Baseball Announces Opening Weekend Rotation

COLUMBIA – Head Coach Paul Mainieri announced his opening weekend rotation this morning (Wednesday, Feb. 12) for the three-game series against Sacred Heart. The Gamecocks will go with redshirt senior Dylan Eskew, senior Matthew Becker and sophomore Jake McCoy.

Eskew, who will get the ball on Friday, made 19 appearances with 15 starts for the Gamecocks last year, leading the team with a 4.60 ERA. In 62.2 innings pitched, Eskew held opponents to a .240 batting average. He pitched 6.1 innings in a start against Kentucky (April 28, 2024), not allowing a run with just one walk and a pair of strikeouts. He allowed just one run in 5.1 innings in the NCAA Raleigh Regional game against James Madison (June 2, 2024). Eskew has pitched in 24 games in his Carolina career and will make his first Opening Day start in a Gamecock uniform.

Becker will take the ball on Saturday. The Chapin, S.C., native heads into his fourth season with the Gamecocks and has 199 career strikeouts in 146 innings pitched. Becker made 21 appearances with four starts last season and was tied for the team lead with five victories to go along with a save. He had eight strikeouts in four innings pitched against Texas A&M on April 7 and earned a win at Ole Miss, striking out four in 5.1 innings pitched.

McCoy earns the start on Sunday. The Fort Mill native made 12 appearances on the mound in his rookie season with one start. McCoy struck out 20 batters in 16 innings pitched and held opponents to a .237 batting average. He struck out three batters in games against Georgia (May 10) and LSU (May 23) and earned the win against East Tennessee State on May 1.