March 9, 2016
Dates: Wed., Mar. 9, 2016
First Pitch: 7 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Founders Park
Tickets: $10 General Admission
Broadcast:SEC Network + (Derek Scott, pxp; Trey Dyson, analyst) Radio: 107.5 The Game & The Gamecock Radio Network (Brad Muller & Tommy Moody); GamecocksOnline.com
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina (11-2) continues its homestand with a Wednesday night tilt vs. Furman (7-4). First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Founders Park. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network Plus and is available on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM, “The Game.”
The Gamecocks will follow up Wednesday night’s game with a three-game series vs. Charleston Southern this weekend.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Wednesday
South Carolina — Adam Hill (Fr. RHP) 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.0 IP, 2 BB, 19 SO
Furman – Brandon Elmy (So. RHP) 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 0 SO
RANKINGS
South Carolina is ranked No. 16 in the USA Today coaches poll, No. 17 by D1Baseball, and No. 21 by Collegiate Baseball.
SCHMIDT NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore right-hander Clarke Schmidt was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday. He struck out a career-high nine batters in eight scoreless innings of work in Friday’s 8-1 win over Clemson. Schmidt’s outing was the longest of his career. He is 3-0 on the year with a 0.43 ERA after three starts. Schmidt has struck out 23 batters to just five walks. He has allowed one run on nine hits in 21.0 innings of work. Opponents are batting .143 against him. Schmidt earned the Tom Price Award as MVP of the Gamecocks for the Clemson series. Schmidt’s ERA ranks second-best in the SEC. He is also fifth-best in opposing batting average and tied for sixth-highest in the league in strikeouts. Schmidt is one of nine pitchers in the SEC with three wins on the year.
In the start before Clemson, he pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just one walk and one hit while striking out eight batters in a 7-1 win over Penn State.
DYNAMIC DESTINO
Sophomore first baseman Alex Destino was 5-for-5 with four RBI in Friday’s 8-1 win over Clemson. Destino’s five hits are a career-high as well. He is hitting .339 (19-for-56) for the season with a pair of homers, 16 RBI and 10 runs scored. He has a .464 slugging percentage also. Destino is second on the team with three multi-RBI games and third with five multi-hit games. He enter Wednesday with a five-game hitting streak.
Destino homered twice including a grand slam homer and drove in seven runs, the most by any SEC player this year in a game in South Carolina’s 16-5 win over Penn State.
HILL ON THE MOUND
Freshman right-hander Adam Hill has been impressive in his first three career starts for the Garnet & Black. Hill is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA and has allowed just eight hits and two walks while striking out 24 batters in 14.0 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .178 against him.
DTW
Junior outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams has reached base safely in all 13 games. He went 3-for-3 with a homer, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday’s 7-1 win over Wofford.
Thompson-Williams opened last week going 3-for-5 with a run in the 6-3 win at The Citadel. He followed that up with two walks and two runs scored in Friday’s 8-1 win vs. Clemson. Thompson-Williams doubled and scored in Sunday’s game at Clemson.
Thompson-Williams is second on the Gamecocks with a .375 batting average (18-for-48) for the season. He has scored 15 runs and has a .500 on-base percentage.
REAGAN FROM THE LEFT
Junior left-hander Josh Reagan put together two scoreless appearances out of the bullpen last week. Reagan has not allowed a run in five relief appearances for the season. Reagan pitched a perfect ninth inning in Tuesday’s 6-3 win at The Citadel for his third save of the year. Reagan added 4.1 scoreless innings in Sunday’s contest at Clemson.
He has pitched 9.1 scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and two walks while striking out 11 batters. Reagan is tied for second in the SEC in saves.
MR. JONES
Sophomore catcher Johns Jones had a pair of multi-hit games last e week. He was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday’s 6-3 win at The Citadel. He went 2-for-3 with a walk in Sunday’s game at Clemson as well.
