March 24, 2015

South Carolina vs. UNC Wilmington (14-13)
Boseman Field – Wilmington, N.C.
Tues., March 31 at 5 p.m.
UNCW Audio ($) | | UNCW’s Video Stream

South Carolina vs. College of Charleston
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
Wed., April 1 at 6 p.m.
SEC Network +/Watch ESPN |

College of Charleston Ticket Promotions – Victoria Williams Day
Weekday Work Perk – $1 admission by showing your business card
High School Night

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15 SC Softball Notes – 3/24

15 SC Softball Bios – 3/24

15 SC Softball Stats – 3/26

Feature on Alaynie Page
Feature on Julie Sarratt
Feature on Nickie Blue
Feature on Kristen Struett

Furman Game Recap | North Florida Game 1 Recap | North Florida Game 2 Recap

South Carolina Steps Out for Five Non-Conference Games vs. Regional Foes

• After wins over Furman and North Florida, South Carolina concludes its five-game jaunt of non-conference games with Tuesday’s trip to UNC Wilmington and Wednesday’s home game vs. College of Charleston.
• Tuesday’s game will have free video from UNC Wilmington as well as a Gamecocks All-Access audio feed, while Wednesday’s game will be on the SEC Network + on WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.

Gamecocks Seemingly Swing Momentum with Series Win vs. Tennessee

• South Carolina took two-of-three games from No. 9/15 Tennessee over March 13-15, the first series win over a top-10 SEC team for Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith.
• Nickie Blue garnered SEC Pitcher of the Week accolades after her two wins over the Lady Vols, shutting out the high-powered UT offense in Friday’s triumph.
• The Gamecocks run-ruled Tennessee on Friday night, the first time UT has lost a shortened game since the 2010 NCAA Women’s College World Series.
• Alaynie Page homered twice in the game, both leadoff homers in the first and third, while Kaylea Snaer started the second with a leadoff homer.
• Friday’s win ended South Carolina’s 28-game losing streak to Tennessee that dated back to 2003.
• Snaer added the game-ending win in the 7-6 (9) victory on Saturday night, the win that secured the series for the Gamecocks.
• Last year, the 2014 Texas A&M series victory marked the first over a ranked SEC opponent since 2009 for the Gamecocks, and it was the first SEC series win in Carolina Softball Stadium.
• The 2014 Gamecocks won two series from ranked SEC opponents for the first time in program history, taking two games from both Texas A&M and Auburn at the league’s newest stadium.

Page Soaring in 2015

• Junior left fielder Alaynie Page has propelled the Gamecock offense in 2015.
• She leads the team in 12 offensive categories, including batting average (.434), slugging percentage (.894), runs (31), hits (49), doubles (6), triples (5), home runs (12) and RBI (36).
• Page tied the school’s single-season record held by Sarah Mooney (12, 2014) with her leadoff homer on the first pitch of the Friday game at No. 23/23 Texas A&M.
• Only twice has she not reached base in a game (Western Carolina 2/26, No. 21/20 Missouri 3/9).
• The Gamecocks’ leadoff hitter has reached base 57.1 percent of the time she’s led off an inning.
• Twice, she’s tied the school record for home runs in a game, most recently with two leadoff blasts vs. No. 9/15 Tennessee (3/13).
• She’s also moved much higher on some Gamecock career charts, which can be found on page 10.
• Twice, Page has posted five or more RBI, including a career-best six in the Delaware State win.
• She’s hitting .489 (23-for-47) with runners on, .500 (14-for-28) with runners in scoring position and .459 (17-for-37) with two outs.
• She’s moved runners up at a team-best 64 percentage in 50 opportunities.
• Page went 7-for-11 at No. 23/23 Texas A&M with a triple and a homer, the only Gamecock with multiple hits in two games during the weekend.
• That includes her first career four-hit day on Friday, which included her record-tying 12th homer.

