Baseball Visits The Citadel Tuesday Night
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina baseball team plays the first of five games away from Founders Park Tuesday night (March 28) at The Citadel. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Joe Riley Park in Charleston.
Tuesday’s game is streamed on ESPN+. All games also will be broadcast on The Game 107.5 FM with Tommy Moody and Cade Crenshaw on the call.
The Gamecocks are coming off a three-game sweep over No. 22 Missouri, winning two of the three games in walk-off fashion. Michael Braswell’s infield single combined with a throwing error gave Carolina the 9-8 win on Friday. Ethan Petry’s single in the 12th completed the sweep in a 5-4 win.
SCOUTING THE CITADEL
The Bulldogs lost 2-of-3 games against Mercer this past weekend. The Citadel won the Sunday contest, 6-2, behind eight strong innings on the mound from Cameron Reeves. He struck out five and allowed just four hits in the win. Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by Travis Lott’s .400 average while Noah Mitchell has 25 RBI. Reeves is a perfect 5-0 with a 2.79 ERA and a .160 opponent’s batting average.
SERIES VS. THE CITADEL
Carolina leads the all-time series with The Citadel, 139-50-1. The Gamecocks defeated the Bulldogs, 8-1, on March 7 as Gavin Casas and Ethan Petry had two hits apiece and Eli Jones struck out six in five innings to earn the win. The Citadel won the last meeting in Charleston, 4-3, on March 22, 2022.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Tuesday
South Carolina Sam Simpson (R-Fr. RHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 1 SO
The Citadel Gant Starling (Sr. RHP) 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 11.0 IP, 8 BB, 16 SO
GAMECOCKS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The University of South Carolina baseball team is ranked in all six major polls after the week of March 27. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 9 in the D1Baseball poll, the first time Carolina has been ranked in its top-10 since March 27, 2017. Carolina also is second in Collegiate Baseball, seventh in the NCBWA poll, eighth in the USA Today Coaches’ poll, and 10th in both Baseball America and Perfect Game polls.
HALL, PETRY EARN SEC HONORS
Righthanded pitcher Noah Hall and outfielder Ethan Petry of the University of South Carolina baseball team were named the Southeastern Conference’s Pitcher and Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced this afternoon (Monday, March 27). Hall and Petry helped the Gamecocks sweep Missouri this past weekend.
Hall moved to 5-0 on the season by going seven innings and scattering just five hits and a run while walking one and striking out 10. He retired 11 straight Missouri Tigers to end his outing and achieved double-digit strikeouts for the third time in his Carolina career. He allowed just one runner past second base to lower his season ERA to 2.35. Hall is fifth in the SEC in ERA, ninth in strikeouts and first in both wins and innings pitched.
Petry continues his tear in his rookie campaign, homering in each of the wins against Missouri and producing the game-winning hit in a 5-4, 12-inning win on Saturday night against the Tigers. Petry homered in the third inning and added a single in the fifth, but it was his reaching on a strikeout-wild pitch in the ninth that allowed Carolina to come from behind and defeat Missouri, 9-8. Petry homered in the first in the 8-1 win in game one on Saturday. He reached base three times in that game as Carolina secured the series. His biggest game was the finale, where he homered in the eighth to tie the game at four. Then, with the bases loaded in the 12th, his single up the middle gave Carolina its second walk-off win of the weekend. Petry leads Carolina with a .444 batting average and 37 RBI to go along with 12 home runs. In the SEC, Petry is third in batting average, fifth in hits, third in home runs and sixth in RBI.
Hall was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after the Penn game and Petry earns back-to-back Freshman of the Week honors.
RPI WATCH
With 25 games in the books, it’s time to start looking at the RPI. The Gamecocks currently are fifth in those rankings, one of four SEC teams in the top five. Carolina currently is a perfect 18-0 at home and 4-2 on the road. Carolina has three-game series remaining against No. 1 Kentucky, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 4 LSU, No. 9 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Florida.
GAMECOCKS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
The Gamecocks lead the nation with 64 home runs this season. Gavin Casas is tied for third in the nation with 13 home runs … USC is seventh in the nation with 248 runs scored … Carolina is fourth in the nation in drawing walks with 160 and sixth in the country with 60 hit by pitches … The Gamecocks’ .437 on-base percentage is eighth in the country … On the mound, Carolina is fifth in earned-run average at 2.82 … Ethan Petry is ninth in total bases (79) and tied for eighth in home runs (12) … The .920 winning percentage is best in the nation.
UP NEXT
Carolina heads to Starkville, Miss., for a three-game set at Mississippi State Thursday, March 30-Saturday, April 1. Thursday and Friday’s games will start at 7 p.m. with Saturday’s game at 3 p.m. Thursday’s game is on the SEC Network with Mike Ferrin and Todd Walker on the call.