Jones leads the Gamecocks with a .489 average (22-for-45) with 14 runs scored and 19 RBI. He owns a .610 on-base percentage and a .756 slugging mark. Jones leads the SEC in batting average and on-base percentage along with third in slugging percentage and runs batted in. Jones has a team-high six multi-RBI games and a team-high seven multi-hit contests.
Jones earned National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball and SEC Co-Player of the Week after putting together arguably one of the greatest weekends at the plate in school history in the Penn State series. Jones reached base in all 14 plate appearances vs. Penn State batting 1.000 (8-for-8) with six walks for an OBP of 1.000 as well. Jones went 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in a 7-1 series-opening win vs. the Nittany Lions. He followed that up with a grand slam and tying a single-game school record with four walks in Saturday’s 16-5 victory vs. Penn State. In the series finale, Jones went 3-for-3 including a two-run single and a walk in the 4-2 win to sweep the series vs. Penn State. Jones’ slugging percentage for the weekend was 1.750 also.
In records going back to 1997, Jones is the only Gamecock in school history to start three games in a series and put up a 1.000 OBP, besting the previous mark of .875 set by Christian Walker in 2011 at Mississippi State as well as Walker’s .909 batting average (10-for-11). Jones’ six walks tied for the most by a Gamecock in a series since Scott Wingo’s six walks vs. Brown in 2010. Jones’ 10 RBI are the most by a Gamecock in a series since LB Dantzler drove in 10 vs. Albany vs. 2013. Jones’ 1.750 slugging percentage is the best in a series since Steven Neff’s 2.000 slugging mark vs. Arkansas in 2011.
TO ARMS
South Carolina pitchers own a team ERA of 1.88, second-best in the SEC and lead in opponents batting average with opposing teams hitting just .181 on the year against the Gamecocks. South Carolina has 139 strikeouts to 42 walks in 115.0 innings pitched. The Gamecocks have allowed five runs or less in all 13 games this year.
AT THE PLATE & ON THE FIELD
South Carolina is hitting .315 (141-for-447) as a team with a .412 on-base percentage and a .416 slugging mark. The Gamecocks are fielding .978 on the year. Carolina has not committed an error in seven of 13 games this year.
MOONEY IN THE MIDDLE
Senior infielder Marcus Mooney is fourth-best in hitting for the team with a .333 batting average (12-for-36). He has eight walks, two hit by pitches to two strikeouts. He owns a .478 on-base percentage. Mooney had two hits and a run scored in Friday’s 8-1 win vs. Clemson. He had a two-out RBI single in the 6-3 win at The Citadel.
JONAH WITH A JOLT
Sophomore infielder Jonah Bride went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday’s 8-1 win vs. Clemson. He drove in a run also in last Tuesday’s win at The Citadel.
Bride is hitting .285 (13-for-44) with six RBI and 16 runs scored and a .466 on-base percentage. Bride’s 15 runs scored is tied for fifth-highest in the SEC. Bride leads the SEC in hit by pitch with seven.
WEBB WORKS
Freshman right-hander Braden Webb struck out a season-high seven batters in Saturday’s game vs. Clemson. Webb has 17 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. Opponents are batting .148 against him. He is 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA on the year
CULLEN CATCHING ON
Freshman catcher Chris Cullen has seen action in 11 games with nine starts behind the plate. Cullen had a six-game hitting streak snapped last Friday. He is batting .314 (11-for-35) with five runs scored and eight RBI. He went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored Tuesday vs. Wofford.
GREAT SCOTT
Junior right-hander Reed Scott picked up his first win of the season with 3.1 scoreless innings in Sunday’s 4-2 win over Penn State. Scott did not allow a hit, walked just one and had a strikeout to earn the victory. Scott is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four appearances with seven innings pitched.
THE VERSATILE LT
Freshman infielder LT Tolbert had a key two-run single in Tuesday’s 7-1 win over Wofford.
