Gamecock Baseball Notebook

COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team exploded for 49 runs in a sweep of UMass Lowell to start the 2023 season.

Record: 3-0
SEC: 0-0
Home: 3-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Streak: W3

Last Week:
2/17/23 – UMass Lowell (W, 20-3)
2/18/23 – UMass Lowell (W, 17-1)
2/19/23 – UMass Lowell (W, 12-1)

NOTES:
The Gamecocks scored 49 runs in the three wins over UMass Lowell. This included 14 home runs, three each from newcomers Gavin Casas and Will McGillis and two from Braylen Wimmer and Cole Messina. Caleb Denny, Carson Hornung, Ethan Petry and Kevin Madden also got into the act in the series.

The 49 runs were the most in the first three games of the season since the 1980 club had 59 runs in its first three contests.

The Gamecock pitching staff only allowed five runs in the three games, striking out 29 batters and allowing an opponent’s batting average of .132 in the series.

Braylen Wimmer had a weekend to remember, going 8-for-12 with six runs scored, a double, two home runs, eight RBI and a 1.250 slugging percentage. Wimmer had five hits on Opening Day, then had a grand slam in Saturday’s win. Wimmer drove in the first run of Sunday’s game with a single to center in the fifth inning.

Junior Jack Mahoney struck out nine in 5.2 shutout innings of work to earn Sunday’s win in his first outing since May of 2021. Mahoney retired the first six River Hawks and did not allow a walk to earn his fourth career win as a Gamecock.

The Gamecock pitching staff did not allow a hit after the first inning in Saturday’s win. Noah Hall struck out four in 5.1 innings of work, allowing just two hits and a run. The relief corps of Trey Wheeler, Chris Veach, Jackson Phipps and Brett Thomas did not allow a hit, striking out five batters.

Next Week
2/21/23 – Winthrop, 4 p.m. (SECN+)
2/22/23 – Queens, 4 p.m. (SECN+)
2/24/23 – Penn, 4 p.m. (SECN+)
2/25/23 – Penn, 2 p.m. (SECN+)
2/26/23 – Penn, 1:30 p.m. (SECN+)