Arendas, Taylor unexpectedly flourished at the plate in Regional
D.C. Arendas and Hunter Taylor combined for 30 hits and a .204 batting average in 64 appearances during the regular season and SEC Tournament before the NCAA Columbia Regional won by the Gamecocks Tuesday when they prevailed in a winner-take-all game against UNC Wilmington.
Sure enough, the duo’s bats came alive at exactly the right time as they combined for 11 hits (five for extra bases) in 26 at-bats (.423) to help lead the Gamecocks to a 4-1 regional record and a spot in the Super Regionals opposite Oklahoma State.
Without the significant contributions of Arendas (7-14, 4-4 vs. URI when Jonah Bride was ejected in the first inning) and Taylor (game-winning RBI double vs. Duke; 4-12 at plate, 3 RBI), the Gamecocks are likely cleaning out their lockers on Wednesday and headed out to their respective summer league teams.
Arendas, a senior with 180 games on his resume, played like he didn’t want his college career to end without at least one more trip to the Super Regionals. He led off the bottom of the eighth of Tuesday’s winner-take-all game by walloping a solo homer over the right field fence.
“He was due for something good to happen to him just because he’s a great kid,” Holbrook said. “The game rewarded him for being a pro and handling things the right way. He’s a joy to have on our team, whether he hits .150 or .350, because he is so great to his teammates. He’s a great teammate. He has as much respect in the locker room as any player we have.
Arendas was one of three players in the Columbia Regional (Alex Destino and URI’s Ryan Olmo are the other two) to hit two home runs. He had three homers in 131 at-bats in the first 57 games.
“It was awesome to see him swing the bat and drive some balls. He works hard,” Holbrook said. “I think he just turned on the aggressive switch. He didn’t know where that was for the last couple of months. All of a sudden, he took the bat off his shoulder and stopped hitting in 0-2 and 1-2 counts all the time. It’ hard to hit with two strikes. I think he finally said, ‘Enough is enough.’ He took the bat off his shoulder and good things happened to him.”
Taylor had more hits in three games during the Regional (four) than he did during the regular season (three). Holbrook credited his clutch ninth inning RBI double down the third base line against Duke as the pivotal moment of the regional when the Gamecocks began to believe they could win it.
Mentally and physically, the Gamecocks performed as a well-oiled machine offensively and defensively after that momentum turning moment. Over the final three games, USC outscored the opposition, 43-8, and amassed 48 hits.
“After Hunter’s double hit the bag, something weird happened,” Holbrook said. “It was like, ‘Oh, we got a break. We can be ahead in the game.’ Something happened. They started feeling good about themselves after that moment. And it was the person who did it. That had a lot to do with it. We have 35 players on our roster and the other 34 are huge Hunter Taylor fans.”
Besides his timely hitting, Taylor made a difference behind the plate as he smoothly handled the Gamecocks pitching staff. How much confidence did Holbrook have in Taylor? The sophomore from Onley, Va., started both regional championship games at catcher even though he had rarely played this season.
“Hunter got the team going and he played with such energy and passion that he got the pitchers going,” Holbrook said. “You can’t hear all the verbal encouragement he gives from pitch-to-pitch unless you’re down on the field, but he helped our pitchers throw well. After I saw that against Duke, I really didn’t want to take him out. I am as proud of Hunter as any player I’ve ever coached.”
The solid regional performances by Arendas and Taylor have given Holbrook pause as to who to start at second base and catcher, respectively, in the Super Regional matchup with Oklahoma State.
“I don’t know if there is a perfect answer on who to play, especially when it comes to catcher and second base,” Holbrook said. “All of our catchers have helped us win games. They will all be ready. We have some good options.”
NOTES:
-- Both USC and Oklahoma State are scheduled to practice Friday afternoon at Founders Park. The Gamecocks will practice from 1-2:30 p.m. followed by Oklahoma State from 2:45-4:15 p.m. Each head coach and two players will also hold separate press conferences during the afternoon.
-- Freshmen right-handed pitchers Adam Hill and Braden Webb were named to the 2016 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America team from Collegiate Baseball as announced on Wednesday. Webb (10-5, 3.24 ERA in 94.1 IP) is the 31st pitcher in school history to reach 10 or more wins.
-- Because Clarke Schmidt and Webb both pitched Tuesday in the winner-take-all game against UNCW, Holbrook hinted he may have to alter his pitching plans for the Super Regional. Schmidt threw 19 pitches in the eighth, while Webb threw 10 in the ninth. However, since Game 1 is not until Saturday afternoon, Gamecocks could possibly stick with the same weekend rotation of Schmidt, Webb and Hill. Gamecock pitching coach Jerry Meyers told SportsTalk Wednesday night he will have a better feel for Saturday’s starter after seeing his pitchers throw in the bullpen Thursday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State plans to throw No. 1 starter Thomas Hatch on Saturday, OSU coach Josh Holliday told SportsTalk.
