April 10, 2014

The Dugout Club – Nickie Blue

South Carolina at Arkansas
Bogle Park – Fayetteville, Ark.

Weekend’s Links (all times Eastern)
Fri., April 11, 7 PM
Live Audio | | @GamecockSoftbll

Sat., April 12, 2 PM (Cox Sports TV)
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Sun., April 13, 2 PM
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2014 SC Softball Notes – 4/10

2014 SC Softball Stats – 4/8

South Carolina Team Notes

• The Gamecocks are 7-5 in one-run games this season, two wins better than last year’s 5-5. They went 5-9 during those contests in 2012 and 7-11 in Smith’s first year of 2011.
• After posting only eight hits combined in the first two games, South Carolina tallied at least eight in each the next seven. Overall, the Gamecocks have five or more hits in 32 of 40 games.
• As a team, the Gamecocks have scored 57.4 percent of runners from third with less than two outs, standing fifth in the SEC.
• The college veterans have come through with runners on third and less than two outs, as Ansley Ard, Dana Hathorn, Chelsea Hawkins, Olivia Lawrence, Ashlyn Masters, Sarah Mooney, Kristen Struett and Codee Yeske have posted 34 RBI in 53 chances. The rest of the team is 20-for-41.
• The Gamecocks have left the third-least runners on base in the SEC this season at 235.
• Junior Sarah Mooney, a transfer from James Madison, has a team-best eight homers on the year, tying for the sixth spot in the single-season charts at South Carolina 40 games into the year.
• All of South Carolina’s losses have come when they’ve given up four or more earned runs. In fact, of the 113 team earned runs allowed, 86 have come in the 14 losses.
• In the first 30 games, South Carolina scored five runs combined in the second inning. Over the last 10, the team has plated 16, including five in the second game of the Furman doubleheader.

Notables from Earlier

• The Gamecocks won their first game at Georgia since March 28, 2001 in the first game of the April 5 doubleheader.
• It’s the team’s second win at the home of a ranked team, joining the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State.
• South Carolina’s 3-2 win at No. 3/3 Arizona State marked the first win (and second all-time) at a top-five team’s park since March 13, 2004, a 6-4 win in nine innings at LSU.
• South Carolina swept Mississippi at home over March 29-30, the first SEC home series sweep since the Rebels’ last visit in 2011.
• The Sunday win over Ole Miss, which came by scoring two runs in its final at bat, ranks as the first this season for SC when it enters the seventh trailing.
• In the Ball State loss, South Carolina snapped a streak of 11 games with one or no errors, a stretch that included a 10-game winning streak.
• 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.
• 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.
• This year’s 14-2 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.

Pivotal Two Weekends for South Carolinaís Postseason Hopes

• The Gamecocks enter the Arkansas weekend at 6-9 in the SEC standings, ninth in the 13-team league but tied in the win column with two teams above them.
• The Gamecocks last had six or more wins at the 15-game mark in league play in 2008 (7-7).
• Also, the Gamecocks face two teams below them in the rankings in Arkansas (2-10) and LSU (4-8).
• Winning either series would help cement the Gamecocks playing in the 2014 SEC Tournament that they will host at Carolina Softball Stadium.
• One of four teams with 15 games played entering this weekend, the Gamecocks will get to 21 along with Texas A&M before getting the last weekend of April off, the next-to-last of the regular season.

The Road Is Tougher, Especially Against These Pitching Staffs

• South Carolina has dropped eight of its nine road contests in Southeastern Conference play this year.
• Those eight losses have come against the No. 1, 2 and 4 ranked pitching staffs in ERA in the overall SEC stat rankings.
• Alabama holds a 1.79 ERA, while Georgia stands second at 1.81 and Tennessee fourth at 2.06.
• In league play, those three are at the top of the lists (Alabama 1.98, Georgia 2.68 & Tennessee 2.97).
• All three are also in the top 15 of the latest NCAA Division I Ratings Percentage Index.

But Bring on (or Back) the Doubleheaders in SEC Play

• Three times already in 2014 have the Gamecocks had to play Saturday doubleheaders to ensure completing all three games of a series.
• South Carolina is 5-1 in those games, sweeping twinbills from Texas A&M and Mississippi at home before splitting the double dip at No. 15/17 Georgia.

