South Carolina has some work to do in its final two series, and the Southeastern Conference tournament, if it wants to receive a top eight national seed in the NCAA tournament.

That much we know.

The Gamecocks host Wofford tonight, and cannot afford a slipup in that game, nor in their other remaining non-league game, against Presbyterian next Tuesday. Georgia comes to Columbia this weekend as the SEC’s worst team, with a 17-28 overall record and 5-16 league mark. Then USC finishes the regular season by traveling to Mississippi State, which is 36-13 and 13-11.

If the Gamecocks take care of business against Wofford and Presbyterian, sweep Georgia and win two of three at Mississippi State, it could bode well their chances of getting a national seed. They are currently on the outside of that group, after going 0-2 against Vanderbilt to end a challenging three-series stretch that began with a sweep of Kentucky and a 2-1 trip to LSU.

Of course, they will have chances to get more quality wins at the SEC tournament, as well.

Continue reading “Analyzing why getting a national seed could matter tremendously to USC” »

As expected, South Carolina’s Sunday series finale against second-ranked Vanderbilt was rained out. Per Southeastern Conference rules, it will not be made up. So USC will play, at most, 29 SEC games this season – the same number it played last season.

If you had a ticket to Sunday’s game, it will be honored either Wednesday night against Wofford or for next weekend’s home finale series against Georgia.

So why was Sunday’s game not moved to Saturday, as a doubleheader?

The series’ first two games, which USC lost, were televised on SportSouth and Sunday’s was supposed to be on CSS. But USC coach Chad Holbrook said television had nothing to do with why a doubleheader was not played on Saturday.

Continue reading “Holbrook on why USC tried to play Sunday, national seed importance and wanting more power pitching” »

Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992, South Carolina has never been swept at home twice in the same season.

The Gamecocks will try to avoid that fate on Sunday at noon against Vanderbilt – in a game that was moved up from 1 p.m. because of rain in the forecast.

USC has been swept at home just five times period since 1992 – in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999 and this season. The 1999 sweep against Kentucky included two seven-inning games.

Here are the times since 1992 that USC has been swept multiple times in a season …

Continue reading “In SEC era, USC has never been swept at home twice in same season. Will it happen Sunday vs. Vanderbilt?” »

The final series of a three-series gauntlet for South Carolina baseball has arrived.

First, the Gamecocks swept Kentucky at home. Then they took two of three at LSU last weekend – a huge series win as they continue to chase a top eight national seed in the NCAA tournament. Another series victory this weekend at home over Vanderbilt would go a long way toward pushing USC even further into that national seed conversation.

In short, getting a top eight national seed means you are guaranteed to host a best-of-three Super Regional if you advance that far. USC has played in the College World Series six times since the NCAA adopted the Super Regional format. In all but one of those years, 2010, the Gamecocks hosted a Super Regional. In 2010, they had to just travel to Myrtle Beach.

Consider that USC is 5-1 in home Super Regionals, in terms of advancing to the World Series or not, with the exception being 2000, when Louisiana-Lafayette stunned the Gamecocks. In road Super Regionals, they are 1-3, with losses in 2001 at Stanford, 2006 at Georgia and 2007 at North Carolina, in addition to the Myrtle Beach win over Coastal Carolina in 2010.

Continue reading “As big Vanderbilt series approaches, Holbrook on importance of strike-throwers, and Schrock’s surge” »

One of the best – but certainly not most coveted – awards in all of American sports is the Lowsman Trophy.

It is a small, bronze statue atop a wooden base, and it depicts a football player with one knee raised, like the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to college football’s best player. But the inanimate man on the Lowsman Trophy has his mouth goofily agape. Instead of carrying a football, like the Heisman shows, he is dropping it.

South Carolina tight end Justice Cunningham will be latest recipient of this amusing award, because he was this year’s Mr. Irrelevant – the final player picked in the NFL draft. Cunningham went Saturday to the Indianapolis Colts with pick No. 254.

Continue reading “The glorious Lowsman Trophy awaits USC TE Justice Cunningham, the latest Mr. Irrelevant” »