March 16, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina went 5-0 last week with a pair of wins vs. Penn State and a three-game series sweep vs. Kentucky. The Gamecocks are 17-3 and 3-0 in the SEC. It is the first time since 2010 that the Gamecocks have started out 3-0 in conference play. South Carolina currently owns a 10-game winning streak.

Record: 17-3
SEC: 3-0
Home: 16-2
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 1-0

Last Week: 5-0
3/10/15 – Penn State (W, 3-0)
3/11/15 – Penn State (W, 13-3)
3/13/15 – Kentucky (W, 10-1)
3/14/15 – Kentucky (W, 4-3)
3/15/15 – Kentucky (W, 6-4, 10 inn.)

NOTES:
South Carolina went 5-0 last week with a pair of wins vs. Penn State and a three-game series sweep vs. Kentucky. The Gamecocks are 17-3 and 3-0 in the SEC. It is the first time since 2010 that the Gamecocks have started out 3-0 in conference play. South Carolina currently owns a 10-game winning streak.

South Carolina is 9-0 all-time in school history vs. Kentucky at Carolina Stadium. This marked the first time since the 2010 season that the Gamecocks have opened SEC play with a 3-0 conference record.

Sophomore right-hander Wil Crowe was phenomenal on Friday night allowing just one run, unearned, on one hit with three walks and 10 strikeouts in seven innings of work in the 10-1 victory vs. Kentucky. Crowe allowed just a single in the first inning to the Wildcats, who came into Columbia this weekend riding an 11-game winning streak and hitting .312 at the plate. Crowe is now 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA. He leads the SEC with 41 strikeouts to just 10 walks in 30.1 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .221 against him.

Senior outfielder Elliott Caldwell hit .636 (7-for-11) in the Kentucky series with four runs scored, a triple, two homers and four RBI. Caldwell went 2-for-4 in the 10-1 win, followed that up going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a two-run homer in the 4-3 victory over the Wildcats and went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI including a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth inning in Sunday’s 6-4 10-inning win. Caldwell’s homer on Saturday was the first of his career in a Gamecock uniform. Caldwell leads the Gamecocks at the plate with a .411 average (23-for-56) this year with two doubles, two triples, two homers and 12 RBI. Caldwell’s .535 on-base percentage is fourth-best in the SEC with his batting average ninth and a .625 slugging percentage that ranks 11th highest in the league. Caldwell has reached base in 14 straight games. He has seven multi-hit games this year.

Junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop improved to 4-1 with a win in Saturday’s 4-3 victory vs. Kentucky. Wynkoop allowed two runs on seven hits in 7.1 innings with a walk and five strikeouts. Wynkoop is 4-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 34.1 innings with six walks to 28 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .208 against him. Wynkoop is tied for third in the SEC in wins and is third in innings pitched as well.

Senior first baseman Kyle Martin hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning in South Carolina’s 6-4 win over Kentucky on Sunday. Martin was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI in the victory. Martin is batting .362 (25-for-69) with a team-high 18 runs scored as well as 22 RBI and tied for the team lead with four homers. Martin’s 22 RBI ties for second-highest in the SEC with his four homers tied for seventh-best in the league. Martin also leads the SEC with four sacrifice flies. Martin currently owns a seven-game hitting streak and has reached base in 10 straight games. Martin has seven multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games this year. Martin is fielding 1.000 at first base and leads the SEC with 197 putouts as well as 204 chances.

Freshman right-hander Clarke Schmidt worked a career-high 6.2 innings and struck out a career-high seven batters in his first career SEC start in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Kentucky. Schmidt allowed two runs on four hits with two walks. For the season, Schmidt is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 22.0 innings with four walks to 21 strikeouts.

Sophomore outfielder Gene Cone has reached base in all 20 games hits year. Cone was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning and eventually scored on Martin’s two-run homer. He also went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in the 10-1 victory over Kentucky on Friday. For the season, Cone is batting .313 (21-for-67) with a team-high 20 runs scored and a .465 on-base percentage. Cone’s 20 runs scored are tied for sixth-highest in the SEC.