A New Tradition: Masters Leading the Offense

• Senior Ashlyn Masters leads the Gamecocks in 10 offensive categories.
• She took over the leadoff spot in the middle of February. And she’s blossomed in those 32 games, scoring 26 runs, more than any player’s overall total this year, and tallying 20 of her 21 extra-base hits.
• She earned South Carolina’s first SEC Player of the Week nod (on March 31) since 2005 with her performances against Furman and Mississippi.
• Her 16 doubles, tied for the SEC lead, already stands in South Carolina’s top 15 in a season, and her slash stats all rank in the top 10 as well.
• She’s now in the Gamecocks’ career top-15 in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, which can be found on page 10.
• She currently sits atop the career doubles-per-game list (0.25) and needs one home run, two runs, five RBI and 15 hits from qualifying for marks on those top-15s.
• With multiple hits in 13 games, she leads the team.
• She’s hitting .466 when playing a defensive position compared to .143 in 11 games as a designated/offensive player.

The Schedule Has Been Tough

• The Gamecocks have scheduled 24 of their 55 regular-season games against teams who made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
• South Carolina downed No. 3/3 Arizona State and is 3-10 against those teams so far in 2014.
• 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. Of those, 21 are against RPI top-50 teams.
• Entering the Arkansas weekend, South Carolina is 4-11 against RPI top-50 squads.
• After facing nothing but NCAA Tournament participants in SEC 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 national television, including the opening game to ESPN’s national coverage (March 23 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.

The Pitchers Reign Supreme

• Both redshirt junior Julie Sarratt and freshman Nickie Blue have won weekly awards from the Southeastern Conference, Sarratt most recently being named pitcher of the week on March 17.
• Blue has five saves, tied for third in a single season at South Carolina and Sarratt four, tied for fifth.
• Both are better in relief (Sarratt 1.33 ERA, Blue 1.29) than starting (Sarratt 3.21, Blue 3.61).
• The group posted a 29-inning scoreless streak from the final game at Florida Atlantic till the final game of the Gamecock Invitational. UNC Wilmington posted an unearned first-inning run to snap it.
• Longer than that stretch was the Gamecock pitchers’ no-homer stand, from the 4th against Ohio through the end of the UNC Wilmington game, lasting 72 innings.
• As a team, the Gamecock pitchers have allowed 0.45 homers, 0.06 triples and 0.75 doubles per game, which stand first, fourth and seventh in the league, respectively.
• The staff has given up only 12 runs in the fifth inning all year (38.1 innings). Six of those came in the series at No. 15/17 Georgia.

Blue’s Been Best in Big Games

• 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 vs. Michigan State.
• Blue has two marquee wins on the season, both complete-game victories at ranked opponents in the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State and the 1-0 triumph at No. 15/17 Georgia.
• Against the Bulldogs, Blue struck out a career-best seven and held UGA to its lowest hit total of the season to date, allowing only three.
• When Blue pitches, she’s produced nearly double the ground-ball outs (163) versus fly outs (86).

Savvy Veteran Sarratt Striking Down Foes

• Julie Sarratt picked up SEC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 17 after going 2-0 with a save the week prior, which included a complete-game, nine strikeout win over No. 13/15 Texas A&M.
• Sarratt’s fanned 113 batters in 119 innings, a rate over two K’s better her career standard (4.56 K/7IP) entering the year.
• Sarratt struck out a career-high 10 in the win over Maryland, while she sat down nine in her complete-game victory over No. 13/15 Texas A&M, her best in an SEC game.
• She is at her best with two strikes against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .140 batting average (20-of-143) with 74 of her K’s in those circumstances.

In Wins and Losses, Who (and What) Stands Out?

• When the Gamecocks hit a homer, they are 20-5. If they amass more hits than the foe, they are 22-1. When holding opponents without a homer, South Carolina is 20-6.
• In 11 of the 14 losses, the Gamecocks have given up eight hits or more. Only on three occasions have they won when allowing that many hits.
• Gamecock pitching has a near 3:1 K:BB ratio in wins while it’s 0.81:1 in losses.
• Julie Sarratt has a 86:27 K:BB ratio in 76.1 innings in wins and a 30:27 ratio in 42.2 innings in losses. Nickie Blue is in the same vicinity, 63:28 in wins (83.1 IP) and 20:18 in losses.
• The Gamecocks have drawn 106 walks and been hit 26 times in 26 wins and garnered 32 free passes and 9 HBPs in 14 losses.
• Catalysts in wins include Ashlyn Masters (.462 BA, 14 2B in W’s, .237 BA, 2 2B in L’s), Ansley Ard (.419 BA in W’s, .211 in L’s), Codee Yeske (.436 OBP in W’s, .304 in L’s) and Kristen Struett (.348 OBP in W’s, .154 in L’s).
• As a team, the Gamecocks slug .509 in wins and .356 in losses and reach base at a .419 clip in wins and just .307 in losses.

