Feb. 26, 2015
South Carolina-Clemson Game Notes 
COLUMBIA, S.C. – College baseball’s premier rivalry is this weekend as South Carolina (6-1) meets Clemson (5-2) for three games in three different sites. The series opens on Friday in Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium with first pitch at 6:30 p.m. Game two of the series shifts to Greenville and the Reedy River Rivalry contest at Fluor Field with first pitch at 2:30 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday in Columbia at Carolina Stadium at Noon.
Friday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Sunday’s game will be televised live on the SEC Network with Tom Hart and Kyle Peterson on the call.
All three games can also be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network from IMG College including flagship station 107.5 FM “The Game.” Andy Demetra, Derek Scott and Tommy Moody will have the call this weekend.
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: All three games on the Gamecock Radio Network affiliates/Flagship WNKT FM 107.5 “The Game” in Columbia. Andy Demetra, Derek Scott and Tommy Moody will call the action.
Broadcast: Friday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Television: Sunday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network. Tom Hart and Kyle Peterson have the call.
Internet: Additional coverage on Twitter @GamecockBasebll
South Carolina vs. Clemson
Friday February 27 (6:30 p.m.); Clemson, S.C. – Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Saturday February 28 (2:30 p.m.); Greenville, S.C. – Fluor Field
Sunday March 1 (Noon); Columbia, S.C. – Carolina Stadium
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Live Stats
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday
South Carolina – Wil Crowe (So. RHP) 1-0, 0.87 ERA, 10.1 IP, 3 BB, 17 SO
Clemson – Matthew Crownover (Jr. LHP) 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 13.0 IP, 0 BB, 15 SO
Saturday
South Carolina – Jack Wynkoop (Jr. LHP) 1-1, 3.46 ERA, 13.0 IP, 2 BB, 11 SO
Clemson – Zack Erwin (Jr. LHP) 1-0, 0.66 ERA, 13.2 IP, 1 BB, 10 SO
Sunday
South Carolina – TBA
Clemson – Brody Koerner (Jr. RHP) 1-1, 2.25 ERA, 12.0 IP, 3 BB, 11 SO
LAST MEETING
3/3/2014 – SC defeated Clemson 5-3
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: CU leads 170-134-2Last 5 Years: SC leads 14-5
Results Last 5 YearsDate Winner Score Site3/2/14 SC 5-3 Clemson3/1/14 SC 10-2 Greenville2/28/14 SC 9-6 Columbia3/3/13 SC 8-0 Columbia3/2/13 CU 6-3 Greenville3/1/13 SC 6-0 Clemson6/3/12 SC 4-3 Columbia6/2/12 SC 5-4 (12) Columbia3/4/12 CU 6-5 Clemson3/3/12 SC 9-6 Columbia3/2/12 SC 3-2 (11) Charleston3/8/11 SC 5-4 Greenville3/6/11 CU 10-5 Clemson3/4/11 SC 6-3 Columbia6/26/10 SC 4-3 Omaha6/25/10 SC 5-1 Omaha3/7/10 CU 19-6 Columbia3/6/10 SC 7-5 Greenville3/5/10 CU 4-3 Clemson
PARKING SHUTTLE
For the 2015 baseball season, the baseball shuttle is expanding and will be operational at the Capital City Baseball Stadium and in Lot D of the Colonial Life Area parking lot. We strongly recommend that fans use the baseball shuttle from Capital City to Carolina Baseball Stadium over the CLA shuttle for the convenience, spacious parking (800 spaces) and less congestion than at the arena. Please remember that at the arena shuttle, parking will be limited to 50 to 100 spaces because of the student demand for parking in this area. There is a high student demand Monday through Thursday that lasts until 7 p.m. because of classes. For GPS purposes, the address for Capital City Stadium is 300 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29201.
THE CLEMSON SERIES
Carolina has had success against Clemson in recent years winning 23 of the last 31 contests between the two schools dating back to the 2007 season. South Carolina won all three games last year.
RANKINGS
South Carolina is ranked in every publication. The Gamecocks are No. 5 by D1Baseball, No. 10 USA TODAY coaches poll, No. 10 by the NCBWA, No. 10 by Perfect Game, No. 12 by Baseball America, and No. 15 by Collegiate Baseball.
PRICE AWARD & BRADLEY AWARD
For the 15th consecutive year, the Tom Price Award and Bob Bradley Award will be presented to the MVP for South Carolina and Clemson respectively. The presentation will be made at the end of Sunday’s game.
Both Price and Bradley had a tremendous positive influence on the baseball programs at Clemson and South Carolina as the school’s sports information directors.
Price passed away on Feb. 1, 2008 at the age of 81 after 45 years of service to the Gamecock program. Bradley passed away on Oct. 30, 2000. He served as the Tigers’ baseball athletic communications director for 45 years and still served as Clemson’s official scorer for most of the 2000 season.
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop tied his longest outing of his career as he went eight innings and allowed just one run on three hits with a walk and nine strikeouts in the 10-1 victory vs. Northeastern in the first game of the doubleheader. Wynkoop’s 13.0 innings ranks third in the SEC.
