of Charleston (7 p.m.)
3/26 – Coastal Carolina (7 p.m.) FOX Sports South
3/28 – Tennessee (7 p.m.)
3/29 – Tennessee (4 p.m.)
3/30 – Tennessee (1:30 p.m.)