March 5, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (9-3) hosts Miami (Ohio) (2-5) in a three-game series beginning Friday night at Carolina Stadium. First pitch is 7 p.m. Saturday’s game is set for 4 p.m. with Sunday’s series finale at 1:30 p.m.
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: Friday & Sunday: Gamecock Radio Network affiliates/Flagship WNKT FM 107.5 “The Game” in Columbia. Saturday: WISW AM 1320 “The Fan” in Columbia. (Andy Demetra, Tommy Moody and Brock Bowling)
Broadcast: SEC Network + (Derek Scott & Trey Dyson). Check cable or satellite provider for streaming availability.
Internet: Live Gametracker stats at GamecocksOnline.com. Additional coverage on Twitter @GamecockBasebll
SEC NETWORK+
The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+. The game will be available through participating TV providers only through WatchESPN. For more information on SEC Network+, please click HERE
South Carolina vs. Miami (Ohio)
Carolina Stadium
Friday March 6 (7 p.m.); Saturday March 7 (4 p.m.); Sunday March 8 (1:30 p.m.)
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Live Stats
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday
South Carolina – Wil Crowe (So. RHP) 1-1, 4.96 ERA, 16.1 IP, 4 BB, 23 SO
Miami (Ohio) – Ryan Powers (Sr. RHP) 1-2, 6.43 ERA, 14.0 IP, 7 BB, 15 SO
Saturday
South Carolina – Jack Wynkoop (Jr. LHP) 2-1, 2.84 ERA, 19.0 IP, 4 BB, 18 SO
Miami (Ohio) – Jacob Banks (So. RHP) 1-2, 4.24 ERA, 17.0 IP, 8 BB, 14 SO
Sunday
South Carolina – TBA
Miami (Ohio) – Nathan Williams (Sr. RHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 1 BB, 6 SO
SERIES HISTORY
SC leads 3-1
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.
SERIES HISTORY
South Carolina leads the series history 3-1. This is the first time the Gamecocks and RedHawks have met since 1975 when the Gamecocks won a pair of games at a tournament in DeLand, Fla. Miami (Ohio) won the Eastern Division last year in the Mid-American Conference. Both teams also played in a tournament in 1973 in Winter Park, Fla. and split two games.
RANKINGS
South Carolina is ranked in every publication. The Gamecocks are No. 5 by D1Baseball, No. 8 USA TODAY coaches poll, No. 8 by Perfect Game, No. 10 by the NCBWA, No. 12 by Baseball America, and No. 17 by Collegiate Baseball.
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop earned the Tom Price Award as Gamecock MVP of the Clemson series. Wynkoop worked six-plus innings and allowed just one run in the 4-1 victory vs. the Tigers.
Wynkoop is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 19.0 innings with four walks to 18 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .222 against him. His innings total is tied for fourth in the SEC.
The week before, 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 is in the weekend rotation for a third straight year. He has made 30 starts in his career, that is second-highest among all returning SEC pitchers.
CONE LEADS IT OFF
Sophomore outfielder Gene Cone has reached base safely in all 12 games this year. Cone went 3-for-5 with three runs vs. Charleston Southern and walked three times and scored three more runs in the 11-3 win over High Point. He hit .333 (3-for-9) in the Clemson series with a .538 on-base percentage. Cone hit .583 (7-for-12) in the Northeastern series with a pair of runs and two RBI including 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 .405 (17-for-42) with 13 runs scored and a .519 on-base percentage. Cone is the only Gamecock to have started all 12 games in the same position this year, center field.
DYNAMIC DESTINO
Freshman Alex Destino hit a grand slam in Tuesday’s 10-4 win over Charleston Southern and followed that up with a 3-for-5 day at the plate with two RBI in the 11-3 victory over High Point.
Destino is batting .356 (16-for-45) with five runs scored, a double, three homers and 13 RBI. He leads the Gamecocks in homers and slugging percentage (.578).
K-MART
Senior first baseman Kyle Martin is batting .349 (15-for-43) with 10 runs and 14 RBI as well as a .431 on-base percentage. Martin went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Tuesday’s 10-4 win over Charleston Southern and followed that up with two more hits including a two-run homer and tied a career-high with four RBI in the 11-3 victory over High Point.
Martin was the Gamecocks’ top hitter in the Northeastern series 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.