South Carolina Team Notes

• South Carolina is 0-4 when not collecting an extra-base hit during a game.
• It is also 0-5 when scoring one or no runs.
• In games when the team has 11 or less total bases, the Gamecocks are 4-10.
• When the Gamecocks walk twice or less, they are 4-8.
• SC has lost two of four games when its batters strike out at least 10 times (L’s vs. UCF & South Alabama).
• South Carolina is 9-0 when its foes don’t record an extra-base hit, four of those coming in shutouts.
• Julie Sarratt has a 9.62 ERA in the first inning and a 2.65 ERA in the rest of the contest.
• In addition to Alaynie Page already tying SC’s single-season record for home runs, senior Kristen Struett’s three sacrifice flies ties with 13 others for 13th on the SC career charts listing.
• South Carolina’s 39 home runs this season has already moved into fourth in program history with the 2002 and 2004 squads. Three more move this year’s group into a tie for third with 2012.
• The Gamecocks went 9-5 during 18-day, 14-game home stand, the longest stretch of home games this season.
• Assistant coach Calvin Beamon and his family welcomed into the world a new son, Cash, on Thurs., March 5.

Watch Us Play on the SEC Network + (At Home and On The Road in SEC Play)

• All 31 home games will be on either the SEC Network (five games) or on SEC Network + via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
• Also, four road SEC games will be on the SEC Network with the rest on the SEC Network +.
• The two remaining road non-conference games will be streamed live via an audio broadcast for a $10 monthly fee as part of the Gamecocks All-Access page at GamecocksOnline.com.

Blue Bettering Herself in Sophomore Campaign

• Sophomore Nickie Blue continues to be most successful when producing ground outs, as her 2015 rate of ground to fly outs (165-86) looks in line to her final 2014 tally (253-123).
• She’s added more strikeouts, fanning 116 in 126 innings after posting 118 K’s in 173.1 innings as a rookie. That includes a career-best 12 in the shutout of Marshall.
• Once Blue gets a batter to two strikes, she has given up a .084 batting average (19-of-227) with those 116 strikeouts.
• Also, she’s allowed two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh all season (31 2/3 innings).
• The March 16 SEC Pitcher of the Week, Blue had two complete-game wins as part of a 3-1 week.
• That included the March 13, four-hit shutout of No. 9/15 Tennessee, South Carolina’s first win over the Lady Vols since 2003, snapping a 28-game losing streak in the series.
• She’s already moved into the top 15 in South Carolina history in a number of categories found on page 10 of the notes.
• In 2014, Blue garnered a spot on the inaugural NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year listing of the 25 finalists and earned SEC All-Freshman Team accolades.
• Her seven saves stood atop the NCAA Division I stat rankings.
• Her top wins of 2014 were complete-game victories at ranked opponents: a 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State and a 1-0 triumph at No. 15/17 Georgia.
• Against the Bulldogs, Blue struck out a then-career best seven and held UGA to its lowest hit total of the season to that date, allowing only three.
• She also tossed a shutout in the 8-0 (5) win over No. –/24 LSU (4/20).
• Blue earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 24 after picking up a win and two saves in relief as well as her first career shutout vs. Michigan State.

We Schedule Tough

• The Gamecocks play 24 of their 56 regular-season games against teams who made the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
• A total of 41 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, 26 are against RPI top-50 teams.
• Thirty-one games come at home, including non-conference foes UCF, South Alabama and USC Upstate, who all made the NCAA Tournament with RPI’s in the top 30.
• UCF (American), Florida State (Atlantic Coast), USC Upstate (Atlantic Sun) and Coastal Carolina (Big South) won their leagues’ 2014 regular-season crowns.
• The Gamecocks are 8-11 against teams with RPI marks in the top 100, including three wins over top-20 squads.

