UPDATE: Friday's First Pitch Moved Back to 7:30 p.m.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina baseball team faces Clemson in the annual three-game series this weekend. The series starts on Friday night (March 3) at 6 p.m. at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Game two will be at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., on Saturday, March 4 at 1 p.m. The series concludes at Founders Park on Sunday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra with Saturday and Sunday’s games streamed on SEC Network Plus. All games also will be broadcast on The Game 107.5 FM with Derek Scott, Tommy Moody and Stuart Lake on the call.

The Gamecocks have won each of its first nine games of the 2023 season, including defeating North Carolina A&T, 11-3, on Tuesday night. James Hicks and Eli Jones combined for five no-hit innings, while Will McGillis hit a leadoff home run and had a pair of extra-base hits in the win.

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.

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.

Sunday
Game Time: 1:30 p.m.
Stadium Opens: 12:30 p.m.
Business Lots Open: 11:30 a.m.
Lot 1, STDM, HDG PGDL Open: 11:30 a.m.
Bus Shuttle for Patrons: 11:30 a.m.

SCOUTING CLEMSON
The Tigers fell, 6-4, to USC Upstate on Tuesday night in Greenville. Chad Fairey had two hits and two runs scored in the game. Blake Wright is off to a hot start for Clemson, hitting .433 with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. On the mound, Ryan Ammons is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched.

SERIES VS. CLEMSON
Clemson has a 185-143-2 series advantage on Carolina heading into Friday’s game. Last season, the Tigers swept the Gamecocks, although Will Sanders struck out 14 Clemson batters in Friday night’s game. He earned the Tom Price Award, handed out to the MVP of the Clemson series.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday
South Carolina Will Sanders (Jr. RHP) 0-0, 2.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 9 K
Clemson Austin Gordon (So. RHP) 0-0, 6.10 ERA, 10.1 IP, 1 BB, 10 K
Saturday
South Carolina Noah Hall (Sr. RHP) 2-0, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1 BB, 16 SO
Clemson Tristan Smith (Fr. LHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.1 IP, 0 BB, 4 SO
Sunday
South Carolina Jack Mahoney (Jr. RHP) 1-0, 3.27 ERA, 11.0 IP, 2 BB, 13 SO
Clemson TBA

FAMILIAR FACES, DIFFERENT PLACES
Associate head coach Monte Lee along with seniors Dylan Brewer, Jonathan French and junior Ricky Williams will return to Clemson on Friday in the visitors dugout after being part of the Clemson team in 2022. French started at catcher on Tuesday against North Carolina A&T and has a double, three hits and an RBI on the year. Brewer has scored six runs and stolen two bases for the Gamecocks this season. Williams will miss the 2023 season with an injury.

HOME RUN DERBY
The Gamecocks hit 27 home runs in the first nine games of the season, the most in the nation heading to the third week of play. Carolina belted five home runs on Friday, Feb. 17 in the win over UMass Lowell, four on Saturday and five more on Sunday. In the midweek, Carolina had five in the Winthrop game and one more against Queens. Gavin Casas and Ethan Petry lead the team with five home runs, while Braylen Wimmer, Cole Messina and Will McGillis all have four round trippers. Wimmer and Messina have grand slams while the Gamecocks hit back-to-back home runs on Friday and Sunday against UML and Sunday against Penn. The Gamecocks are slugging .664 after nine games, led by Petry’s 1.038 slugging percentage.

NCAA HOME RUN LEADERS

1. South Carolina 27
2. Wake Forest 26
3. Florida 25
4. Miami 24
5. Troy 23
6. Georgia Tech 22

RUNS APLENTY IN FIRST FIVE
The Gamecocks scored 80 runs in the first five games of the season, the most in school history after five games on the schedule. The 20 runs on Opening Day were the most scored in a season opener since the 2008 season, when Carolina put up 22 on East Carolina. The 37 runs in the first two games were the most since 2004 when Carolina put up 41 on Charleston Southern and the 49 runs are the most in the first three games since the 1980 season, when Carolina scored 59 runs in its first three contests. Carolina has scored in double figures in each of the first five games for the first time since 1987 and have done it in a five-game span for the first time since March 12-19, 1997.

ERA AMONG NATION’S BEST
Heading into this week’s action, South Carolina is sixth in the country with a 2.00 ERA. James Hicks has thrown nine scoreless frames, including five in the midweek win over Queens. Jack Mahoney added 5.2 scoreless frames last Sunday against UMass Lowell, while Noah Hall threw eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over Penn on Feb. 25. Opponents are hitting just .166 against the Gamecock arms with a .234 on-base percentage.

UP NEXT
Carolina hosts The Citadel on Tuesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Founders Park, with streaming on SEC Network Plus.