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Super Regional Preview: Gamecocks aim to lasso OSU; Webb starts Game 1

WHAT: Oklahoma State (39-20) at South Carolina (46-16)

WHERE: Founders Park (8,200), Columbia, SC

WHEN: Saturday 3 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m., Monday TBA (All times Eastern)

RADIO/TV: ESPN2/ESPNU (Mark Neely and Todd Walker); Gamecock Radio Network (107.5 FM in Columbia with Andy Demetra and Tommy Moody);

ALL-TIME SERIES: Oklahoma State leads 3-0

LAST TIME: Oklahoma State won 16-11 on June 6, 1985 in Omaha, Neb.

PITCHING MATCHUP

Game 1 - USC RHP Braden Webb (10-5, 3.24 ERA, 94.1 IP, 123 K, 46 BB) vs. OSU RHP Thomas Hatch (7-2, 2.16 ERA, 112.1 IP, 102 K, 28 BB)

Less than 24 hours before the first pitch was thrown, South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook and pitching coach Jerry Meyers were still undecided on whom to start on the mound in Game 1 of the Super Regional against Oklahoma State.

Holbrook, though, said the choice had narrowed to regular Friday night starter Clarke Schmidt and Saturday starter Braden Webb. Presumably, the one not chosen to pitch in Game 1 would start Sunday’s Game 2.

“We’re wrestling with it,” Holbrook said. “Coach Meyers is meeting with the pitchers. I will then meet with Coach Meyers. It will be either Braden or Clarke. They are our two freshest arms and they are ready to go. I’m not going to name a Game 2 starter because all hands are on deck.

“We’re going to go about this Super Regional a little bit than we have in the past. We’re going to throw everybody out there (Saturday) to try to win the game. If both those guys throw (Schmidt and Webb), they throw. We’re going to have to do it as an entire pitching staff.”

Finally, shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Friday, more than six hours after USC concluded practice, the news was posted on Twitter: Webb, an Oklahoma native, will start Game 1.

South Carolina spent the three days between Tuesday’s winner-take-all game against UNCA and Saturday’s Super Regional Game 1 recovering from a rugged run through the loser’s bracket to the regional championship.\

“We had a good week of practice,” Holbrook said. “We tried to recover from the Regionals as best we could. We’re getting close to being 100 percent recovered. The guys have bounced back very well. Hopefully, we’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”

Besides what happens between the white lines, a major storyline for the Regional is the weather. High temperatures in the 90’s on Saturday and 100 degrees on Sunday are expected to hit Columbia over the weekend.

The game time forecast for Saturday’s Game 1 is scattered thunderstorms and a 40 percent chance of rain.

“It all starts today. We have to hydrate starting now,” Marcus Mooney said. “We have to be ready for the 100 degree weather this weekend.”

Evaluating teams from the ongoing MLB Draft, Oklahoma State is one of the more talented teams the Gamecocks have faced this season, especially on the mound. Four Cowboys were selected in the first seven rounds of the MLB Draft beginning with Game 1 starter Thomas Hatch (7-2, 2.16 ERA in 112.1 IP, 102 K, 28 BB), the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and third-round selection by the Chicago Cubs (No. 104 overall).

“Hatch might be one of the best pitchers in college baseball,” Holbrook said. “He can throw any pitch in any count. He is very polished. How he goes about his business is very impressive. We’re facing one of the better guys in the country (in Game 1). It’s no different than facing Logan Shore at Florida or one of the best guys we’ve seen so far. That’s how their whole staff is.”

During a stretch of 38.2 consecutive innings in April and May, Hatch did not allow an earned run. The only runs he allowed in that span were a pair of unearned runs against Baylor on April 15.

Oklahoma State pitchers allowed just three earned runs in 27.0 innings of the Clemson Regional, racking up 33 strikeouts and issuing only 10 walks.

