COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina baseball team wraps up the regular season with a three-game SEC series at Texas A&M. The Gamecocks and Aggies will begin the series on Thursday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. CDT (7:30 p.m. EDT). Game two will take place on Friday, May 18, also at 6:30 p.m. CDT (7:30 p.m. EDT). The series and regular season will conclude on Saturday, May 19 at 2 p.m. CDT (3 p.m. EDT).

Thursday and Friday’s games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus with Saturday’s game televised on SEC Network with Mike Couzens and Chris Burke on the call. Every game will be on the IMG Gamecock Radio Network with Derek Scott and Tommy Moody on the call.

The Gamecocks are coming off winning 2-of-3 games against Missouri, winning Sunday’s game in dramatic fashion as a Carlos Cortes walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Gamecocks the 1-0 win. Carolina had its midweek game vs. USC Upstate cancelled due to thunderstorms.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M

> The Aggies ended their non-conference regular season schedule with a 6-5 win over Sam Houston State on Tuesday night. Hunter Coleman had two hits and drove in a run in the win, while Cason Sherrod earned the win on the mound, striking out four in 2.2 innings. Michael Helman leads the team with a .361 average and 13 doubles while Braden Shewmake has 40 RBI. On the mound, Mitchell Kilkenny is 8-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched.

SERIES VS. TEXAS A&M

> The Gamecocks are 7-4 overall against Texas A&M. The two teams last met in 2016, with the Aggies winning 2-of-3 games in Columbia and defeating Carolina 4-1 in the 2016 SEC Tournament. The first-ever meeting between the two schools was in the 2011 College World Series, with Carolina winning 5-4. The Gamecocks are 2-1 all-time against the Aggies in College Station.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION

Thursday
South Carolina Logan Chapman (Fr. RHP) 3-1, 4.67 ERA, 52.0 IP, 28 BB, 46 SO
Texas A&M Mitchell Kilkenny (Jr. RHP) 8-3, 2.85 ERA, 82.0 IP, 22 BB, 74 SO

Friday
South Carolina Adam Hill (Jr. RHP) 6-5, 4.08 ERA, 64.0 IP, 37 BB, 87 SO
Texas A&M John Doxakis (So. LHP) 6-4, 3.15 ERA, 74.1 IP, 24 BB, 64 SO

Saturday
South Carolina Cody Morris (So. RHP) 6-3, 4.22 ERA, 64.0 IP, 26 BB, 69 SO
Texas A&M TBA

RANKINGS

> South Carolina is now ranked in three polls (11th in Collegiate Baseball, 23rd in Baseball America, 25th in D1Baseball.com) and are receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Carolina currently is 38th in the RPI and has the 12th best strength of schedule, according to D1Baseball.com.

MORRIS NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK

> Cody Morris earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors after his performance against Missouri on May 13. Morris tied his career high with 10 strikeouts in a career-best seven innings of work as the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers, 1-0, on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday. Morris was dominant after the first inning as he did not allow a runner in scoring position after that inning. Morris had a strikeout in all seven innings he pitched and lowered his ERA to 4.22. He has 69 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched to go along with six wins.

GAMECOCKS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT SEC SERIES

> South Carolina picked up its fourth straight SEC series win, taking 2-of-3 games from Missouri on May 11-13. It is the first time the Gamecocks have won four straight conference series since 2012. Carolina is 9-3 in its last 12 league contests, is hitting .316 in those games and the pitching staff has 108 strikeouts in 108 innings. The Gamecocks swept LSU while taking two games apiece from Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Missouri.

GLOVE WORK

> The Gamecocks are currently fielding .982, good for fifth in the country and second in the SEC. Carolina has committed just 34 errors on the year and no individual has more than five errors this season. Hunter Taylor does not have an error and he has thrown out 14 base runners trying to steal this season.

CARLOS WALKS IT OFF VS. MISSOURI

> Carlos Cortes belted a solo home run on the first pitch he saw in the ninth, breaking a scoreless tie and giving the Gamecocks the 1-0 win over Missouri Sunday, May 13. It was Cortes’ 14th home run of the season and Carolina’s second walk-off win of the campaign. It also was Carolina’s first 1-0 win since a 2014 victory over Brown on March 9.