South Carolina Staff Has Top Credentials

• Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith has now been a part of 10 NCAA Tournament teams as a coach (eight at UNC, two at South Carolina).
• Associate head coach Lisa Navas has been to four NCAA Tournaments as an assistant coach (two at SC, one each at UNC and Missouri) and eight as a head coach (six Division II at Barry, two at NC State). Her 1998 Barry squad played in the national championship game.
• Assistant coach Calvin Beamon has three titles to his credit as a player, the biggest a College World Series title at Texas during 2005.
• He also won the NJCAA Division I title in 2003 at the College of Southern Nevada and a high school state championship at Smoky Hill High School in Cherry Creek, Colo.

Rough Start to SEC Play for the Gamecocks vs. Missouri

• The Gamecocks took three tough losses to No. 21/20 Missouri to start SEC play.
• The Tigers hit five home runs in the series, one-third of the number the Gamecock pitching staff had allowed to that point.
• South Carolina went homerless in the stretch.
• While six of the 11 Gamecock hits went for doubles, SC managed five run on the weekend.
• Both of Alaynie Page’s hits went for two bases, one of three Gamecocks with multiple hits on the weekend.
• Freshman Tiara Duffy, in her first SEC start, scratched out two hits on Monday night, the first of the SEC Network’s weekly coverage of the sport.

Alum Codee Yeske Trying to Make USWNT in Baseball

• Former Gamecock infielder Codee Yeske (2012-14) is among 36 invitees to the 2015 USA Baseball Women’s National Team Trials, set for May 22-24, 2015.
• Also on the invitee list is former volunteer assistant Laura Trout.

Long Ball City vs. Charlotte and Liberty in Final Tune-Ups for SEC Play

• South Carolina hit eight home runs in its two midweek games on March 3 and 5, including six in Thursday’s 12-3 (5) win over Liberty
• The six homers tied a school record set on the same March 5 date in 2005 against South Dakota St.
• The HRs against Liberty also tie for the most by a 2015 SEC team with Florida (vs. Mercer, 2/22).
• Senior Olivia Lawrence tied both the school and individual mark with her fourth-inning grand slam, as she tallied her second round-tripper of the night and the team’s sixth.
• Junior Alaynie Page had blasts in both contests as well as in the final game of the Carolina Classic.
• Sophomore Kaylea Snaer’s home run vs. the Flames marks her first extra-base hit of the year, one year after ranking second on the team with eight homers, five of which came in SEC play.

Carolina Classic Catch-Up

• The Gamecocks went 3-1 in the Carolina Classic, their final non-conference weekend of 2015.
• In the 10-3 win over Charleston Southern, senior Kristen Struett posted her first four-hit game, going 4-for-4 with a double and three runs scored.
• The 2-0 shutout of Marshall by sophomore Nickie Blue was quite impressive, as Blue faced one hitter over the minimum, striking out 12.
• On the weekend, Blue fanned 21 batters and walked one in 16 innings.
• South Carolina run-ruled Tennessee State 8-0 (5), with seven of the eight runs coming via the long ball (3-run HR by Jordan Bizzell, 2-run HRs by Victoria Williams and Alaynie Page).
• The only setback came against No. 24/24 South Alabama, 4-1, where the Jags fanned 12 Gamecock hitters.
• South Carolina’s only run in the USA game came after Page tripled and Struett drove her in.
• Struett (1 hit, 1 walk, 1 HBP) and Page (2 hits) accounting for five of the six SC base runners.
• The Gamecocks lost to the Jaguars despite turning two double plays in the game.
• With the contest against South Alabama, the Gamecocks have hosted non-conference games in consecutive years against ranked foes (No. 16 Minnesota on March 19, 2014).

Gamecocks Have a Rich History in NCAA Tournament

• South Carolina earned its 17th bid in the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and its second straight.
• The Gamecocks are 32-31 in those trips, making three Women’s College World Series in their history (1983, 1989 and 1997).
• The program has five AIAW World Series trips in its history as well prior to 1982.

