March 9, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina went 5-1 last week with a 10-4 win over Charleston Southern, 11-3 win over High Point and a weekend sweep of Miami (Ohio). The Gamecocks are 12-3 on the year.
Record: 12-3
SEC: 0-0
Home: 11-2
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 1-0
Last Week: 5-1
3/2/15 – Clemson (L, 7-0)
3/3/15 – Charleston Southern (W, 10-4)
3/4/15 – High Point (W, 11-3)
3/6/15 – Miami (Ohio) (W, 2-0)
3/7/15 – Miami (Ohio) (W, 7-0)
3/8/15 – Miami (Ohio) (W, 5-3
NOTES:
South Carolina went 5-1 last week with a 10-4 win over Charleston Southern, 11-3 win over High Point and a weekend sweep of Miami (Ohio). The Gamecocks are 12-3 on the year.
South Carolina did not allow an earned run the entire weekend vs. Miami (Ohio) with a pair of shutouts, 2-0, 7-0 and a 5-3 victory on Sunday with the RedHawks scoring all three runs unearned. The Gamecock pitching staff allowed just 11 hits in 27.0 innings pitched with seven walks to 25 strikeouts. Miami hit just .124 for the weekend.
South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook is one win shy of 100 career wins with a 99-41 (.707) career record in his third season at the helm of the Gamecock program.
Junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop won his third straight game with eight scoreless innings of work allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five batters in a 7-0 victory over Miami. Wynkoop tied his career longest stint at eight innings, the fourth time he has reached that mark in his career and the second time this season. Wynkoop is 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA on the year with 23 strikeouts to five walks in 27.0 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .196 against him. Wynkoop’s 27.0 innings is tied for second-highest among SEC pitchers.
Sophomore infielder Jordan Gore was South Carolina’s top hitter in the Miami series batting .444 (4-for-9) with a pair of runs scored. Gore has a five-game hitting streak, in which he has hit .385 (5-for-13). Gore is among the team’s leading hitters with a .313 average (15-for-48) on the year with seven runs scored and 10 RBI.
Sophomore right-hander Wil Crowe hurled seven scoreless innings with just five hits allowed, three walks and eight strikeouts in the 2-0 victory over Miami on Friday night to earn the win. Crowe is 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA with 31 strikeouts to just seven walks in 23.1 innings of work. Crowe’s 31 strikeouts are third-best in the SEC.
Sophomore catcher Logan Koch hit a game-winning two-run homer in Friday’s 2-0 win over Miami and followed that up with a two-run single with the bases loaded in Saturday’s 7-0 win. Koch hit .375 (3-for-8) in the Miami series and raised his batting average to .212 for the year in the three wins.
Sophomore right-hander Taylor Widener picked up a pair of saves in the Miami series and retired all four batters he faced over the weekend. Widener got one out in the 2-0 win on Friday and pitched a perfect inning of relief in Saturday’s 5-3 win. Widener is 5-for-5 in save opportunities this year. He has a 1.17 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .080 against him. Widener’s five saves is tied for second-most in the SEC.
Junior left-hander Vince Fiori allowed just one run, unearned, on one hit in 3.1 innings of relief to earn a win in Sunday’s 5-3 victory. Fiori struck out four and walked just one. He also had 1.2 perfect innings in Friday’s 2-0 win. Fiori leads the Gamecocks with eight relief appearances and is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. He has 12 strikeouts in 13.0 innings with opponents hitting .103 against him. Fiori is tied for fifth in the SEC in appearances for the year.
Senior first baseman Kyle Martin hit .400 (6-for-15) in the five victories last week. Martin drove in eight runs in those victories and tied a career-high with four RBI including a two-run homer in the 11-3 win over High Point. For the season, Martin is batting .340 (17-for-50) with two homers, two doubles, 12 runs scored and 15 RBI. Martin’s 15 RBI ties him for eight-highest in the SEC.
Freshman right-hander Clarke Schmidt made his first career start in Sunday’s 5-3 win over Miami. Schmidt allowed just two runs, both unearned, on two hits in 4.2 innings with two walks and a career-high four strikeouts. Schmidt did not allow a hit until two outs into the fifth inning. Schmidt is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA on the year. He has 14 strikeouts to only two walks in 15.1 innings.
Junior infielder Max Schrock drove in six runs in the five wins this past week including his first homer of the year, a two-run shot in the 11-3 win over High Point. Schrock owns a .385 on-base percentage with a team-high 16 walks to only two strikeouts. Schrock’s 16 walks are tied for the league lead in the SEC.
Gene Cone and Max Schrock have started all 15 games this year for the Gamecocks with all of Cone’s 15 starts in center field.
Cone had hit safely in the first 11 games this year before his streak was snapped on Wednesday vs. High Point. Cone has reached base safely in all 15 games this year. He is hitting .340 (17-for-50) with 15 runs scored with 11 walks to nine strikeouts and a .484 on-base percentage. Cone’s 15 runs scored are tied for seventh-highest in the SEC.
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.
Senior outfielder Connor Bright hit his first career grand slam and the second grand slam of the season for the Gamecocks in the 7-0 win over Miami on Saturday afternoon. Bright is tied for the team-lead in homers with three and has driven in 12 runs as well. He also has nine runs scored. Bright tied a career-high with three runs scored in Saturday’s 7-0 win.
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 11-5 victory over High Point. Destino is batting .327 (16-for-49) with three homers and 13 RBI on the year. His .531 slugging percentage leads the team.
Bright and Destino’s three homers ties both of them for fourth highest in the SEC.
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.
Senior outfielder Elliott Caldwell continues to lead the Gamecocks in hitting with a .357 average (15-for-42) with eight runs scored and seven RBI. He owns a .471 on-base percentage.
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 .273 with a .543 on-base percentage.
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 victory over High Point. Mooney is batting .267 for the season.
South Carolina is batting .268 (125-for-467) as a team with 88 runs scored and a .374 on-base percentage. The Gamecocks are fielding .968 as well.
South Carolina pitchers own a team ERA of 2.35 with 46 runs allowed, 35 earned, on 114 hits with 129 strikeouts to 44 walks in 134.0 innings. The Gamecocks have allowed opponents to hit just .228 on the year. The Gamecocks’ ERA ranks sixth-best in the league.
South Carolina is 12-0 on the year when allowing five runs or less. South Carolina is 11-0 on the year with a lead entering the seventh innings. The Gamecocks are 9-0 when allowing less than 10 hits, 6-0 when recording double-digit hits and 8-0 when out-hitting its opponent. South Carolina is 5-1 in games decided by three runs or less.
THIS WEEK
3/10/15 – Penn State – 7 p.m.
3/11/15 – Penn State – 7 p.m.
3/13/15 – Kentucky – 7 p.m.
3/14/15 – Kentucky – 4 p.m.
3/15/15 – Kentucky – 1:30 p.m.
