Gamecocks Return Home To Host Missouri

COLUMBIA, S.C. —- South Carolina softball is set to return home for five-straight games starting Thursday when it plays host to No. 17 Missouri at 6:00 p.m. ET. The three-game series continues Friday at 6:00 p.m. before concluding Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The first two games of the trio of contests will stream on SEC Network+ with Burch Antley and former Carolina standout Chrissy Schoonmaker on the call.
 
Saturday’s series finale will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU with Mark Neely and Tennessee legend Madison Shipman on the call.
 
GAMECOCKS IN THE SEC… AND SOME FUN NOTES

• South Carolina comes into the SEC weekend with a 260-357 (.413) record all-time in SEC play.
• The Gamecocks have won the SEC once in program history (1997, the first year of the conference). Carolina went 25-1 that year in SEC play on its way to a first-place finish in the SEC East Division.
• Carolina has won 20+ SEC games in a season twice (1997 and 2002) and has won 10+ 13 times (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2018).
• The Garnet and Black posted a 9-14 record in 2019 SEC play. Carolina went 1-2 last year with a series loss to Georgia before the season was ended.
• South Carolina notably swept Missouri the last time it came to Columbia (2018). The Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 20-8 while hitting .351 with six home runs and five doubles. Kennedy Clark led the way at the plate with six hits and three runs.
• Cayla Drotar, Kelsey Oh and Dixie Raley earned wins on the weekend.
• Alyssa VanDerveer and Drotar deposited two home runs while Alyssa Kumiyama and Tiara Duffy added one, each, as well.
• Carolina posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in the three games.

 THE PAST WEEK… THERE’S ALWAYS A POSITIVE 

• South Carolina softball took a tough series loss to Texas A&M this past weekend. There we three games and three final scores.
• Mackenzie Boesel continued her quest to finish as one of the best in school history as she broke the program record for career walks with her 117th on Sunday. She notably holds the school record for career walks, doubles and assists by a second baseman.
• Boesel and Kenzi Maguire have led the way at the plate over the past 10 games. The duo has gone a combined 18-for-43 at the plate with 16 runs, four doubles and a triple. Most noticeably they’ve drawn 30 free bases thanks to walks and hit by pitches.
• Six Gamecocks have earned all 10 starts over that stretch (Boesel, Maguire, Aaliyah White, Katie Prebble, Kassidy Krupit and Maddie Gallagher).
• Really look at the numbers and you’ll see Gallagher is taking a great approach at the plate. While she’s posted five hits over the past 10 games, she’s also drawn eight free bases thanks to six walks on her way to a .406 on-base percentage.
• Boesel is hitting .467 with runners on base on seven hits over the past 10 games.

 
 THIS IS CAROLINA… TRADITION LIVES HERE

• South Carolina softball has made 22 trips to the postseason, a number that started in 1982. The Gamecocks have reached two super regionals and three WCWS. In conference play, Carolina owns two SEC Championships.
• Carolina rolls into the 2021 season with a 45-48 record all-time in those crucial postseason games and a 14-15 mark under Beverly Smith.
• Fans and opponents have become accustomed to seeing the Gamecocks play on Sundays in the postseason. Carolina has reached the regional final four-straight completed years. The Gamecocks are 2-3 in those past five Sunday games.
• A historic trend Carolina will look to change is its record against host schools in regionals. Since 1982, the Gamecocks are just 2-11 against host schools and 0-7 under Smith. On the flip side, South Carolina is 4-2 at home in the postseason under Smith having advanced to just the program’s second super regional in 2018 with two win-or-go-home games against Liberty.

 THE GAMECOCKS

• South Carolina comes into the 2021 season looking to build off a 17-6 shorted season highlighted with wins over Ohio State, Iowa State, No. 8 Michigan and No. 12 Georgia.
• The Gamecocks are set to welcome 10 freshmen to the program (Maddie Gallagher, Carlie Henderson, Kylee Gleason, Zoe Laneaux, Aaliyah White, Skylar Trahan, Leah Powell, Carly Robbins, Riley Blampied and Chooch Carroll.
• Carolina will have nine left-handed batters available in the lineup. It had five in 2020, seven in 2019, eight in 2017 and six in 2016. Of the nine left-handed batters, four (Carlie Henderson, Kylee Gleason, Haley Simpson and Aaliyah White) are listed as slap hitters.
• 13 Georgia natives help make up the Gamecock roster. It’s the most from any single state for the 2021 season. For comparison, Georgia has 14 on its 2021 roster while Georgia Tech has 17.

