Baseball Makes Second Trip to Charlotte to Face UNC

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina baseball team makes its second trip to Truist Field, home of the Triple A Charlotte Knights, for its annual game against North Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus. All games also will be broadcast on The Game 107.5 FM with Derek Scott and Tommy Moody on the call.

The Gamecocks are coming off winning 2-of-3 games at Mississippi State this past weekend. Braylen Wimmer had a pair of home runs and seven RBI in the three games while Dylan Brewer had a .786 on-base percentage with five hits, five walks and a hit-by-pitch in the series.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels won 2-of-3 games at Notre Dame this past weekend. North Carolina is led offensively by Jackson Van De Brake’s .362 batting average and Mac Horvath’s 13 home runs. Preseason All-American Vance Honeycutt has nine home runs and 27 RBI. On the mound, the Tar Heels will start lefty Dalton Pence. He has 14 strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched.

SERIES VS. NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels have a 64-38-1 series advantage on the Gamecocks heading into Tuesday’s game, but Carolina won the last contest, 15-2, on April 5, 2022. Braylen Wimmer had three hits while Jack Mahoney belted a three-run home run in the win. On the mound, Eli Jones did not allow a run in a two-inning start.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Tuesday
South Carolina Matthew Becker (So. LHP) 2-0, 4.11 ERA, 15.1 IP, 10 BB, 22 SO
North Carolina Dalton Pence (So. LHP) 1-1, 4.35 ERA, 10.1 IP, 6 BB, 14 SO

GAMECOCKS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The University of South Carolina baseball team is ranked in all six major polls after the week of April 3. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 6 in each of the five other major polls. The Gamecocks have four games this week against ranked team in No. 13 (D1Baseball) North Carolina on Tuesday and No. 1 (consensus) LSU from Thursday-Saturday.

PETRY NAMED SEC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
University of South Carolina freshman outfielder Ethan Petry was named the Southeastern Conference’s Co-Freshman of the Week, the league office announced this afternoon (Monday, April 3). This is Petry’s third straight Freshman of the Week honor.

Petry had another solid week at the plate for the Gamecocks, hitting .429 with six runs scored, five RBI, a double, a home run and a .714 slugging percentage. Petry scored three runs, walking twice in the seven-inning win over The Citadel on Tuesday night. Petry’s home run in the fifth inning on Thursday helped the Gamecocks to a 6-4 win. Petry had two hits and scored two runs in that win. On Saturday, Petry was 3-for-6 with a big three-run double in the eighth inning to put Carolina up 7-4. He then drove in a run with a single in the ninth, part of a seven-run inning for the Gamecocks.

RPI WATCH
With 29 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 7-3 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 72 home runs this season. Gavin Casas is tied for third in the nation with 15 home runs … USC is fifth in the nation with 284 runs scored … Carolina is third in the nation in drawing walks with 184 and fourth in the country with 70 hit by pitches … The Gamecocks’ .439 on-base percentage is seventh in the country … On the mound, Carolina is fourth in earned-run average at 3.08  … Ethan Petry is eighth in total bases (89) and tied for eighth in home runs (13) … The .897 winning percentage is tied with Wake Forest for the nation’s best..

UP NEXT
Carolina hosts No. 1 LSU on Thursday, April 6 through Saturday, April 8. Thursday and Friday’s games start at 7 p.m. with Saturday’s game at noon. Saturday’s game is televised on SEC Network with Mike Ferrin and Lance Cormier on the call.