He has started 11 of 13 games with five starts at second base, three starts at first base, two at designated hitter and a start at shortstop. Tolbert is hitting .250 (11-for-44) with six runs scored and six RBI.
TJ
South Carolina freshman outfielder TJ Hopkins has seen plenty of action in the three weeks with six starts in right field. Hopkins is hitting .238 with a pair of runs scored, a homer and five RBI.
Hopkins had a three-run homer and four RBI in last Wednesday’s 16-4 win over Winthrop. Hopkins tied a single-game school record with two outfield assists on Opening Day. vs. Albany.
BOWERS BRINGS IT
All six outs recorded by junior right-hander Colie Bowers in Friday’s 7-1 win over Penn State were by strikeout. Bowers has eight strikeouts in 3.1 innings in a pair of relief appearances this year.
Bowers won his first career game with the Gamecocks after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts in the 8-1 win over Albany.
Bowers is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts on the year. Opponents are batting .059 against him. He has allowed just one hit this year, a solo home run against Penn State.
DC DELIVERS
Senior infielder DC Arendas had two hits in Saturday’s 16-5 win over Penn State and followed that up with a 2-for-2 day with a run in Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Nittany Lions. Arendas has a .333 on-base percentage. He is fielding 1.000 with 15 putouts and 20 assists at second base in 12 games.
MR. MURRAY
Sophomore right-hander Brandon Murray retired all eight batters he faced in a 6-3 win at The Citadel. Murray has a 1.29 ERA in 7.0 innings with six strikeouts, opponents batting .192 against him.
Murray pitched a scoreless inning in the 7-1 win over Wofford with two strikeouts.
CENTER FIELD
Four different Gamecocks have started in center field in the first 13 games. Dom Thompson-Williams made his first start in center field in Tuesday’s 7-1 win over Wofford.
Sophomore Clark Scolamiero has five starts and is hitting .250 (4-for-16) with three runs scored and three RBI.
Junior Gene Cone has seen action in 11 games with nine starts including two in center. He is hitting .233 (7-for-30) with three RBI and six runs scored.
Freshman Danny Blair also has five starts and seen action in eight games. Blair had a career day going 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and a RBI in Saturday’s 16-5 win over Penn State. He was 2-for-5 with a RBI double on Tuesday night at The Citadel. He is hitting .273 (6-for-22).
JOHNSON BRINGS THE HEAT
Sophomore right-hander Tyler Johnson has made five appearances through the first 13 games. Johnson pitched a career-high four scoreless innings and struck out a career-high seven batters in the 7-1 win over Wofford. Johnson has 13 strikeouts in 6.2 innings for the year.
SCOUTING FURMAN
Furman heads to Columbia sporting a 7-4 overall record. The Paladins won 8-6 over UNC Asheville on Tuesday with Jabari Richards hitting a two-run walk-off homer. Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Paladins won two of three vs. Holy Cross.
Senior third baseman Jordan Simpson is Furman’s leading hitter with a .415 batting average (17-for-41) with 10 runs scored, three homers and 11 RBI. Freshman outfielder Jabari Richards has also been big at the plate for the Paladins with a .342 average (13-for-38) with 12 runs scored, three triples, two doubles and a team-high four homers and 12 RBI.
Sophomore right-hander Brandon Elmy will start for Furman on Wednesday. He has pitched one inning on the year.
THE FURMAN SERIES
South Carolina is 112-55-2 vs. Furman. Both teams split contests last year with South Carolina earning a 5-2 victory in Columbia and Furman earning a 2-1 win at Fluor Field in Greenville.
The Gamecocks’ 5-2 victory featured a 4-for-4 day at the plate by Elliott Caldwell with a pair of doubles and a three-run triple. Clarke Schmidt earned his first career win as well with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief.
In the Fluor Field contest, Furman right-handers Matthew Quarles and Elliott Warford combined to limit Carolina to one run on four hits. A solo homer in the fifth inning by Cameron Whitehead gave the Paladins a lead lead they would never relinquish.