Wynkoop is in the weekend rotation for a third straight year. He has made 29 starts in his career that is second-highest among all returning SEC pitchers.
DYNAMIC DESTINO
Freshman Alex Destino was impressive at the plate in the Northeastern series going 7-for-12 (.583) including a three-run homer in Sunday’s 6-4 victory vs. Northeastern. Destino is batting .458 (11-for-24) for the season with a pair of homers and six RBI. Destino ranks 13th in the SEC in hitting as of Monday, Feb. 23. Destino’s 11 hits for the season tie him for 6th in the SEC along with Gene Cone. Destino owns a six-game hitting streak.
SCHMIDT CONTRIBUTES
Freshman right-hander Clarke Schmidt earned a pair of wins in relief last week. Schmidt worked 4.2 scoreless innings with just three hits allowed, no walks and four strikeouts in the Tuesday 5-2 win over Furman. He followed that up with 2.1 innings of work in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Northeastern allowing one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Schmidt is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA in eight innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.
CONE LEADS IT OFF
Sophomore outfielder Gene Cone has hit safely in all seven games this year and has an eight-game hitting streak dating back to last season. Cone hit .583 (7-for-12) in the Northeastern series with a pair of runs and two RBI. Cone hit his first career homer in the 10-1 win over Northeastern and followed that up with a 3-for-4 day at the plate in the 6-0 win over the Huskies. For the season, Cone is batting .407 (11-for-27) with six runs scored and a .467 on-base percentage. Cone’s 11 hits for the season tie him for 6th in the SEC along with Destino.
IN THE CROWE’S NEST
Sophomore right-hander Wil Crowe pitched four scoreless innings with only four hits allowed, no walks and seven strikeouts in the 6-0 win over Northeastern. Crowe is 1-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings with one run allowed on eight hits and three walks to 17 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .211 against him. Crowe’s 17 strikeouts are second highest in the SEC.
Crowe won game one of the doubleheader vs. College of Charleston as he shut down the Cougars going 6.1 innings and allowing just one run on four hits with three walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts. Crowe’s 10 strikeouts tied for the most by a SEC pitcher over the weekend. Crowe bested his previous career mark of nine that he set twice, the last time vs. Vanderbilt on May 17, 2014.
Crowe is among the top sophomores in the country. Crowe earned Freshman All-America honors last year as he went 8-3 with a 2.75 ERA in 15 starts with 59 strikeouts to 19 walks in 91.2 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .228 against him. He did not allow a stolen base either.
Crowe is one of 50 players in the nation to be named to USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
GORE IN A GROOVE
Sophomore Jordan Gore drove in a team-high five runs over the weekend in the Northeastern series and went 4-for-12 at the plate (.333). Gore is batting .346 (9-for-26) for the year with four runs scored and a team-high nine RBI. Gore has a team-high three multi-RBI games. Gore’s nine RBI tie him for sixth currently in the SEC.
VINNY
Junior left-hander Vince Fiori earned a win in relief in the 6-0 win over Northeastern. Fiori worked two scoreless innings and allowed just two hits with a strikeout. Fiori has three appearances on the year and has not allowed a run in 4.2 innings of work.
K-MART
Senior first baseman Kyle Martin has hit safely in six straight games and is batting .364 (8-for-22) with five runs and seven RBI as well as a .464 on-base percentage. Martin hit his first homer of the year in the 10-1 win over Northeastern.
Martin was the Gamecocks’ top hitter over the weekend going 4-for-9 (.444) with a pair of runs, a double and three RBI. Martin went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the 7-1 win and followed that up going 2-for-4 with a run in the 8-3 victory.
Martin elected to return for his final season after being selected in the 20th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Martin was Carolina’s leading hitter last year batting .336 (82-for-244) with 35 runs scored, 11 doubles, five homers and 38 RBI, a .389 on-base percentage and a .443 slugging percentage. He started all 62 games at first base.
Martin averaged 1.32 hits per game last year, tied for highest among SEC returning leaders. His .336 average is second-highest among returning SEC players as well.
A CLOSER LOOK AT WIDENER
Sophomore right-hander Taylor Widener picked up his second save of the season in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Northeastern. Widener allowed one run on two hits in 1.2 innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Widener has pitched 4.2 innings and has tallied eight strikeouts in two appearances with three walks. Opponents are batting .133 against him.
CALDWELL AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Senior outfielder Elliott Caldwell had a career-high in hits in Tuesday’s 5-2 win over Furman going 4-for-4 with a key three-run triple in the victory. Caldwell leads the Gamecocks in hitting with a .467 average (7-for-15) with a .529 on-base percentage as well. Caldwell ranks 11th in the SEC in hitting as of Monday, Feb. 23. His on-base percentage is 14th best with his .733 slugging mark 15th best in the league.
MORE ON CALDWELL
Caldwell’s three-run triple in the third inning erased a two-run deficit. The triple was the first of his career and the first triple by the Gamecocks for the season. He set a career-high with four hits. It was the most hits since he had three on Mar. 28, 2014 vs. Tennessee. It also marked Caldwell’s second career game with two doubles, he had two doubles vs. Brown, Mar. 8, 2014.