SCHMIDT CONTRIBUTES
Freshman right-hander Clarke Schmidt has a pair of wins in relief. Schmidt worked 4.2 scoreless innings with just three hits allowed, no walks and four strikeouts in the 5-2 win over Furman. He followed that up with 2.1 innings of work in a 6-4 win over Northeastern allowing one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Schmidt is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 10.2 innings with no walks and 10 strikeouts.
IN THE CROWE’S NEST
Sophomore right-hander Wil Crowe is 1-1 with a 4.96 ERA in 16.1 innings with four walks to 23 strikeouts. Crowe’s 23 strikeouts are tied for fifth 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.
CALDWELL AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Senior outfielder Elliott Caldwell leads the Gamecocks in hitting with a .424 average (14-for-33) with a .513 on-base percentage. Caldwell ranks 11th in the SEC in hitting as of Thursday, Mar. 4.
VINNY
Junior left-hander Vince Fiori leads the Gamecocks with six relief appearances for the season. Fiori pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief with a career-high five strikeouts and picked up his first career save in the 10-4 win over Charleston Southern. For the season, Fiori is 1-0 with a 1.12 ERA with six strikeouts in 8.0 innings. Opponents are batting .125 against him.
A CLOSER LOOK AT WIDENER
Sophomore right-hander Taylor Widener has three saves in three relief appearances this year. Widener worked two scoreless innings with five strikeouts and just one walk in a 4-1 win over Clemson. He has a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings with 13 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .095 against him.
DC DELIVERS
Junior infielder DC Arendas reached base in all four plate appearances vs. Charleston Southern with three walks and a hit by pitch. He followed that up going 2-for-2 with two runs in the win over High Point. Arendas is hitting .313 (5-for-16) for the season with six runs scored. Arendas has a .607 on-base percentage with seven walks and five hit by pitches.
MOONEY IN THE MIDDLE
Junior infielder Marcus Mooney jumpstarted a six-run seventh inning in the 10-4 win over Charleston Southern and went 2-for-3 with two runs and a RBI in the 11-3 win over High Point. Mooney is batting .304 (7-for-23) with seven runs scored.
PRESTON WITH PRECISION
Junior right-hander Preston Johnson retired all 11 batters he faced for 3.2 perfect innings with five strikeouts and earned his first career win in his first career appearance in the 11-3 victory over High Point.
PARKE PROVIDES RELIEF
Sophomore left-hander John Parke earned his first career win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief in the 10-4 win over Charleston Southern. Parker has six strikeouts in four innings pitched with a 0.00 ERA in four relief appearances.
GORE IN A GROOVE
Sophomore Jordan Gore drove in a team-high five runs in the Northeastern series and owns 10 RBI for the season. Gore has three multi-RBI games. He is batting .282 (11-for-39) with five runs.
A HIT
South Carolina reached double-digits in hits in both Tuesday and Wednesday’s victories with 12 each vs. Charleston Southern and High Point. The Gamecocks are 6-0 for the season when tallying 10 or more hits.
ON THE MOUND
South Carolina pitchers own a 2.94 ERA for the year and have allowed 43 runs, 35 earned, on 103 hits in 107.0 innings with 37 walks and 104 strikeouts on the year. Opponents are batting .251 against the Gamecocks.
ON THE FIELD
South Carolina is fielding .968 as a team. The Gamecocks have not committed an error in four games.
AT THE PLATE
South Carolina is hitting .290 (111-for-383) as a team with 74 runs scored. The Gamecocks have a .387 on-base percentage and a .399 slugging mark.
SUPERLATIVES
South Carolina is 8-0 this year with a lead entering the seventh inning. South Carolina is 9-0 on the year also when allowing five runs or less. The Gamecocks are 3-1 in games decided by three runs or less.
MAX IT OUT
Junior infielder Max Schrock went 3-for-4 in Tuesday’s 10-4 win over Charleston Southern and followed that up with a two-run homer and three RBI in the 11-3 win over High Point.
Schrock is hitting .243 (9-for-37) with a .434 on-base percentage. His 14-walk total is tied for the league lead in the SEC.
START ME UP
Gene Cone and Max Schrock have started all 12 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. Bright also had a career-high four RBI including a three-run homer in the 11-4 loss at Clemson.
Bright has 123 career starts with the Garnet & Black, that is the highest total on the active roster for the Gamecocks.
GREAT SCOTT
Sophomore right-hander Reed Scott allowed just one run, unearned, on three hits in 2.1 innings with two walks and two strikeouts in the 10-4 win over Charleston Southern. Scott has a 3.12 ERA in five relief appearances.
