Look back, look ahead: After sweeping Arkansas, Gamecocks hit the road
In a decision by the conference office that should have surprised absolutely nobody, John Jones was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday.
Considering the week Jones had, denying him the honor would have been ludicrous.
Jones hit .409 in five games last week as the Gamecocks won all five games they played, including a three-game sweep over No. 13 Arkansas at Founders Park, where they are 18-0 this season.
Overall, the Gamecocks are 20-2 on the season, 3-0 in the SEC. They have two of their biggest tests of the 2016 season over the next two weekends when they travel to Ole Miss (March 24-26) and Vanderbilt (March 30-April 1).
“I like what I see from the character of my team,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said. “We have a new team with some new players. This was the first time they were in that moment (facing SEC foe). They dug deep and battled. I like what I felt in the dugout. They battled and competed every pitch. They showed the Gamecock moxy we talk about around here all the time.”
They will need some of that over the next couple of weeks as the Gamecocks play six of their next seven games on the road.
Sunday, the Gamecocks collected four runs on three hits with five walks against Arkansas reliever Zach Jackson, considered one of the top hurlers in the SEC.
“We have a bunch of new guys. When we got behind a very good opponent, I got to watch them and see how they reacted in the dugout for the first time,” Holbrook said Sunday. “It was a neat experience for me to see them dig deep against one of the best relief pitchers in the country. We had some really competitive at-bats against him. I couldn’t be prouder of the grit and determination and competitive spirit my team showed.”
Jones hit .500 (7-for-14) against the Razorbacks with a pair of game-winning home runs. Jones hit a two-run homer to break a 2-2 tied in the 6-2 win over Arkansas on Saturday before capping the weekend by going 3-for-5 with a double and game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning that lifted USC to a dramatic 8-6 victory.
“I’ve been in that dugout for several dramatic come-from-behind wins,” Holbrook said. “This certainly ranks right up there with them.”
Jones leads the SEC in batting average (.422) and is tied for the league lead with six home runs and 57 total bases. He ranks third in RBIs (31), third in on-base percentage (.515) and fourth in slugging percentage (.687).
“I don’t know how to describe him other than he has the ‘It’ factor that coaches always talk about,” Holbrook said. “You always want to coach kids that have that ‘it’ factor.’ He has a knack of putting the barrel of the bat on the ball. He did it in a big moment today. We scratched and clawed and fought.”
NOTES:
-- The Gamecocks are ranked as high as No. 10 in the national polls. They are No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches poll, No. 12 in NCBWA poll, No. 13 in Collegiate Baseball, No. 1 in D1Baseball.com and No. 18 in Baseball America.
-- Sophomore RHP Clarke Schmidt is 5-0 with a 1.27 ERA, making him one of only three pitchers in the SEC with five wins on the year. Schmidt has allowed just five runs on 22 hits in 35.1 innings with 43 strikeouts and six walks.
-- Junior OF Dom Thompson-Williams has reached base in all 22 games this season and is currently on an 11-game hitting streak. Additionally, he has scored at least one run in each of those games. DTW went 7-for-17 (.412) in last week’s five games. For the season, Thompson-Williams is hitting .395 (32-for-81) with six doubles, two triples, four homers 20 RBI and 28 runs scored. “He has a good plate approach,” Holbrook said. “He’ll take his walks. He doesn’t try to get outside himself and do too much,” Holbrook said. “He’ll hit a few more home runs. He has some pop in his bat. He is a well-rounded player and he can run. He has a neat edge about him.”
-- RHP Braden Webb’s .147 OBA is second best in the SEC with his ERA (1.71) ranked ninth in the SEC.
-- DTW does not own the longest hitting streak on the Gamecocks. Sophomore OF Alex Destino carries a 14-game hitting streak for the Gamecocks dating back to the March 1 contest at The Citadel. For the season, Destino is batting .364 (32-for-88) with three doubles, four homers and 22 RBI.
-- Closer Josh Reagan has not allowed a run in 16.2 innings of relief this year. Reagan has a 1-0 record with six saves in 10 relief appearances. He has allowed just seven hits and two walks while striking out 15 batters. Opponents are batting .127 against him. “We trust Reed (Scott) and Josh with the ball in their hands,” Holbrook said. “We know they are going to throw strikes and field their position and hold runners.”
-- Freshman 1B LT Tolbert hit .455 (5-for-11) in the Arkansas series with a double and five runs scored. He also hit .409 (9-for-22) for the week with a two-run homer Tuesday at USC Upstate. “We’re seeing the evolution of L.T. Tolbert and the type of grit and determination he has,” Holbrook said. “We have some good young players. It’s not just a bunch of seniors and juniors.”
-- Sophomore RHP Tyler Johnson’s stock seems to be rising with every outing. He has 18 strikeouts in 12.1 innings so far this season.
-- Freshman RHP Adam Hill continues to impress as he opened Sunday’s game retiring the first eight batters he faced. Hill struck out five and walked one in three-plus innings. He is 4-0 on the year with 37 strikeouts to four walks in 22.1 innings pitched
-- Freshman catcher Chris Cullen caught four of the five games this week, and has now been the starting catcher in 15 of the Gamecocks’ 22 games this season.
-- South Carolina’s pitching staff is second in the SEC with a 2.25 ERA and second in the league with a .208 OBA.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
March 15 at USC Upstate (at Greenville), W 12-6
March 16 vs. Davidson, W 15-2
March 18 vs. Arkansas, W 10-6
March 19 vs. Arkansas, W 6-2
March 20 vs. Arkansas, W 8-6
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
Thursday at Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Friday at Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Saturday at Ole Miss, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
