Look back, look ahead: Consecutive SEC sweeps have Gamecocks feeling giddy
Since dropping consecutive games to Clemson just over three weeks ago, South Carolina has been on fire.
By sweeping Ole Miss in Oxford by a combined 18-6, the Gamecocks increased their winning streak to 13 games, enabling them to start 6-0 in the SEC and opening up a two-game lead over six other teams in the conference standings.
USC’s 23-2 overall mark (.920) is the best in Division I baseball right now, while the 6-0 start in SEC play is the best in school history.
“This weekend, it went our way,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said Saturday after the Gamecocks completed the road sweep. “Things sometimes bounce your way in this league and sometimes they don’t. The key to having a great year is still finding a way to win even when things are not bouncing your way. This weekend, we made pitches when we had to and plays when we had to.”
Again, the Gamecocks won on the strength of superb starting pitching. Weekend starters Clarke Schmidt (6.2 IP, 9 hits, 1 run), Braden Webb (8.0 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs) and Adam Hill (6.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs) combined to limit the Rebels to four runs and 17 hits with 26 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
Webb, in particular, was dominant. After allowing three consecutive Ole Miss batters to reach base with one out in the bottom of the first, Webb shifted into a higher gear by retiring 17 batters in a row and 23 of 25 in one stretch.
His career-high 14 strikeouts in Game 2 of the Ole Miss series were the most by a Gamecock hurler since Billy Buckner struck out 16 Clemson hitters on March 6, 2004, and fell one short of the school’s freshman record of 15 set by Brian Williams on May 29, 1988 vs. Georgia Tech
Monday, Webb was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and SEC Freshman of the Week. In six starts totaling 34.1 innings, Webb has fanned 42 batters and allowed just 18 hits. Opponents are batting a lowly .148 against him.
Schmidt. Webb and Hill are a combined 16-1 with 134 strikeouts in 104.2 innings pitched. Schmidt is one of two SEC pitchers with a 6-0 record. He has a microscopic 1.29 ERA with 31 hits and just 6 runs allowed in 42.0 IP. Schmidt has surrendered only four extra-base hits, one every 10 innings.
Hill passed his first SEC road test with flying colors, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings on Saturday to improve to 5-0 on the season with a 1.91 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is nearly 6-to-1 with 41 strikeouts and seven walks.
“I don’t think Adam had his best stuff, but he made some good pitches inside,” Holbrook said. “He kept them off-balance enough. I don’t know if he has thrown better in this type of environment against that quality of a team. He found a way to win and keep us in the game. He bowed his neck a couple of times when they got some baserunners on. He wasn’t as polished as he has been, but he kept his composure and made pitches when he had to.”
NOTES:
-- The sweep over Ole Miss catapulted the Gamecocks up the national rankings. They are ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 5 by D1Baseball, No. 6 by the NCBWA and in the USA Today coaches poll, No. 7 by Baseball America and No. 8 by Perfect Game.
-- The Gamecocks have scored 30 runs in the first inning this season, more than another other inning except the third (31). They scored five runs in the first innings at Ole Miss, including three in Saturday’s 4-0 win. “When you score first, it makes your pitchers feel a little better and it puts a little pressure on the opponent to get some things going,” Holbrook said. “We’ve come to the ballpark ready to play all year long. Hopefully, that will continue.”
-- Gene Cone continues to excel at the top of the order. He hit .462 (6-13) in the Ole Miss series with three doubles, a homer and four runs scored. For the season, he is hitting .333 (23-69), an increase of 76 points over last season (.257) when he struggled at the plate.
-- Three Gamecocks currently have hitting streaks of 11 games or more: Alex Destino (17 games), Dom Thompson-Williams (14) and Gene Cone (11). DTW has reached base in all 25 games this season and carries a .487 on-base percentage into the new week. He leads the Gamecocks with 11 stolen bases.
-- Closer Josh Reagan has not allowed a run in 19.0 innings of relief this season. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and seven saves in 12 appearances. He closed out Games 1 and 2 of the Ole Miss series, retiring 7 of the 9 batters he faced. He needed just 21 pitches, an average of just over two pitches per batter. Seventeen of the 21 pitches he threw were strikes.
-- John Jones leads the Gamecocks in the Triple Crown categories: average (.409), homers (6) and RBI (32). Jones is tied for first in the SEC in homers and ranks second in one-base (.513) and slugging (.656) percentage. Jones started Saturday’s game behind the plate, stepping out from his customary DH role for the series finale. “Jones doesn’t get enough credit because he doesn’t catch every day, but he is pretty good back there,” Holbrook said. “He has some arm strength, toughness and some moxie.”
-- Eight of Chris Cullen’s 16 RBI have come with two outs.
-- Sophomore RHP Tyler Johnson has caught the eye of MLB scouts with his improved velocity in 2016. He has 18 strikeouts in 15.0 IP with a .180 OBA. Saturday, Johnson faced just five batters and recorded six outs without allowing a hit. “We have some guys in the bullpen with some good arms,” Holbrook said. “Tyler has it going a little bit. I’m confident he is going to throw strikes. He got a big double play.”
-- The Gamecocks continue to shine defensively. With the 2016 schedule nearing the halfway point, USC has a team fielding percentage of .980 with 18 errors in 25 games. Opponents have committed 35 errors.
-- The Gamecocks have not lost this season when they score first (19-0) or when they outhit the opponent (19-0). They have won almost all of their close games, compiling a 6-1 record in games decided by 3 runs or less.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
March 24 at Ole Miss, W 5-1
March 25 at Ole Miss, W 9-5
March 26 at Ole Miss, W 4-0
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
Tuesday vs. College of Charleston, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Thursday at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
Friday at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Saturday at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. (SEC Network)