Some People Love Home Cooking; Others Shine on the Road

• Ashlyn Masters tends to like playing at home, posting a .484 batting average and a .844 slugging percentage in Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field against .269 and .385, respectively, away from home.
• Ansley Ard also hits better at home (.410 vs. .261).
• Victoria Williams (.382 BA vs. .279) has done better on the road, along with Dana Hathorn (.289 vs. .167).
• Brooke Barnhill has scored nine runs in 15 appearances away from Columbia, while she’s scored only three times in 15 home playing chances.
• Both of South Carolina’s primary pitchers have ERAs under 1.75 at home and over 4.80 outside of the SEC’s newest stadium.
• Helping those ERAs are the 133:46 K:BB ratio at home compared to a 72:74 mark away from Beckham Field.

Snaer Drives The Middle of the Order

• Freshman Kaylea Snaer ranks as the only Gamecock to start all 40 games.
• She already has six homers and 23 walks, both within striking distance of SC’s top 15 in a season.
• Her 30 RBI are nine shy of a spot on the single-season charts, and she’s five doubles away from a listing as well.
• Snaer’s posted two or more hits 10 times and multiple RBI in 11 games, the latter tops on the team.
• Fourteen of Snaer’s 30 RBI have come with two outs.

Milestone Wins for Gamecocks, Coach Smith Already Passed in 2014

• South Carolina has played 2,034 games in its softball history, going 1325-703-6 (.653) in its 41st season of sponsorship.
• With the season-opening 1-0 win over Iowa, the Gamecocks gained their 1,300th program victory.
• Head coach Beverly Smith claimed second alone on SC’s coaching wins list with a 9-1 (5) win in the first game of the doubleheader against Furman.
• She earlier took third 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.

Scouting Arkansas

• Arkansas enters the weekend at 24-18 overall and 2-10 in SEC play.
• The Razorbacks’ two league wins came over Tennessee in the opening weekend of play at home and at Mississippi the next weekend.
• They lost their game on Wednesday to No. 17/15 Tulsa at home, 4-1.
• Offense is the calling card for the Razorbacks, as they stand in the top 20 in five categories, including a high of fourth in scoring (7.39 runs per game).
• In SEC play, the Hogs have tallied 58 runs, 25 of those in three games against the Rebels.
• Junior Devon Wallace ranks as Arkansas’ top weapon, hitting 10 homers and driving in 30 runs. She’s also walked 46 times, most in the SEC.
• Junior Kasey Fagan also stands high on the charts with seven homers and 36 RBI while walking 30 times.
• In league play, sophomore Stephanie Canfield has a team-best .333 batting average and three stolen bases in as many tries.
• Pitching is the issue for Arkansas, with no starter of double-digit games with an ERA under 4.00.
• Freshman Grace Moll has tossed the most innings (82.1 IP), but her strikeout-to-walk ratio is 57:50, third-best on the squad.
• Sophomore Kelly Young has a 36:23 SO:BB ratio in 41.2 innings, but foes hold a .322 batting average against her to bump her ERA to 4.87.
• Junior Kimmy Beasley would help mightily with her 36:10 ratio in 30 innings, but she’s only tossed 2.1 innings in league play, those coming two weeks ago against Texas A&M.
• Defense is also a problem for the Razorbacks, as they have the lowest fielding percentage in the SEC at .957. They have allowed 41 unearned runs overall, 20 in SEC play.

Arkansas and South Carolina Against Common Foes

• Both teams have played four common SEC opponents, each being swept at Alabama.
• The Gamecocks went 5-1 against Texas A&M and Mississippi at home, while the Razorbacks went 1-5 against those two schools, winning at the Rebels’ home stadium.
• South Carolina was swept at Tennessee, while Arkansas took the middle game of their three-game set at home.

Series History vs. the Razorbacks

• South Carolina owns a 27-16 in the all-time series, including a 13-6 lead in games in Fayetteville.
• The Gamecocks won the last series at Bogle Park after being swept in their first doubleheader there.

The Last Series – Arkansas at South Carolina – March 9-11, 2012

• The Razorbacks won the first game in extra innings 5-4 (8), but the Gamecocks came back to take the final two games of the series.
• A relentless offensive attack that included hits from eight of the Gamecocks’ nine starting batters led South Carolina to a 7-2 win in the Saturday contest.
• Chelsea Hawkins led the Gamecock attack with a 3-for-4 day, scoring twice. Dana Hathorn went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the game-two win.
• Evan Childs had two homers, including a game-ending one in the seventh, to hand South Carolina the series with an 8-7 win over Arkansas.
• Olivia Lawrence stepped up in the sixth with a huge pinch hit, scoring Hathorn after she started the frame with a double.