No. 17 Gamecocks Host Paladins Wednesday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the 81st time in program history, the 17th ranked South Carolina softball team takes on in-state foe Furman Wednesday night (Feb. 21) at 5 p.m. The Gamecocks are 54-2-1 all-time against the Paladins in the Soda City.

Series History: South Carolina leads 69-10-1
Last Meeting: South Carolina 10, Furman 0 (5) | March 22, 2023 | Columbia, S.C.

#17 South Carolina Gamecocks 8-1, 0-0 SEC
Coach: Beverly Smith | 14th Season
AVG Leader: .563 | Riley Blampied and Kianna Jones
RBI Leader: 11 | Riley Blampied
Home Run Leader: 3 | Kianna Jones
ERA Leader: 0.78 | Reganne Bennett
Strikeout Leader: 24 | Sage Mardjetko
Wins Leader: 3 | Sage Mardjetko

Furman Paladins 7-2, 0-0 SoCon
Coach: Stacey Johnson-Whitfield | 2nd Season
AVG Leader: .375 | Ashlee Lykins
RBI Leader: 6 | Sylvia Burroughs and Hannah Poole
Home Run Leader: 1 | Five players
ERA Leader: 1.20 | Lauralee Scott
Strikeout Leader: 12 | Sierra Tufts and Emme Buzhardt
Wins Leader: 4 | Sierra Tufts

LEADING OFF

• The 2024 season will be the 51st season for the Carolina Softball team.
• Carolina received votes in every poll this week. They are ranked No. 17 by NFCA/USA Today, No. 18 by D1softball and ESPN/USA Softball, and #20 by Softball America,
• The Gamecocks traveled to Puerto Vallarta for the second time in their history.
  • They opened the tournament defeating then-No 13 Utah 9-1 in a six inning run-rule victory.
  • They also defeated UC Davis 6-4 in extra innings and clobbered UC San Diego 18-1 in five innings.
  • Against the Tritons, Carolina scored 11 runs in the fourth inning, nearly batting around twice.
  • Their only loss came to Wichita State who was receiving votes in the most recent coaches poll.
  • Aniyah Black and Sage Mardjetko were named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Furman is led by former Gamecock Stacey Johnson-Whitfield
  • She played for Carolina from 2001-04, where she twice threw a no-hitter, including one against her current team on April 21, 2004.
• The Gamecocks and Paladins have met 80 times prior to this season, the most games against any opponent in program history, one more than Georgia.
• Kianna Jones began her South Carolina career 4-for-4.
  • She connected on her first career grand slam in the 3rd inning of a 7-1 win over Virginia.
• Carolina made its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance last season, advancing to the Tallahassee Regional Finals.
• South Carolina made history during the SEC Tournament, becoming the lowest seed to ever reach the finals and becoming the first double-digit seed to play in the championship game.
• Head coach Bev Smith earned her 400th career win last year against UNC.
  • She became the 29th active head coach in Division I to amass 400 career victories while only coaching at one school.
• The roster features 23 total players, with of 10 different states represented and Canada.
• South Carolina has opened the season at home in 8 of 14 seasons under Smith.

VAWTER ON THE NATIONAL STAGE

• Alana Vawter joined the Gamecocks after an outstanding four-year career at Stanford. Her awards list in long, but she also ranks among the nation’s active career leaders in a myriad of pitching categories:
• She ranks first in not only Division I but among all NCAA players in:
  • Game started: 107
  • Innings pitched: 695
• Ranks second in DI and overall in complete games (72)
• Ranks second in DI and third overall in wins (78)
• Ranks fourth in DI and fifth overall in shutouts (26)
• Ranks fourth in DI and NCAA in appearances with 133
• Ranks 12th in DI and 28th overall in ERA with a 1.77
• Ranks 15th in DI and 17th overall in strikeouts at 538
• Ranks 41st in DI in strikeouts per 7 innings at 5.42

OUCH…THAT HURT!

• Jen Cummings ranks 4th in DI with 40 career high by pitches.
• She also ranks 5th among all divisions.

IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME

• For the fourth straight season, South Carolina is set for over 30 home games.
• Carolina will host 33 home contests, including the Gamecock Invitational, Garnet & Black Invitational, and Carolina Classic. They will play just two true non-conference road games and seven neutral site games. The schedule also includes 12 road SEC games.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

• South Carolina is 248-117 (.679) at home during the Beverly Smith era, which includes a 4-1 record at home while hosting a regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Carolina has finished .500 or better at home 10 of Beverly Smith’s 13 years.
• Prior to 2021, South Carolina had not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more seven of the past eight seasons (2020 included).

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS IS NOTHING NEW FOR SC

• South Carolina is 252-66 (.793) over the past nine years in games outside the SEC. Notable wins include Utah, Texas, Penn State, Houston, Arizona State, North Carolina, Florida State, California, Virginia Tech, USF, Long Beach State, Hofstra, Liberty, and UCF.
• Carolina had won 26-straight non-conference games (regular season) before a loss to Texas Tech in the second weekend of the 2020 season.

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL RECORD

• South Carolina has played 2,585 games in its softball history, going 1,665-913-7 (.645) in its 51 years of history.
• The Gamecocks have posted 30 or more wins in eight of the past 10 full seasons under the direction of head coach Beverly Smith.
• Carolina has protected home well, also, with 17 or more victories coming in friendly confines each of the past eight full years.

CAROLINA RUNS THIS STATE

• Under the direction of head coach Beverly Smith, Carolina owns an 84-12 mark against other Palmetto State schools.
• That mark includes a 31-game winning streak that stretched over five seasons before Coastal snapped the streak in 2017.
• South Carolina went 7-2 last season against in-state foes.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.