May 16, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina went 2-2 this past week with wins over Presbyterian and Texas A&M. The Gamecocks are 38-13 and 17-9 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are in fourth place, but just one game back of Florida for first place in the SEC.

Record: 38-13
SEC: 17-9
Home: 29-4
Neutral: 0-2
Away: 9-7

Last Week: 2-2
5/10/16 ââ’¬” Presbyterian ââ’¬” W, 3-1
5/13/16 ââ’¬” Texas A&M ââ’¬” L, 3-0
5/14/16 ââ’¬” Texas A&M ââ’¬” L, 5-2
5/15/16 ââ’¬” Texas A&M ââ’¬” W, 10-7

NOTES:
Junior outfielder Gene Cone continues to lead the Gamecocks in hitting with a .354 average (58-for-164) with 21 RBI and 40 runs scored as well as a .466 on-base percentage and .500 slugging mark. Cone ranks second in the SEC in on-base percentage and sixth in batting average. Cone has saved his best for league play as he has hit .417 (40-for-96) in 26 SEC games with 12 RBI and 29 runs scored. He has 25 walks to eight strikeouts and leads the SEC with a .540 on-base percentage in SEC games. His 29 runs scored in league games are the most by a SEC player this season. He is second in batting, fourth in slugging and sixth in hits. Cone was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in the 10-7 win over Texas A&M.

Sophomore right-hander Clarke Schmidt pitched well despite a loss in the 3-0 defeat to Texas A&M on Friday night. Schmidt allowed three runs on five hits in 7.2 innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Schmidt continues to be among the top pitchers in the conference as he is 9-2 with a 2.46 ERA. He has allowed 30 runs, 25 earned, on 80 hits in 91.1 innings pitched. He has 102 strikeouts to just 17 walks with opponents batting .233 against him. He became the first Gamecock pitcher since Michael Roth in 2011 to reach the single-season 100 strikeout total. Schmidt leads the SEC with his 102 strikeouts, is second in innings pitched, tied for third in wins and seventh in ERA. Schmidt has been strong in SEC games with a 5-2 record and a 3.43 ERA in the league. He has 70 strikeouts in 63.0 innings pitched in the league. His 70 league strikeouts is second-best among the league pitchers with his win-total tied for fifth-most and earned run average ranking 14th in the conference.

Junior outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams had his first multi-homer game of his career in Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas A&M. Thompson-Williams reached base in all five plate appearances going 3-for-3 with two walks, three RBI and four runs scored. He is now hitting .324 (61-for-188) with 14 doubles, three triples, six homers, 36 RBI and 43 runs scored. He has a .426 on-base percentage and a .527 slugging mark. Thompson-Williams ranks ninth in the SEC in runs scored and tied for 11th in doubles. He leads Carolina with a team-high 18 multi-hit games and is tied for second with 11 multi-RBI contests.

Despite a loss on Saturday vs. Texas A&M, freshman right-hander Braden Webb continues to be among the top pitchers in the SEC. Webb allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in 5.2 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. Webb is 9-4 with a 3.48 ERA. He has allowed 36 runs, 30 earned, on 58 hits in 77.2 innings pitched. He also reached the single-season 100 strikeout total and has 100 strikeouts to 40 walks. Opponents are batting .206 against him. Webb is tied with teammate Clarke Schmidt for third in the SEC in wins and is right behind him in strikeouts at second in the league. He is sixth in opposing batting average. In SEC games, Webb is 6-3 with a 4.06 ERA and has 79 strikeouts in 57.2 innings with opponents batting .226 against him in league play. Webb’s six wins ties him with Logan Shore and Alex Faedo of Florida and Dakota Hudson of Mississippi State with the most victories in league play. His 79 strikeouts are also the most by a SEC pitcher in league contests.

Junior left-hander Josh Reagan worked 4.1 innings of relief and allowed two runs on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts to pick up the victory in Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas A&M. It was Reagan’s second-longest stint of the season. He is 2-2 with 11 saves and a 1.67 ERA in 24 relief appearances. Reagan has allowed eight runs on 24 hits in 43.0 innings with 38 strikeouts and 15 walks. He is tied for first in the SEC in saves and tied for sixth in appearances.

Sophomore outfielder Alex Destino drove in a run in the 10-7 win over Texas A&M and also tallied a RBI in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Aggies. Destino is second on the team in hitting with a .333 average (61-for-183). He has a team-high eight homers, 48 RBI and a .530 slugging percentage. Destino ranks eighth in the SEC in RBI.

Junior right-hander Reed Scott had a pair of quality relief outings in Friday and Saturday’s games vs. Texas A&M. Scott pitched 1.1 perfect innings on Friday night and followed that up Saturday allowing just one run on two hits in 3.1 innings. He also struck out all four batters he faced for his second save of the season in the 3-1 win over Presbyterian. Scott is 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 24 relief appearances and a pair of saves. He has allowed 12 runs on 33 hits in 37.2 innings.

Senior infielder Marcus Mooney was 2-for-3, hit by a pitch twice, drove in a run and scored a run in Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas A&M. Mooney is fourth on the Gamecocks in hitting with a .314 average (49-for-156) with 25 RBI and 31 runs scored. Mooney owns a .420 on-base percentage as well.

Sophomore right-hander Tyler Johnson struck out the lone batter he faced in Sunday’s 10-7 win to earn his sixth save of the season. Johnson has 39 strikeouts in 35.2 innings with opponents batting .198 against him. Five of his six saves have come in SEC play, fourth-best in the conference.

Sophomore infielder Madison Stokes hit his first career homer in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Texas A&M. Stokes is batting .263 (15-for-57) with five RBI and six runs scored in 18 games played with 16 starts).

Sophomore infielder Jonah Bride is one of two Gamecocks alongside teammate Dom Thompson-Williams, who has started all 51 games this year. Bride was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas A&M. He is hitting .265 (48-for-181) with 21 RBI and 35 runs scored. He is second in the SEC with 17 hit by pitches on the year.

Junior right-hander Taylor Widener struck out a career-high 12 batters in a career-high 7.2 innings in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Presbyterian. Widener is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 43.1 innings with 50 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .228 against him.

The Gamecocks own a team ERA of 3.26 on the year, fifth-best in the SEC with a .223 opponents batting average that is best in the SEC. South Carolina has allowed 188 runs, 166 earned, on 377 hits with 167 walks to 492 strikeouts in 458.0 innings pitched.

South Carolina is seventh in the SEC in hitting with a team average of .285 (492-for-1728) as well as a .378 on-base percentage and a .407 slugging percentage. The Gamecocks have hit 35 homers. Carolina is fielding .980 as a team with just 37 errors on the year, second-best in the conference.

South Carolina has outscored its opponents this year 309-188 including 70-33 in the first two innings of play. The Gamecocks are 28-4 on the year when scoring first and 16-3 when scoring in the first inning. South Carolina is 26-3 when out-hitting its opponent and 20-5 when hitting at least one home run. The Gamecocks are 34-1 when leading after the sixth inning. South Carolina is 16-8 in games decided by three runs or less. Carolina has reached double-digits in hits in 21 games this year with a 20-1 record with 10 hits or more.

THIS WEEK
5/17/16 ââ’¬” The Citadel ââ’¬” 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
5/19/16 ââ’¬” at Alabama ââ’¬” 8 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
5/20/16 ââ’¬” at Alabama ââ’¬” 8 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
5/21/16 ââ’¬” at Alabama ââ’¬” 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
All times are Eastern