Baseball Notebook

April 23, 2017

South Carolina is 24-15 and 9-9 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are tied for third in the SEC Eastern Division and tied for eighth overall in the league.

Record: 24-15
SEC: 9-9
Home: 17-9
Away: 7-4
Neutral: 0-1

Last Week: 2-2
4/18/17 ââ’¬” Davidson ââ’¬” W, 3-2
4/20/17 ââ’¬” at Florida ââ’¬” L, 1-0
4/21/17 ââ’¬” at Florida ââ’¬” W, 4-2
4/22/17 ââ’¬” at Florida ââ’¬” L, 7-5

NOTES:
South Carolina has only lost two games this year by four or more runs. 13 of South Carolina’s 18 SEC games have been decided by three runs or less this year. The Gamecocks are 4-9 in those contests.

South Carolina pitchers continue to be among the league leaders in the SEC. The Gamecocks own a 3.17 team ERA with 147 runs allowed, 125 earned, on 147 hits in 354.2 innings pitched. The Gamecocks have struck out 382 batters to 138 walks. Opponents are batting .221 against the Gamecocks. South Carolina ranks second in the SEC in opposing batting average as well as third in ERA and strikeouts. South Carolina’s 2.90 ERA in SEC games leads the conference as well. The Gamecocks have 162 strikeouts in 164.2 innings during conference play.

South Carolina is hitting .269 (357-for-1326) for the season with a .351 on-base percentage and a .401 slugging percentage. The Gamecocks have 33 homers on the year. South Carolina has equaled or out-hit its opponent in 28 of 39 games this year. South Carolina is fielding .978 for the season with 18 games without an error. South Carolina is 13-5 when not committing an error. South Carolina ranks third in the SEC in fielding.

South Carolina is 18-6 on the year when scoring first in a game and 18-4 when entering the seventh inning with a lead and 23-3 when entering the ninth inning with the lead. The Gamecocks are 14-2 when scoring six or more runs and 23-8 when allowing five runs or less. South Carolina is 12-13 in games decided by three runs or less. South Carolina is 10-1 in five-plus run games.

Junior right-hander Wil Crowe earned the win in Friday’s 4-2 victory at Florida. Crowe allowed just one run on six hits in seven-plus innings of work with no walks and three strikeouts. Crowe is 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts this year. He has allowed 29 runs, 23 earned, on 58 hits in 63.2 innings with 59 strikeouts to 19 walks and opponents batting .238 against him. Crowe ranks sixth in the SEC in innings pitched and 13th in the league in strikeouts.

Freshman outfielder Carlos Cortes continues to swing a hot bat for the Gamecocks. Cortes is South Carolina’s top hitter in SEC play with a .360 average (18-for-50) in 18 league games with all five of his homers vs. SEC teams as well and a team-high 17 RBIs in those league games. Cortes hit a key two-run homer in the 4-2 win on Friday at Florida. Cortes is hitting .341 (14-for-41) with four homers in the last 10 games. For the season he is batting .297 (27-for-91) with 13 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, five homers and 21 RBIs. Cortes has a .720 slugging percentage in SEC games, third-best in the entire SEC with his .360 conference average ranking him 10th best. His 17 RBIs in league play is tied for fifth-best in the league also.

Junior right-hander Clarke Schmidt put together a quality start despite the loss in the 1-0 defeat at Florida. Schmidt allowed just one run on four hits in 5.1 innings with three walks and two strikeouts before having to leave the game with right forearm soreness. Schmidt is 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA in nine starts. He has allowed only 15 runs, nine earned, on 41 hits in 60.1 innings with 70 strikeouts to 18 walks and opponents batting .194 against him. Schmidt ranks second in the SEC in ERA, third in opposing batting average, sixth in strikeouts and tied for 10th in innings pitched. He has 39 strikeouts to eight walks in 34.1 innings in SEC play with a 1.57 ERA in conference contests. Schmidt’s league ERA is third-best with his opponents .191 batting average sixth-best and his 39 league strikeouts tied for sixth-highest.

Sophomore outfielder Jacob Olson is South Carolina’s leading hitter. Olson is batting .315 (46-for-146) with 28 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, five homers and 23 RBIs. He has a .375 on-base percentage to go along with a team-best .479 slugging percentage. Olson is also hitting .328 (22-for-67) in SEC play with a team-high 14 runs scored in league games. Olson tied a career-high with three hits in Saturday’s 7-5 loss to Florida. Olson was South Carolina’s leading hitter at Florida with a .417 average (5-for-12) in the series. Olson’s 14 multi-hit games is tied for the team-high as well.

