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Look back, look ahead: Down the stretch they come

Braden Webb
Braden Webb
Chris Gillespie, Gamecock Central

And down the stretch they come.

After an unsatisfying series tie (1-1) against Florida due to inclement weather cancelling Sunday’s runner matchup, South Carolina (34-9 overall, 15-5 in SEC) and the Gators sit in the same place they did before their showdown series started. The Gamecocks lead Florida by one game in the SEC East standings as they look to stave off a number of challengers in their quest for a regular season championship.

The road to the regular season crown certainly won’t be easy, though, with two of the final three SEC series on the road at Kentucky (May 6-8) and Alabama (May 19-21). Sandwiched in between is a potentially huge series against SEC West leader Texas A&M (May 13-15) at Founders Park that could be a matchup of division leaders.

With three series remaining, the Gamecocks have already surpassed last season’s SEC win total by two games.

“We’ve already won 15 games in the league. Coaches talk about that number a lot in this league,” Holbrook said. “After what happened last season, getting to 15 by this point makes me awfully proud of my team. That’s a heckuva accomplishment.

“There have been (SEC) teams that played in the College World Series after going 15-15 or 16-14 in our league. When you get to 15, you take a deep breath and say, ‘Let’s relax and play and try to put ourselves in an even better spot.”

Florida, meanwhile has road tests at Tennessee and LSU with a home series against Vanderbilt set for March 13-15.

Third place Vanderbilt’s next two series are on the road at Texas A&M and Florida, so closing the gap on USC and Florida could prove difficult for the Commodores.

At the bottom of the SEC ladder, four teams (Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Missouri) with identical 7-14 conference marks are battling to qualify for the tournament. Chances are, though, at least one of those teams won’t get to Hoover.

NOTES:

-- The Gamecocks are ranked in the Top 10 of the official NCAA RPI and every major national poll:

Official NCAA RPI - No. 3

Collegiate Baseball – No. 2

USA Today Coaches – No. 7

Baseball America – No. 6

D1 Baseball – No. 7

Perfect Game USA – No. 7

-- Junior OF Gene Cone extended his school record hitting streak to 29 games by going 3-for-6 in the Florida series with three walks. Cone’s 29-game hitting streak is tied for the longest this year in Division I baseball alongside Matt Reardon of Florida Gulf Coast. For the season, Cone is batting .382 (52-for-136) with three homers, 11 doubles, 19 RBI and 38 runs scored.

-- Brandon Webb (9-2, 3.05 ERA) was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season after hurling 7.1 innings in last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Florida. Webb allowed just one run on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Webb has the most strikeouts in SEC play (62). Overall, he has 83 strikeouts in 65.0 IP with an OBA of .194. His nine wins is tied for the national lead.

-- Alex Destino has a .356 batting average (21-for-59) in 17 SEC contests with a team-high 16 RBI in conference games. He ranks 10th in the SEC in runs batted in and 11th in batting average.

-- Despite a no-decision in Friday’s 5-4 loss to Florida, sophomore RHOP Clarke Schmidt still sits atop some key pitching categories in the SEC and the nation. Schmidt is 8-1 on the year with a 1.99 ERA with 22 runs allowed on 67 hits with 91 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. Opponents are batting .232 against him. Schmidt leads the SEC in strikeouts and is one win shy of teammate Braden Webb for the league-lead in victories.

-- Sophomore RHP Tyler Johnson appeared in both games of the Florida series. He pitched 1.2 perfect innings with a strikeout in Friday’s 5-4 loss and followed that up with 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts for his fourth save of the year in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Gators. Johnson is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 19 relief appearances. He has 37 strikeouts and four walks in 31.1 innings.

-- Despite a blown save on Friday night, junior LHP Josh Reagan leads the SEC in saves with 11 and is 1-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 21 relief appearances.

-- The Gamecocks have outscored its opponents this season, 276-155, including 69-27 in the first two innings. The Gamecocks are 25-3 on the year when scoring first and 16-3 when scoring in the first inning.

-- Holbrook believes the middle infield duo of second baseman D.C. Arendas and shortstop Marcus Mooney is one of the best defensively in the country.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:

April 29 vs. Florida, L 5-4

April 30 vs. Florida, W 2-1

May 1 vs. Florida, Suspended after 4 inn.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:

Wednesday vs. USC Upstate, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)

Friday at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Saturday at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Sunday at Kentucky, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)

SEC EAST STANDINGS (As of May 2)

South Carolina 15-5

Florida 14-6

Vanderbilt 13-8

Kentucky 11-10

Georgia 7-14

Missouri 7-14

Tennessee 6-15

SEC TOURNAMENT LADDER

1. South Carolina 15-5*

2. Texas A&M 14-7*

3. Florida 14-6

4. Vanderbilt 13-8

***************************

5. Mississippi State 12-9 (Wins tiebreaker over OM)

6. Ole Miss 12-9

7. LSU 11-10 (Wins tiebreaker vs. UK)

8. Kentucky 11-10

9. Alabama 10-11

10-13. Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Missouri 7-14 ***************************************

14. Tennessee 6-15

* Division winners are automatically seeded No. 1 and No. 2 for the tournament. The rest of the 12-team field is seeded based on winning percentage.

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Gene Cone carries a 29-game hitting streak into Wednesday's game vs. USC Upstate
Gene Cone carries a 29-game hitting streak into Wednesday's game vs. USC Upstate
Chris Gillespie, Gamecock Central

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