Smith Has Former Staff Members and Gamecock Players Coaching

• Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith has a growing collegiate coaching tree from her short time at South Carolina.
• Two former student-athletes (Ashley Chastain and Kelley Dillon) are on the College of Charleston staff.
• Her first two volunteer assistants serve as full-time assistants at Connecticut (Chrissy Schoonmaker) and at George Washington (Laura Trout).
• Former top assistant Janelle Breneman took over at UNC Greensboro as the head coach after two years with the Gamecocks and Smith in Columbia.

Scouting Furman

• The Paladins are 15-12 on the season, a year after going 29-26 and finishing third in the Southern Conference.
• Only one of 16 Paladins who has appeared offensively has not started at least five games.
• Furman’s turned 12 double plays on the season, ranking 33rd in NCAA Division I.
• Junior Sieara Bishop leads the team in nine offensive categories, including the slash stats (.413/.490/.763) as well as with her seven doubles and seven homers.
• Senior Taylor Jenkins has a team-best 21 RBI to go with four homers and five doubles, both tied for second among the Paladins.
• Senior Ambree Muller has five doubles as well and has stolen 12 bases, more than half of Furman’s total.
• Muller has also fanned 27 times, tops on the team.
• Senior Natalie Clemmons joins Bishop and Jenkins as a starter in every game, but she’s struggled to a .226 batting average.
• Freshman southpaw Lindsey Bert has been a dual threat for Furman, hitting .323 while also posting a 2.62 ERA, striking out 83 against 36 walks in 112 innings.

Ties Between South Carolina and Furman

• Furman senior Taylor Jenkins as well as freshmen Brittany Houston and Emma Ogburn played for the same Carolina Crush group that produced Gamecock redshirt senior Julie Sarratt.
• Furman freshman Lauren Duggar played for Carolina Elite during the summers, a group that has produced five current Gamecocks (Jordan Bizzell, Caroline Cash, Alaynie Page, Macey Webb and Krystan White).
• Paladin redshirt junior Alex Sappington as well as rookie AnnaRose Borrelli played with the Carolina Cardinals, a team that Gamecock senior Sarah Mooney played for in her travel-ball days.

Furman and South Carolina Against Common Foes

• The Gamecocks beat Charlotte 9-3 at home, while the Paladins split against the 49ers, winning 1-0 while falling 6-0.
• Both teams won at Winthrop, SC a 3-2 win last Wed., and the Paladins a 3-0 winner on March 7.

Series History vs. the Paladins

• The most-played foe in South Carolina history, the Gamecocks own a 60-10-1 mark against the Paladins, including a 44-2-1 record in home games.

The Last Meetings – Furman at South Carolina – March 25, 2014

• South Carolina swept a doubleheader from Furman in 2014, both games ending in shortened fashion 9-1 and 10-0.
• Sarah Mooney hit a grand slam in game one, while Kristen Struett and Victoria Williams both had round-trippers in the second game.

Scouting North Florida

• The Ospreys are 21-13 on the year and 3-3 in the Atlantic Sun.
• North Florida’s pitching is its key, as they hold a 2.48 ERA on the year, 40th in NCAA Division I.
• Leading that group is senior Kayla Goff, who has a 2.12 ERA with 71 strikeouts against 18 walks in 92.2 innings.
• Senior Kaylie Wallace has a 2.39 ERA but has 44 walks and 50 K’s in 85 innings.
• Junior Stacy McClelland leads the Osprey offense in six categories, each of the slash stats (.419/.505/.742) as well as with eight homers and 27 RBI.
• Both junior Shelby Duncan and senior Kelly Wilson have nine doubles on the year, with Wilson adding three homers and 20 stolen bases. She’s only been thrown out once.
• Freshman Ashley Niesman ranks second on the team wiht four homers and third with 24 RBI.
• Junior Katie Mandigo has six doubles and 26 RBI, the latter second on the squad.
• The Ospreys are unselfish at the plate, laying down 38 sacrifice hits on the year.