 THIS NEW CLASS… IT’S A 10/10

• South Carolina will have 10 newcomers on the 2021 roster. The group (Maddie Gallagher, Carlie Henderson, Kylee Gleason, Zoe Laneaux, Aaliyah White, Skylar Trahan, Leah Powell, Carly Robbins, Riley Blampied and Chooch Carroll) bring a mix of power and speed to the plate and plenty of versatility defensively.
• Two newcomers (Gallagher and Blampied) bring national team experience with them after playing on the gold winning U-17 squad this past summer.
• The freshmen class is comprised of five infielders, two outfielders, two pitchers and one catcher.
• Majors in the group include pre-business (Gallagher), retailing (Henderson, Laneaux, Trahan, Powell, Blampied and Carroll), exercise science (Gleason), cardiovascular technology (White) and biological science (Robbins).

 GUESS WHO IS BACK… BACK AGAIN. TELL A FRIEND. 

• They aren’t Slim Shady… but the four 2020 Carolina seniors are back to finish what they started in 2021. Cayla Drotar, Lauren Stewart, Kenzi Maguire and Mackenzie Boesel all announced over the summer they’d be returning.
• With their return, nine of the top-10 individual batting averages from the 2020 season will return for this upcoming year. The returning pitching staff of Bailey Betenbaugh, Drotar, Kelsey Oh and Rachel Vaughan bring back 12 of Carolina’s 17 wins in 2020 (71 percent) and its lone SEC winner in the circle last year (Ochs).
• As a team, Carolina brings back 85 percent of its 2020 runs scored, 86 percent of its hits, 83 percent of its doubles, 85 percent of its home runs and 87 percent of its RBI.
• Boesel returns looking to secure her spot as one of the all-time greats at Carolina. She comes into her final season as one of just five Gamecocks ever to be in the top-10 for 10 or more career offensive records and is on pace to break many of them. Off the field, she’s also a three-time Academic All-American.

THAT’S… INTERESTING! 

• South Carolina will have at least one student-athlete on from the state of California for the 26th-consecutive year dating back to 1994 in 2021. With a signing class that includes two more (Marissa Gonzalez and Emma Sellers), the streak could continue on for three decades.
• Kenzi Maguire’s 2021 season will be her sixth season in Columbia, meaning she’s been here for more than half of the Beverly Smithera (11 years).
• Carlie Henderson won’t be the first in her family to achieve at a high level in sports. Her grandpa, Billy Shaw, played football at Georgia Tech and went on to play offensive line for nine years with the Buffalo Bills before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Her father, Chip, played baseball at Shorter University and has been the baseball head coach at Calhoun High School for 26 years. He’s won more than 600 games with three state titles (and had eight players drafted into MLB).
• Maddie Gallagher has actually played for one of her teammates. Maguire was her assistant coach this past year on Gallagher’s travel ball team. The team was coached by Maguire’s dad, Kevin, and was based out of Tampa, Fla., even though Gallagher lived in Port Washington, N.Y.

MUST WIN AT HOME! AND THE GAMECOCKS DO

• South Carolina is 193-86 (.665) at home during the Beverly Smith era, which does not include a 4-1 record at home while hosting a regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• The Gamecocks have lost more than 10 games at home in a single season just three times in her ten years.
• Carolina has finished .500 or better at home seven of Beverly Smith’s ten years.
• South Carolina has not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more six of the past seven seasons (2020 included).

 GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

• South Carolina is 144-330-1 (.293) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995.
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 69-109 (.358) at home, 33-149 (.154) on the road and 43-71-1 (.407) in neutral-site outings.
• During the notable 2018 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.
• Last season, the Gamecocks went 2-5 against ranked foes with wins over Michigan and Georgia.