Baseball Hosts Winthrop on Tuesday Afternoon

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina baseball team continues its season-opening homestand on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 22), taking on Winthrop at 4 p.m. at Founders Park. Tuesday’s game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus with Cade Crenshaw and Kip Bouknight on the call. All games also will be broadcast on The Game 107.5 FM with Derek Scott and Tommy Moody on the call. The Gamecocks won 2-of-3 games in the season-opening series against UNC Greensboro, including coming back from a 7-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Spartans, 8-7, in 10 innings.
 
PARKING INFORMATION
Shuttle parking for the University of South Carolina baseball season will be operational at the Key Road Gravel Lot (1105 Key Road). Shuttle begins two (2) hours prior to first pitch and continues until 1 hour after the game.

For GPS purposes, the address for the Key Road Gravel Lot is 1105 Key Road, Columbia, SC 29201.

BUSINESS LOTS DURING AFTERNOON GAMES Business lot parking passes will be honored in Lot 1 ONLY for the Feb. 18, 22, 25 afternoon baseball games based on availability. The businesses at 405 (Lot 9) and 401 (Lot 10) Huger Street request that you begin parking at 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. Other business lots open at 5 p.m. on weekdays. Parking is allowed in Lot 8 (the Cregger lot) on the Williams St. side for the afternoon early games.

GAME DAY PARKING INFORMATION (including public game day lots (PGDL: $10/$5 per game). All gameday lots are cashless. Please have a debit card or credit card ready for payment upon entry into parking lots.

Weekday 4 p.m. Games (Feb. 18, 22, 25)
Game time: 4 p.m.
Stadium opens: 3:00 p.m.
Business Lots Open: 5/5:30 p.m.
Lot 1, STDM, HDG PDGL Open: 2 p.m.
Bus Shuttle for Patrons: 2 p.m.

SCOUTING WINTHROP
The Eagles won the first two games of 2022 before falling in the series finale vs. Eastern Michigan in Rock Hill. Winthrop won the season opener, 11-9, as Khyree Miller drove in four runs and Joseph Szvetitz had three hits and three RBI. Jack Spyke leads Winthrop with a .571 average while CJ Conrad has four hits and three RBI. On the mound, Garrett Gainey is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and five strikeouts in five innings pitched.
 
SERIES VS. WINTHROP
Carolina leads the all-time series with Winthrop, 21-7, including six wins in a row heading into Tuesday’s game. Last season, the Gamecocks swept the two midweek games, including winning 12-4 in Columbia as Wes Clarke homered three times in the win. Carolina won 19-8 in Rock Hill in 2021. Joe Satterfield drove in five runs in that win.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Tuesday
South Carolina Cade Austin (R-Fr. RHP) 0-0, 32.40 ERA, 1.2 IP, 3 BB, 1 SO
Winthrop Carter Sutton (R-So. RHP) 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 0.1 IP, 2 BB, 0 SO
 
BRASWELL NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
University of South Carolina shortstop/pitcher Michael Braswell has been named the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced this afternoon (Feb. 21). Braswell helped the Gamecocks to a series win over UNC Greensboro this past weekend.
    Braswell did it at the plate, in the field and on the mound this week as the Gamecocks defeated the Spartans on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Playing in his first game as a collegian, Braswell was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and his first home run in a Carolina uniform. Braswell added a pair of RBI in Saturday’s game. Then on Sunday, he earned the win on the mound, striking out the side in the top of the 10th inning. Then in the bottom of the 10th, his RBI fielder’s choice scored Colin Burgess for the walk-off win, which also gave him the win on the mound. Braswell has a .438 on-base percentage and a .538 slugging percentage after three games this season.
 
EYSTER THE HERO IN SUNDAY’S WIN OVER UNCG
Andrew Eyster stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth of a 7-3 deficit and came through with a grand slam to left to tie the game at 7-all. It was Eyster’s first grand slam since he had one at Kentucky last season. Eyster also had a home run on Opening Day for the second straight year. He had seven hits, three for extra bases, in the UNC Greensboro series.

SANDERS PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Will Sanders got the ball for Opening Day and pitched five innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run with three strikeouts and no walks in the 9-7 win over UNC Greensboro on Feb. 18. Sanders now has seven career wins as a Gamecock and held the Spartans to a .167 opponent’s batting average.

WIMMER RED HOT TO START 2022
Braylen Wimmer had a great start to 2022, going 8-for-13 with three runs scored and two RBI in the UNC Greensboro series. Wimmer had three hits in each of the last two games and his hit-by-pitch kept Sunday’s game alive as Andrew Eyster followed with a grand slam.

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks face George Washington for a three-game series starting Friday afternoon (Feb. 25) at 4 p.m. All three games will be on SEC Network Plus.