North Florida and South Carolina Against Common Foes

• Both teams own wins over Western Kentucky, the Ospreys a 7-2 win in the season opener in Troy, Ala., and the Gamecocks a 2-1 win at home on March 11.

Series History vs. the Ospreys

• SC owns a 5-1 advantage in the series against UNF, with the lone home game a 4-3 win in 2009.

The Last Meeting – North Florida vs. South Carolina – Feb. 20, 2010

• Audrey Broyles tossed a three-hit shutout, fanning nine in the 9-0 (5) win over North Florida in the UCF Invitational.
• P.J. Fulmer went 2-for-3 with a double and a then-career best four RBI in the victory.

Scouting UNC Wilmington

• As of March 22, the Seahawks are 11-11, with games at home against East Carolina and at Delaware to come before the Tues., March 31 game against the Gamecocks.
• UNCW’s pitching staff has a 2.82 ERA on the year, which stands 57th in NCAA Division I.
• Sarah Davis has tossed the most innings (58.0) but Casey Rowland has the most strikeouts (70) in 54.1 innings.
• Peyton Jordan may be better than both, with a 2.06 ERA and 35 K’s to 9 walks in 37.1 innings.
• At the plate, Davis leads the team in batting average (.343) and RBI (13), while Rowland tops the squad in doubles (7) and slugging percentage (.463) and stands second in RBI (11).
• Darian Roberts’ three triples has her 20th in the country with 0.15 triples per game.
• Merritt Wilkinson tops the team with a .403 on-base percetnage and five stolen bases among starters.
• Kelsey Bryan has 12 walks, nine hit by pitches and five stolen bases on the year.
• Tracy Haynes has stolen seven bags in eight tries off the bench.

UNC Wilmington and South Carolina Against Common Foes

• Both teams own home wins over Western Carolina, UNCW taking a 4-1 win two days after the Gamecocks beat the Catamounts 3-1.
• The Seahawks are 0-3 against the other common foes Charleston Southern (2-6) and Presbyterian (0-8 [6] and 2-3 [8]) on the road. South Carolina beat both at home, 10-3 and 9-6, respectively.

Series History vs. the Seahawks

• South Carolina is 5-0 all-time against UNCW, with this marking the first trip to Wilmington.

The Last Meeting – UNC Wilmington at South Carolina – Feb. 23, 2014

• In Jordan Bizzell’s first career start, she scored both runs and stole two bases in the 2-1 win over UNC Wilmington.

Scouting College of Charleston

• The Cougars stand at 17-14 entering the week of March 23, going 2-1 in their first Colonial Athletic Association weekend against Elon.
• Pitching is the Cougars’ strength, ranking 67th in NCAA Division I with a 2.97 ERA.
• Hope Klicker leads the team with 90.1 innings, posting a 3.02 ERA with 83 K’s and 27 walks.
• Samantha Martin holds a 2.78 ERA in 80.2 innings, fanning 77 and walking 29.
• Freshman Taylor Dupree tops the College’s offense with a .437 batting average and her 16 stolen bases in 18 tries.
• Mackenzie Maples leads the team with nine doubles and a .552 slugging percentage, ranking second in both homers (4) and RBI (23).
• Rebecca Mueller has a team-best 28 RBI with four doubles, three triples and two home runs.
• Chandler Frisbe has eight doubles as well, while both Kate Padilla and Carly Hansis have six.
• Sara Garcia has five homers but hits just .232.

Ties Between South Carolina and College of Charleston

• Two of College of Charleston’s coaches played at South Carolina: pitching coach Ashley Chastain (2009-11) and assistant coach Kelley Dillon (2011-13)
• Both C of C’s Dupree and SC’s Lauren Masters went to Greenbriar HS in Evans, Ga.
• Cougar Katie Parker played at Hartsville HS with Gamecock Jordan Bizzell.

College of Charleston and South Carolina Against Common Foes

• Both teams hold wins over Presbyterian, Appalachian State and Furman, while the Gamecocks beat Marshall and North Carolina, a pair of teams the Cougards lost to earlier this year.

