Baseball Opens Team Practice on Friday
The Gamecocks will have three weeks of scrimmages before Opening Day.
COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team will open team practice this Friday (Jan. 29) at Founders Park, going through three weeks of team scrimmages before Opening Day on Feb. 19.
All scrimmages in the spring will be closed to the public due to COVID-19 regulations.
The Gamecocks are coming off a 12-4 season in a shortened 2020 campaign. Carolina returns 24 players from last year’s team, including Wes Clarke, who led the SEC with eight home runs and had a team-best 22 RBI, Brady Allen, who led the squad with a .327 batting average and Andrew Eyster, who returns for his third season in the Garnet and Black after hitting .305 in 2020.
On the mound, the duo of Brannon Jordan and Thomas Farr combined for 46 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched, while Brett Kerry was 2-0 with a save and 18 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. Carolina’s pitching staff had 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season.
The Gamecocks are ranked in three preseason polls heading into the 2021 season, No. 18 by both D1Baseball.com and Baseball America and No. 21 by Collegiate Baseball. Carolina also had its recruiting class ranked in the top 10 by four different organizations.