A HIT
South Carolina reached the double-digit mark in hits in all three games vs. Northeastern including a season-high 13 in Sunday’s 6-4 victory. The Gamecocks are now batting .306 (68-for-222) as a team on the year with a .403 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging mark.
ON THE MOUND
South Carolina pitchers own a 2.29 ERA for the year and have allowed just 17 runs, 16 earned, on 60 hits in 63.0 innings with 18 walks and 55 strikeouts on the year. Opponents are batting .255 against the Gamecocks.
ON THE FIELD
South Carolina is fielding .982 as a team with only five errors this year. The Gamecocks do not have an error in four games this year.
SUPERLATIVES
South Carolina is 6-0 this year with a lead entering the seventh inning. South Carolina is 6-0 on the year also when allowing five runs or less. The Gamecocks are 2-1 in games decided by three runs or less.
MAX IT OUT
Junior Max Schrock leads the SEC with 11 walks on the year. Schrock has tallied two or more walks in four games this year. He owns a .438 on-base percentage.
START ME UP
Gene Cone, Jordan Gore and Max Schrock have started all seven games this year for the Gamecocks.
A BRIGHT SPOT
Senior outfielder Connor Bright homered in the 7-1 win vs. College of Charleston and was 2-for-3 with two runs and a RBI in the 8-3 win.
One of five seniors on the squad, Bright is back for one more season with the Gamecocks. Bright saw action in 44 games with 42 starts in right field, but battled back issues in the last half of the season. Despite his injury, he hit .311 (50-for-161) with 24 RBI and 25 runs scored. Bright is expected to start in right field on Opening Day. He has 119 career starts with the Garnet & Black that is the highest total on the active roster for the Gamecocks.
VINNY
Junior left-hander Vince Fiori earned a win in relief in the 6-0 win over Northeastern. Fiori worked two scoreless innings and allowed just two hits with a strikeout. Fiori has three appearances on the year and has not allowed a run in 4.2 innings of work.
BACKSTOPS
Sophomore catcher Logan Koch has hit safely in three consecutive games and tallied a two-run single in Saturday’s 10-1 win over Northeastern. Freshman catcher Hunter Taylor recorded his first career hit and RBI in Saturday’s 6-0 win over Northeastern.
MOONEY IN THE MIDDLE
Junior infielder Marcus Mooney went 3-for-4 in Saturday’s 6-0 win over Northeastern with two doubles and two runs scored. Mooney is batting .400 (4-for-10) for the year with four runs scored and a team-high three doubles.
Chad Holbrook PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Opening Statement
” Obviously it’s an exciting weekend for our players and our coaches. Anytime Clemson and South Carolina get together on a baseball field, it’s a highly competitive environment. We both have great fan bases, and there will be a lot of passion, energy and enthusiasm in the baseball stadiums we’ll be playing in, which makes it a lot of fun. A lot of our players and I’m sure a lot of Clemson players, choose to go to these schools to be involved in a rivalry like this. It’s an honor and a privilege to be involved in a college baseball rivalry like this one. I think our players treat it as such, and I’m sure their [Clemson] players treat it as such as well. We have the utmost respect for Clemson and their program and hopefully we’ve prepared well enough. We’ll go to Clemson tomorrow night, and Greenville on Saturday, and back here on Sunday and hopefully we play well. That’s what I’ve asked our guys to do, and we’ll just play the best we can play and see how we stack up. They obviously present a big challenge for us, the two starting pitchers they’re going to throw Friday and Saturday are left handed. Obviously we have a few left-handed hitters in our lineup, and their (pitchers’) numbers are outstanding. [Matthew] Crownover has a 0.00 ERA and [Zack] Erwin has a 0.66 ERA, so it’ll be a struggle to score both tomorrow and Saturday and we’re going to have to play our best baseball to have a chance to win.”
On Sunday’s Starter TBA “To be honest with you, we want to try and win one of these first two games, if not both of them. We want to have all hands on deck and have everyone available. [Josh] Reagan we feel is one of our better guys and if we have to use him in the bullpen, because they [Clemson] have some left handed hitters in their lineup. If we have to use him on Friday or Saturday to help win the game, that’s what we’re going to do, and we can worry about Sunday when it comes. That’s the thinking behind that. It’s not that we feel like Josh hasn’t performed well, he’s had a great bullpen session this week. We feel good about putting him in the game, Friday or Saturday with the game on the line, and we can just worry about Sunday when it comes. So that’s the reason for the TBA.”
On Wil Crowe Starting Friday “Honestly, sometimes, you just go with your gut. The way Jack [Wynkoop] threw last weekend, that was the cleanest performance we’ve seen here in a long time, so it’s not that we don’t feel comfortable throwing him in there Friday night. Sometimes, under the lights, Coach Tanner used to tell me that if you have a guy that throws with some velocity, throw him at night. So, maybe that played a little bit of part to do with it. We feel great about both of them, but only one of them can throw on Friday night, and this weekend we’re going to go with Wil [Crowe]. Now, next weekend that may change, and it may change like that for the course of the season. But for Friday night against Clemson we feel comfortable giving the ball to Wil, and we feel equally as good about giving Jack the ball.