Series History vs. the Cougars

• The Gamecocks own an 9-1 lead in the series, including a 7-0 mark at home.

The Last Meeting – College of Charleston at South Carolina – Feb. 14, 2015

• South Carolina came back from a 4-0 deficit to take a 5-4 win from College of Charleston.
• Julie Sarratt allowed only one hit and one walk in the final six innings of the win.
• Both Alaynie Page and Victoria Williams had two extra-base hits in the game, Williams hitting two doubles and Page smacking an inside-the-park home run as well as a double.

South Carolina Softball Historical Record

• South Carolina has played 2,097 games in its softball history, going 1361-729-7 (.651) in its 41st season of sponsorship.
• With the first game of 2015, Beverly Smith became the second person to serve as the Gamecocks’ coach for five seasons at South Carolina, joining NFCA Hall-of-Fame coach Joyce Compton.

First Trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic for South Carolina A Success

• The Gamecocks went 3-2 in the trip to the Palm Springs area, picking up two wins over Pac-12 foes in consecutive games.
• South Carolina downed Stanford 6-2 and No. 21/20 California 3-1 in the event, marking the first time the Gamecocks had two wins over a Pac-12 team in the same season since 2007 (W’s over Oregon in 2007 Columbia Regional).
• When was the last time SC beat two different members of the current Pac-12 in a year? 1996 (W 2-1 vs. Utah, W 1-0 vs. No. 1 Arizona).
• Never before had South Carolina beaten two different Pac-12 teams in the same weekend.
• Redshirt senior Julie Sarratt returned to form during the event, picking up two wins, including the complete-game victory over the Bears.
• Sarratt also homered in that win, capping a streak of four-consecutive hits over three games, driving in runs with three of those.
• Overall, Sarratt and Blue combined for a 2.06 ERA, the sixth-best mark in the 35-team event.
• Junior left fielder Alaynie Page kept up her strong play, pushing her hitting streak to 14 games before drawing two walks in an 0-for-2 outing vs. Northwestern to snap the skein.
• Page hit .375 in the event and walked four times, most on the squad.
• Senior centerfielder Kristen Struett matched Page in hits (6) and runs (4) in her native California.
• Struett went 3-for-3 while hitting her first homer of the year against Northwestern.
• Other notable performances include Taylor Williams’ 3-for-4 day vs. LIU Brooklyn and Sarah Mooney and Victoria Williams’ two-hit days with a double each vs. Stanford
• For the second-straight year, Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith challenged her team with a trip over the continental divide that included games against two ranked foes.
• This year, as part of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., the Gamecocks took on No. 9/8 Florida State and No. 21/20 California.
• Last season, South Carolina faced No. 3 Arizona State and No. 19 Minnesota in Tempe, Ariz.

South Carolina Sweeps Through Gamecock Invitational

• The Gamecocks picked up four wins over Carolina rivals in the Gamecock Invitational.
• Twice, the Gamecocks came from behind to win, both coming in the nightcaps on Friday (9-6 vs. Presbyterian) and Saturday (5-4 vs. College of Charleston).
• Junior left fielder Alaynie Page led the Gamecock offense, hitting two doubles and four round-trippers in the event.
• She helped the Presbyterian comeback with a program-tying two home runs and five RBI in the game, while she started the effort against the Cougars with an inside-the-park homer.
• Page also had 10 RBI and two stolen bases in the event and tied for the team lead with six runs scored alongside junior right fielder Ansley Ard.
• Of those who started three games or more, only one didn’t hold a .400 on-base percentage on the week.
• Sophomore Nickie Blue allowed one earned run in the four games, going 3-0. She pitched six innings in the one-hitter against Appalachian State.
• Also against the Mountaineers, freshman Tiara Duffy picked up her first collegiate hit.