“They have great arms and they are very well coached,” Holbrook said. “They are coached by one of the best pitching coaches in the country. They are well schooled. They throw strikes. They have power arms. They have pitchability. They can match you up. I feel like we’re playing Vanderbilt or Florida and any SDEC school loaded with pitching. They are that good, maybe better.”

Shortstop Donnie Walton (.350, 3 HR, 43 RBI) and reliever Remey Reed were drafted in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, while LHP Garrett Williams was taken in the seventh round. Walton has 219 career games on his resume and is one of several Cowboys players that appeared in the Super Regional two years ago against UC Irvine.

“Donnie Walton may be one of the best true college baseball players (anywhere),” Holbrook said. “He is terrific. He reminds me a lot of Alex Bregman at LSU. He stirs their drink. He is their leader and their go-to guy. He gets them going.”

Like the Gamecocks, Oklahoma State occasionally struggled at the plate during the regular season and enter the Super Regional with a pedestrian .268 team batting average with 45 homers. However, the Cowboys feasted on the pitching they saw at the Clemson Regional, amassing a collective team average of .385 (best among all 64 NCAA Tournament teams) in the in their three games.

Nine Oklahoma State players have been drafted at some points in their careers.

“Oklahoma State’s pitching staff is incredible,” Holbrook said. “They have big, strong physical guys that can really swing the bat. They play great defense. They are a great team. It will be a challenge, but it’s supposed to be this time of the year.

NOTES

-- Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday is the older brother of long time major leaguer and current St. Louis Cardinal Matt Holliday. His father, Tom Holliday, was an Oklahoma State assistant for 19 years before taking over as head coach in 1997. He lasted seven seasons and led OSU to its last College World Series appearance in 1999.

-- In each of Holliday’s four seasons, Oklahoma State has finished first or second in the Big 12 standings.

-- Oklahoma State has set programs records under Holladay for sacrifice bunts. Two years ago, OSU was third nationally with 88 sacrifice bunts. In 2015, the Cowboys led the NCAA with 81 sacrifices. In 2016, they have 59 sacrifices.

-- The Gamecocks had four players selected on Friday in the MLB Draft – RHP Braden Webb (3rd round), Dom Thompson-Williams (5th round), Marcus Mooney (10th round) and Gene Cone (10th round)

-- Oklahoma State is an outstanding defensive team as the Cowboys rank third nationally in double plays (68) and 17th in team fielding percentage (.978).

-- High temperatures and humidity are expected in Columbia this weekend for the Super Regional. As a result, fans will be allowed to bring one sealed bottle of water (max size of one liter) into Founders Park. Fans are encouraged to wear light clothing, wear a hat and bring sunscreen. Tents for shade will be set up throughout Founders Park near the first and third base lines and outfield areas. Free cups of ice will be available at designated first and third base concourse area.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Oklahoma State

C – Collin Theroux

1B – Dustin Williams

2B – J.R. Davis

SS – Donnie Walton

3B – Garrett Benge

LF – Jon Littell

CF – Ryan Sluder

RF – Corey Hassel

DH – Conor Costello

South Carolina

C – Chris Cullen or Hunter Traylor

1B – Madison Stokes or L.T. Tolbert

2B – DC Arendas or L.T. Tolbert

SS – Marcus Mooney

3B – Jonah Bride

LF – Dom Thompson-Williams or Alex Destino

CF – T.J. Hopkins or Dom Thompson-Williams

RF – Gene Cone

DH – Alex Destino or John Jones

SUPER REGIONAL SCHEDULE (June 10-14)

(All Best-of-3 Series)

South Carolina-Oklahoma State

Florida-Florida State

LSU-Coastal Carolina

Texas Tech-East Carolina

Texas A&M-TCU

Louisville-UC Santa Barbara

Mississippi State-Arizona

Miami-Boston College

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Chad Holbrook, Marcus Mooney and Gene Cone met the media on Friday
Chad Holbrook, Marcus Mooney and Gene Cone met the media on Friday
Paul Collins, Gamecock Central
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