Sophomore right-hander Taylor Widener notched a save and a win vs. Kentucky. Widener allowed one run on two hits in 1.2 innings with two strikeouts for his fifth save in a 4-3 victory vs. the Wildcats and followed that up with 1.1 innings of work allowing one run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout in Sunday’s 6-4 victory. Widener is 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA and six saves in 10.2 innings with 18 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .184 against him this year. He ranks second in the SEC in saves.

Junior Max Schrock belted his first career grand slam in the 10-1 victory vs. Kentucky. Schrock finished the game with a career-high five RBI. Schrock earlier in the week went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, a homer and three RBI in a 13-3 win over Penn State. Schrock is batting .242 this year (16-for-66) with three homers and 17 RBI. Schrock ranks tied for third in the SEC with 18 walks and has just four strikeouts on the year and a .395 on-base percentage.

Senior right-hander Cody Mincey made his first three relief appearances of the year. Mincey picked up a save in the 3-0 win over Penn State with one scoreless inning of relief. He added two scoreless innings of relief with no hits allowed and three strikeouts in the 10-1 win over Kentucky and worked one inning in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Kentucky.

Freshman Alex Destino is tied with Martin for the team-lead in homers with four on the year. Destino’s two-run homer on Saturday helped lift the Gamecocks to a 4-3 victory. Destino tied his career-high with four RBI including a three-run triple in the 13-3 win over Penn State. He is batting .323 (20-for-62) this year with four homers and 20 RBI. He owns a .548 slugging percentage.

Sophomore left-hander Josh Reagan earned his first win of the season with 6.2 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed in the Gamecocks’ 3-0 victory vs. Penn State last Tuesday. Reagan is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA in four starts and 19.1 innings of work.

Sophomore infielder Jordan Gore was 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI in the 10-1 win over Kentucky on Friday night. He was also 2-for-4 with two runs and a RBI in the 13-3 win over Penn State. Gore is batting .299 (20-for-67) with 10 runs scored and 12 RBI.

Sophomore right-hander Reed Scott pitched four scoreless innings in his first start of the season in Wednesday’s 13-3 win over Penn State and allowed just one hit and two walks with four strikeouts. Scott has a 2.13 ERA in 12.1 innings.

Freshman catcher Hunter Taylor went 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI in the 13-3 win over Penn State. Taylor has hit .250 (5-for-20) in nine games with seven starts.

Junior left-hander Vince Fiori allowed just one hit in one scoreless inning of work in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Kentucky. He has a team-high nine relief appearances for the season. Fiori is 2-0 with a save and a 0.64 ERA in 14.0 innings with 12 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .114 against him.

Tuesday’s win over Penn State marked South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook’s 100th career victory. Holbrook owns a 104-41 (.717) career record in his third season at the helm of the Gamecock program.

South Carolina pitchers allowed just eight runs, seven earned, on 19 hits in 28.0 innings this past weekend vs. Kentucky with 30 strikeouts. The Wildcats hit just .186 for the series.

For the season, South Carolina pitchers sport a 2.20 team ERA. The Gamecocks have allowed 57 runs, 44 earned, on 144 hits in 180.0 innings with 60 walks to 176 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .217 against the Gamecocks. South Carolina’s ERA ranks third-best in the SEC with opposing batting average fifth-highest and batters struck out sixth-highest as well.

South Carolina is hitting .267 (166-for-622) as a team with 124 runs scored, a .371 on-base percentage and a .395 slugging mark. The Gamecocks are fielding .966 for the year.

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 17-0 on the year when allowing five runs or less. South Carolina is 16-0 on the year with a lead entering the seventh innings. The Gamecocks are 14-0 when allowing less than 10 hits, 7-0 when recording double-digit hits and 11-0 when out-hitting its opponent. South Carolina is 8-1 in games decided by three runs or less.

THIS WEEK
3/17/15 – Winthrop – 7 p.m.
3/20/15 – at Missouri – 7 p.m.
3/21/15 – at Missouri – 3:30 p.m.
3/22/15 – at Missouri – 2 p.m.