Offense Struggled in Two Straight Losses

• In the second East Carolina game and the home opener vs. UCF, the Gamecocks did not have a single extra-base hit after posting at least two and as many as seven in the first four games, all wins.
• Another common stat in the losses, the AAC foes hit a triple to start the first in each.

Opening Weekend Notes

• South Carolina went 4-1 in the Pirate Classic, posting 10 runs or more in three of its first four games for the second time in three years (2013 Stetson Lead-Off Classic).
• Both Nickie Blue and Julie Sarratt posted two wins and one shutout in the tourney, with Blue adding a save.
• Blue joined Alaynie Page and Taylor Williams on the Pirate Classic All-Tournament Team.
• The junior Page hit a team-best .500 while also leading the squad with seven runs and eight RBI out of the leadoff spot, four coming on a grand slam vs. Delaware State.
• Williams hit two home runs in the 11-2 win over East Carolina on Saturday night, matching a program record.
• Gamecocks Effie Manahan, Kate Shereyk and Kamryn Watts all posted their first career hits on RBI singles in the tourney, while Caroline Cash also tallied her first hit.
• Junior Jordan Bizzell was never retired while at bat in the event, scoring five runs while walking five times and going 3-for-3 with a double and a home run.

Roster Notes

• Seven position player starters return for the Gamecocks from last year’s squad.
• In the circle, only 28 innings depart, while the duo of Nickie Blue and Julie Sarratt return after going 35-22 with 11 saves last year.
• Back from 2014 are team leaders in home runs (Sarah Mooney, 12), runs batted in (Kaylea Snaer, 35), walks (Snaer, 31) and stolen bases (Ansley Ard, 9).
• SC lost four seniors who combined to start 157 games, including every start at second base and shortstop as well as 54 of 58 starts in right field.
• The top offensive loss is Ashlyn Masters, who started a team-high 56 games and led the way in 10 categories: at bats (174), batting average (.362), on-base percentage (.447), runs (47), hits (63), doubles (19), triples (3), total bases (112), slugging percentage (.644) and sacrifice flies (3).
• South Carolina looks to replace highs of 53 percent of its sacrifice hits and sacrifice flies (8 of 15 in both) as well as 51 percent of doubles (42 of 82).
• In the rest of the offensive categories, the Gamecocks bring back from 53.8 percent (at bats and triples) to 70.7 percent (home runs) of their production from 2014, a season where the Gamecocks set four team offensive records.
• Seven freshmen join the squad to put the roster at 22 for the second-straight year.
• The team is dominated by South Carolina natives, with 36.4 percent of the roster (eight players) hailing from the Palmetto State. California is second with four players.
• The Gamecocks hail from 10 states this year, with the freshmen coming from California, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the Palmetto State.
• Nickie Blue and Hayley Copeland are the first Gamecock duo who are both over six-feet tall.
• While both Williams’ and sophomores by class, Taylor and Victoria are not sisters.

Gamecocks Picked to Finish 10th in SEC Coaches Preseason Poll

• In a poll of the SEC coaches, South Carolina was picked to finish 10th in 2015.
• Last season, the Gamecocks finished in a tie for eighth, three spots better than what the league’s coaches predicted in the preseason.
• Of note, all nine teams picked ahead of SC appeared in both preseason national rankings.
• Defending national champion Florida was the coaches’ selection to take the 2015 league crown.
• The past two years, the SEC has sent 11 teams into the NCAA Tournament, with two of the last three NCAA champions hailing from the league.

South Carolina vs. Furman
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
Wed., March 25 at 6 p.m.
SEC Network +/Watch ESPN |

Furman Ticket Promotions
Weekday Work Perk – $1 admission by showing your business card
Little League Day – $1 admission for kids in their Little League jersey
Jordan Bizzell Day

South Carolina vs. North Florida
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
Thurs., March 25 at 5 p.m. (DH)

Game 1: SEC Network +/Watch ESPN |
Game 2: SEC Network +/Watch ESPN |

North Florida Ticket Promotions
Weekday Work Perk – $1 admission by showing your business card