Junior right-hander Tyler Johnson picked up saves in both Carolina wins this past week. Johnson allowed just one hit and struck out three batters in an inning of work in the 3-2 win vs. Davidson. He also allowed just one run on two hits in two innings with two walks and two strikeouts in the 4-2 win at Florida. Johnson has six saves on the year and a 2.31 ERA in nine relief appearances. He has 20 strikeouts to four walks in 11.2 innings with opponents batting .205 against him.

Sophomore catcher Chris Cullen had a key RBI single in the 4-2 win at Florida and added a two-run homer in Saturday’s 7-5 loss vs. the Gators. Cullen is batting .282 (29-for-103) for the season with five homers, 18 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He is at a .378 on-base percentage and a .476 slugging mark. Cullen owns a .283 average (15-for-53) in league play.

Senior left-hander Josh Reagan made a pair of relief appearances at Florida and allowed three runs on three hits in 5.1 innings of work. Reagan is 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA with two saves in a team-high 18 relief appearances. Reagan has allowed 14 runs, 11 earned, on 29 hits with 34 strikeouts to 10 walks and opponents batting .230 against him.

Junior infielder Jonah Bride hit .250 (2-for-8) with a team-high three walks in the Florida series. Bride is batting .289 (39-for-135) for the season with a .388 on-base percentage with 17 walks, six hit by pitches to 13 strikeouts. He has scored 18 runs on the year and driven in 19 as well. Bride leads the Gamecocks with eight doubles on the year and has also tripled twice and homered twice. Bride is the only Gamecock this year to have started all 39 games this year.

Sophomore right-hander Adam Hill allowed two runs on four hits in 3.1 innings with four walks and two strikeouts in a start vs. the Gators. Hill is 2-3 with a 2.36 ERA in nine starts. He has allowed 15 runs, 13 earned, on 36 hits in 49.2 innings with 57 strikeouts to 25 walks and opponents batting .208 against him. Hill is seventh-best in the SEC in opposing batting average as well as eighth in ERA. Hill’s 37 strikeouts vs. SEC teams is tied for ninth-best with a 2.78 league ERA 14th-best in the conference.

Sophomore infielder LT Tolbert ranks second on the team with a .309 batting average (42-for-136) with 18 runs scored, 28 RBIs, six doubles, a triple and three homers. Tolbert is hitting .292 (21-for-72) in SEC play with nine runs scored and 16 RBIs in the conference.

Senior right-hander Reed Scott is now tied for eighth all-time in career appearances for the Gamecocks with 81 in his four-year career with the Gamecocks. Scott pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the 1-0 loss at Florida. For the season he is 1-2 with a 3.55 ERA in 16 relief appearances. Scott also has two saves. He has struck out 29 batters in 33.0 innings pitched.

Sophomore outfielder TJ Hopkins is hitting .370 (10-for-27) in the last 10 games played with four runs scored, two doubles and a RBI. Hopkins for the season is batting .280 (35-for-125) with 14 RBIs and 28 runs scored to go along with seven doubles, a pair of triples and four homers. Hopkins was 2-for-5 with two runs scored in the 7-5 loss at Florida. He also had a hit and a run scored in the 4-2 win vs. the Gators.

Senior right-hander Colie Bowers pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win in last Tuesday’s 3-2 win vs. Davidson. Bowers is 3-1 on the year with three saves and a 1.48 ERA in 16 relief appearances. He has 28 strikeouts in 24.1 innings with opponents batting .145 against him.

Junior first baseman Matt Williams leads South Carolina in on-base percentage with a .399 mark and owns a team-high 23 walks and has also been hit by six pitches.

Freshman right-hander Colby Lee pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the 3-2 win vs. Davidson. Lee is 1-0 with a 2.30 ERA in eight relief appearances with 14 strikeouts in 15.2 innings with opponents batting .207 against him.

Junior infielder Madison Stokes is hitting .290 (9-for-31) in the last 10 games played. He has seven doubles, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 36 starts.

Junior outfielder Alex Destino is tied for a team-high eight multi-RBI games this season and ranks tied for third on the team with nine multi-hit games. He is hitting .257 (37-for-144) with five doubles, five homers and 25 RBIs.

NEXT WEEK
4/28/17 ââ’¬” Kentucky ââ’¬” 7 p.m.
4/29/17 ââ’¬” Kentucky ââ’¬” 4 p.m.
4/30/17 ââ’¬” Kentucky ââ’¬” 1:30 p.m.