Schmidt making case for No. 1 spot
Entering the 2016 season, there's not much set around the Gamecock baseball lineup. One thing is, though, and it's that Clarke Schmidt will be a weekend starter.
And right now, he's making a case for the No. 1 spot.
"Clarke Schmidt has stood out," head coach Chad Holbrook said. "He's been a guy that's much improved from last year. Obviously he has weekend experience and he has a great arm, great demeanor, great work ethic. He's a great competitor. We feel good about Clarke."
Holbrook said after Sunday's scrimmage if the season started today, the sophomore right-hander would be the go-to guy on Friday nights. And the pitcher has backed it up.
In eight innings pitched this spring, he's given up only two earned runs on nine hits while striking out three batters.
Schmidt, who came into his freshman season as a bullpen pitcher, quickly transitioned to the Sunday role, and after Wil Crowe's injury morphed into the Saturday starter.
He said he's strengthened his legs, worked on polishing his mechanics and improving "mentally and physically," to prove to coaches he's ready for the Friday-night spot.
"Everyone has something to prove, but that's always been my goal from the beginning of the year," Schmidt said. "That's the spot I wanted to have. I'm going to continue to work as hard as I can to get that spot. If I can do whatever I can do to win that, I'm going to do whatever I can do."
Schmidt went 2-2 in 18 appearances last season, starting 10 times. He had an ERA of 4.81 and struck out 55 batters. He's started against Vanderbilt and LSU, along with other SEC teams. Against the top-two teams in the conference, he gave up 8 runs.
Since he's been through the gauntlet that is the SEC once, he said he's better prepared to handle the Friday niche if he gets it.
"I'm ready to get after it," he said. "Those opportunities I had last year just prepared me for times coming up this year."
Holbrook called Schmidt one of the leaders in the locker room, saying he's happy to see what he's been doing alongside seniors DC Arendas and Marcus Mooney.
And that's the same story with his teammates. Junior college transfer Jonah Bride said Schmidt is one of the guys on the team who "likes to lead the way."
Schmidt, who is the only consistent weekend pitcher returning to team this year, is ready for his chance. While just a sophomore, he has weekend experience and a mentality of wanting to help the team all he can.
"Everyone knows if you're on the weekend, you got to go out and give your team a chance to win. Last year, I felt like when I was a starter that was my goal every time I went out there," he said. "If I'm the Friday-night guy this year, that's what I'm going to do."
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