Gamecocks Open SEC Play Against Kentucky

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COLUMBIA, S.C. —- No. 11 South Carolina softball is set to open conference play this weekend against No. 22 Kentucky at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. The Gamecocks will square off with the Wildcats in a three game series with first pitch on Friday set for 6:00 p.m. ET. The series continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET before the Sunday conclusion at 1:00 p.m. ET. All three games will air on SEC Network + with Burch Antley and Dr. Megan Matthews Buning on the call. 

Fans are encouraged to park in the Heyward Street Parking Garage for all three games of the series. 
 

THE GAMECOCKS 

• Carolina comes into the 2019 season looking to build upon a 49-17 season in which the Gamecocks reached the program’s second ever super regional after winning the Columbia Regional. 
• The Gamecocks welcome five freshmen and transfer Katie Prebble to the program this season to bring the Gamecocks to 19 active members. 
• Head coach Beverly Smith has been keeping the local talent home recently, as the Gamecocks have five South Carolina natives on roster and two of the last three South Carolina Gator Players of the Year. 
• Carolina won’t be lacking arms this season with five available coming into the new season, leaving 14 fielders. Freshman Rachel Vaughan comes in as coach Smith’s first left-handed pitcher during her time at South Carolina. 

THE UPCOMING WEEK 

• The Gamecocks returned home for six-straight games starting this Wednesday with a 3-0 victory over Winthrop. Carolina is set to face the Eagles, No. 16 Kentucky and Bryant (twice) over the course of the next week and six home games. South Carolina faced Winthrop for the second time this season after posting a 15-1 victory in five innings in Charlotte on Feb. 24 as part of the Charlotte First Pitch Classic. 
• South Carolina opens up SEC play this weekend against No. 22 Kentucky Friday-Sunday as the Gamecocks will air on SEC Network + for the first time this season. The Wildcats took two-of-three last season in Lexington as the Gamecocks will look to take the season series for the first time since 2015 and the first time in Columbia since 2007. 
• Carolina comes into the weekend riding an 15-game winning streak. The streak dates back to a win over UNCG to open the Gamecock Invitational on Feb. 15 in an 11-3 victory in five innings. 
• This week marked the first time in three weeks South Carolina hasn’t had a player win an SEC Player of the Week honor. South Jana Johns and Cayla Drotar won back-to-back player of the year nominations as both received their first POTW recognitions. 

THE WINNING STREAK 

• The Gamecocks come into the weekend riding a 15-game winning streak and have won 15-straight games for the second-straight year. This marks the first time since the 1996 and 1997 seasons the Gamecocks have won 10-straight games (or more) in back-to-back seasons. Carolina has outscored opponents 139-31 (+108) during the streak while batting .390 as a team. 
• A better look into the numbers, Carolina has hit 27 home runs with 133 RBI and a .489 on-base percentage thanks to a 82 free bases. The pitching hasn’t been bad either, as Dixie Raley has posted a 1.56 ERA with a 4-0 record (and two saves) in 27 innings of work with 31 strikeouts while holding teams to a low .177 batting average. Four different pitchers have earned a win and two have earned at least one save. 
• At the plate, Carolina has five hitters batting .400 or better (Jana Johns, Mackenzie Boesel, Kennedy Clark, Cayla Drotar, Kenzi Maguire). Boesel and Johns are both hitting .500 or better, as well. Boesel has led the way batting .524 with 15 RBI and a .881 slugging percentage. Cayla Drotar has produced a team-best 25 RBI while Johns has posted the most home runs (six). 
• Some notable game highs during the streak include 33 at bats at South Florida, 16 runs scored against Campbell, 16 hits against Campbell, five doubles three different times, six walks twice, four hit by pitches three times 11 strikeouts of opposing hitters against Coastal Carolina.

SEC SUCCESS WAS SO SWEET LAST YEAR 

• South Carolina won five of its SEC series (Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Missouri). During those series wins, Carolina outscored teams 86-44 with a .297 batting average. 
• Mackenzie Boesel played a big role in the SEC series wins, as she led the Gamecocks with a .417 batting average with 14 runs, 10 RBI and a .708 slugging percentage during the victories. 
• In the circle, the trio of Kelsey Oh, Dixie Raley and Cayla Drotar posted a 2.47 ERA during those games with 55 strikeouts and seven complete games. 
• South Carolina went on to reach the SEC Tournament Championship for the first time since 2001 with wins over Arkansas and Mississippi State before eventually falling to Florida.

HOW TO WATCH THE GAMECOCKS IN 2019

• ESPN has shown some respect for the Gamecocks in the preseason, giving the program at least 30 games on the Family of Networks. 
• Carolina will have 21 home games broadcast as well nine road contests. 
• The Gamecocks first nationally televised game comes on March 24 against Ole Miss with a game on SEC Network. 
• South Carolina will have five games on SEC Network, two on ESPNU, two on ESPN2 and one on ESPN. 

BETTER LOOK INTO BOESEL 

• Currently batting .524 with 22 hits, 22 runs and 15 RBI during the team’s 15-game winning streak. On the year, she’s hitting .410 with a .520 on-base percentage and 17 RBI. 
• In Charlotte on Feb. 24, became the 17th Gamecock in program history to bring home 100 or more RBI in a career in the 15-1 victory in five innings over Winthrop. Currently in her career she is tied for 12th in runs scored, tied for sixth in home runs, 14th in RBI, and 13th in hit by pitches. Is also standing strong with the second-base on-base percentage for a career in school history. (3/7) 
• Received plenty of attention at the start of the 2019 season, as she was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team and selected to the USA Softball Top-50 Watch List for Player of the Year. 
• Mackenzie Boesel couldn’t have asked for a much better sophomore year, as she became just the 10th Gamecock in program history to be named an Academic All-American as well as her selection to the All-SEC Second Team (her second All-SEC honor of her career).

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL RECORD 

• South Carolina has played 2,340 games in its softball history, going 1517-806-7 (.647) in its 44 years of history. 
• The Gamecocks have posted 30 or more wins each of the past six season under the direction of head coach Beverly Smith. 
• Carolina has protected home well, also, with 20 or more coming in friendly confines each of the past five years. 
• The Gamecocks have posted a combined 59 conference wins over the last five years. 

GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS 

• South Carolina is 132-307-1 (.293) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995. 
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 62-97 (.358) at home, 28-142 (.154) on the road and 43-67-1 (.407) in neutral-site outings.
• Last season, the Gamecocks went 8-14 against ranked teams, including an 8-1 record in home games. The Gamecocks notably swept Tennessee and Mississippi State in home series against ranked teams last year. The Gamecocks also took two of three games against Arkansas, as well. 
• In road games, the Gamecocks notably won a road series at Ole Miss to star the SEC season and earned their first win over Texas A&M since 2015.

MUST WIN AT HOME! AND THE GAMECOCKS DO

• South Carolina is 156-75 (.665) at home during the Beverly Smith era, which does not include a 4-1 record at home while hosting a regional at home. 
• The Gamecocks have lost more than 10 games at home in a single season just three times in her eight years. 
• Carolina has finished .500 or better at home seven of Beverly Smith’s time. 
• South Carolina has not lost double digit games at home in six years, and has won 20 or more the past five seasons. Carolina was a dominate 25-3 last season at home.

FULL GAME NOTES