Baseball Notebook

March 13, 2017

South Carolina went 4-0 last week with wins over The Citadel and Winthrop and a pair of victories vs. Michigan State. The Gamecocks are 11-5 on the year after four weeks of action.

Record: 11-5
SEC: 0-0
Home: 10-4
Away: 1-0
Neutral: 0-1

Last Week: 4-0
3/7/17 ââ’¬” The Citadel (W, 12-5)
3/8/17 ââ’¬” Winthrop (W, 8-6)
3/10/17 ââ’¬” Michigan State (W, 3-2)
3/11/17 ââ’¬” Michigan State (W, 5-2)

NOTES:
The South Carolina pitching staff had another strong week as the group struck out 52 batters in 36.0 innings pitched and combined for a team ERA of 3.50 in the four victories. For the season, the Gamecocks own a team ERA of 3.02 with 176 strikeouts in 146.0 innings. The Gamecocks have allowed 58 runs, 49 earned, on 112 hits with 176 strikeouts to 61 walks. Opponents are hitting .209 against Carolina for the season. The Gamecocks lead the SEC in strikeouts, rank fifth in opposing batting average and eighth in earned run average.

The Gamecocks are hitting .275 (147-for-535) as a team for the year with a .354 on-base percentage and a .424 slugging mark. The Gamecocks are fielding .977 for the season, fourth-best in the SEC. South Carolina has equaled or out-hit its opponent in 14 of 16 games this year.

South Carolina is 9-2 on the year when scoring first in a game and 9-2 when entering the seventh inning with a lead and 11-1 when entering the ninth inning with the lead. The Gamecocks are 5-1 when scoring six or more runs and 10-3 when allowing five runs or less. South Carolina is 6-4 in games decided by three runs or less.

Junior right-hander Clarke Schmidt is now 3-0 on the year after earning the win in Friday’s 3-2 victory over Michigan State. Schmidt allowed just two runs on eight hits in 7.1 innings of work with no walks and a career-high 12 strikeouts. Schmidt owns a 1.04 ERA for the season having allowed just six runs, three earned, on 19 hits in 26.0 innings with 31 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .198 against him. Schmidt is tied for fifth in both strikeouts and innings pitched and eighth in the SEC in earned run average.

Junior third baseman Jonah Bride and junior first baseman Matt Williams were South Carolina’s top hitters last week with both hitting .462 (6-for-13) in the four victories.

Williams is South Carolina’s leading hitter after 16 games with a .413 batting average (19-for-46) with seven runs scored and eight RBI. He owns a .500 on-base percentage and a .522 slugging mark. Williams ranks sixth in the SEC in both hitting and on-base percentage. Williams was 3-for-5 with his first homer of the year and two runs scored in the 5-2 win over Michigan State. He has reached base safely in 14 straight games and is tied for second on the team with four multi-hit games and three multi-RBI games.

Bride scored a team-high six runs in the four wins and had a double and a triple as well. For the season, he is hitting .278 (15-for-54) with six RBI and nine runs scored and a .350 on-base percentage. Bride ranks second in the SEC also with five sacrifice hits. Bride owns the team’s longest current hitting streak at four games as well.

Junior right-hander Wil Crowe is also 3-0 after earning the win in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Michigan State. Crowe limited the Spartans to one run on three hits in 6.2 innings with three walks and tied his season-high with nine strikeouts. Crowe owns a 2.25 ERA and has allowed just six runs, all earned, on 14 hits in 24.0 innings with seven walks and 31 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .163 against him. Crowe is tied for fifth in the SEC in strikeouts and is ninth in the league in opposing batting average.

Junior outfielder/designated hitter Alex Destino was 2-for-3 with a key two-run single in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Michigan State. He also had a big home run in the eighth inning of South Carolina’s rally in the 8-6 win over Winthrop. Destino is hitting .298 (17-for-57) with three homers, three doubles, 10 runs scored and 14 RBI. He is at .379 in on-base percentage and .509 in slugging. Destino has a team-high five multi-RBI games.

Senior right-hander Colie Bowers earned his first career save in Friday’s 3-2 win over Michigan State with 1.2 scoreless innings of work and a pair of strikeouts. Bowers is 2-0 with a save in seven relief appearances and owns a 0.00 ERA. He has allowed just one unearned run on four this in 11.0 innings with two walks to 12 strikeouts and opponents hitting .111 against him.

Sophomore outfielder TJ Hopkins is second on the Gamecocks in hitting with a .300 batting average (15-for-50) to go along with a team-high 17 runs scored and a .390 on-base percentage. He is tied for eighth in the SEC in runs scored. Hopkins homered twice, his first multi-homer game of his career, in a 3-for-5 day at the plate with three runs scored and four RBI In the 12-5 win over The Citadel.

Senior left-hander Josh Reagan earned his first save of the year in the 5-2 win over Michigan State. Reagan allowed just one unearned run on two hits in 2.1 innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Reagan has pitched in a team-high eight appearances, tied for second-highest in the SEC. He is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Reagan has struck out 16 in 14.0 innings with a .146 opponents batting average.

Sophomore catcher Chris Cullen homered in two straight games with a homer in the 12-5 win vs. The Citadel as well as the 8-6 win over Winthrop. Cullen is hitting .231 (9-for-39) for the season with three homers and 11 RBI. He owns a .375 on-base percentage as well.

Senior right-hander Reed Scott struck out a career-high eight batters in five innings of relief and earned the win in the 8-6 victory over Winthrop. Scott is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in six relief appearances. Opponents are hitting .246 against him. He has 17 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Junior catcher Hunter Taylor went 2-for-3 with a walk in the 5-2 win over Michigan State. Taylor is hitting .400 (6-for-15) in seven games with four starts. Three of his six hits are doubles and he has also scored a pair of runs.

Sophomore right-hander Graham Lawson earned his first career win in the 12-5 victory over The Citadel. Lawson allowed four runs on four hits in three innings of relief with a walk and three strikeouts. Lawson has struck out seven in in 9.1 innings of work in three games.

Sophomore infielder LT Tolbert had a key two-run double in the 5-2 win over Michigan State. Tolbert added two hits vs. Winthrop and was 1-for-4 with two runs scored in the 12-5 win over The Citadel. Tolbert is hitting .289 (13-for-45) and is fielding 1.000 on the year.

Junior left-hander John Parke earned his first career save in the 12-5 win over The Citadel. Parke allowed just one run on three hits in three innings and struck out a career-high five batters.

Junior infielder Madison Stokes belted a two-run homer in the 3-2 win over Michigan State. Stokes has two homers on the year to go along with a team-high four doubles, five RBI and seven runs scored.

Freshman right-hander Cody Morris made his first career appearance for the Garnet & Black in a start in the 12-5 win over The Citadel. Morris allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings and struck out six with just one walk.

Freshman right-hander Colby Lee also made his first career appearance for the Gamecocks and came up big in relief in the 8-6 win over Winthrop. Lee allowed just one run on three hits in 3.2 innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

NEXT WEEK
3/14/17 ââ’¬” at Furman (Fluor Field) ââ’¬” 7 p.m.
3/17/17 ââ’¬” at Tennessee ââ’¬” 7 p.m. (SEC Bases Loaded)
3/18/17 ââ’¬” at Tennessee ââ’¬” 2 p.m.
3/19/17 ââ’¬” at Tennessee ââ’¬” 2 p.m. (ESPNU)