Gamecocks, Gators ride strong pitching, defense to top of SEC standings
Successful baseball teams – as South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook is fond of saying – typically do two things very well – pitch and play defense.
Thus, it’s not a coincidence USC and Florida sit atop the SEC standings heading into the showdown three-game series between the Gamecocks and Gators in Columbia this weekend. Consider:
-- Both Florida and USC are ranked in the top five in the SEC in team ERA. The Gators lead the league with a 2.82 ERA, while the Gamecocks are fifth at 3.21.
-- Florida (.221) and USC (.227) are first and third, respectively, in opposing batting average.
-- Florida (448) and USC (397) are also first and third in the SEC in strikeouts. They are the top two teams in the category of batters struckout looking.
-- The Gators have allowed the fewest walks in the SEC - 100 in 383.1 innings pitched, an average of 2.38 walks per game. The Gamecocks are averaging 3.39 walks per game.
-- USC and Florida are tied for the league lead in total saves (15). Josh Reagan leads the SEC in saves (11) while Florida’s Shaun Anderson is third with nine. Reagan and Anderson are 1-2 in the SEC in games finished with 18 and 16, respectively.
-- USC’s Clarke Schmidt leads the SEC in innings pitched with 70.2.
-- Top two team fielding percentages? They belong to Florida (.984) and USC (.980). Not surprisingly, they have committed the fewest errors in the SEC led by the Gators with a paltry 26 in 42 games. The Gamecocks have committed just 30 errors in 41 games.
-- Together, USC and Florida have combined for fewer errors (56) than Auburn (68) and Missouri (65) by themselves.
Both pitching staffs are averaging greater than one strikeout per inning. Both staffs feature power arms that, most importantly, throw strikes and don’t regularly walk people.
“They have probably have five or six first round picks on their pitching staff, maybe more than that,” Holbrook said Monday night on SportsTalk. “They have a dominant closer and dominant middle relief. Everybody they run pout there has a chance to be a super high draft pick. They have a bunch of guys who can run it up there in the low to mid 90s, some in the upper 90s.”
Based on the numbers, both teams will have to scratch and claw for every run during the series. Even a single run could be gold. Wasted opportunities could prove costly when the game is over.
In short, runs could be scarce in the series.
“You have to compete and battle, scratch and claw, every pitch and get your bunts down,” Holbrook said. “When you get an opportunity to score, you have to capitalize on it because they are going to few and far between.”
Regarded by many analysts as perhaps the most talented team in college baseball from top to bottom, Florida is the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. The Gamecocks are ranked as high as No. 2. In fact, according to Collegiate Baseball, this weekend in Columbia marks a classic No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle.
“They (Florida) may have more future big leaguers on their team currently than I’ve ever seen on a college team,” Holbrook said. “It doesn’t guarantee they will win the national championship or guarantee they will play lights out this weekend, but they are terrific team. They are very well coached. It might be one of the most talented teams we’ve played here in many years.”
If the Gamecocks win the series, they should be the No. 1 team in the country in at least one poll on Monday. But Florida has won the last three series between the teams in Columbia. The Gamecocks have yet to beat the Gators in a series at Founders Park, which debuted in 2009. The last series win for USC over Florida in Columbia was in 2008.
“Our guys are excited about playing (Florida) and excited about the opportunity in front of them,” Holbrook said. “We’re going to try to play our best baseball. It will certainly take that for us to have a chance to win because they are so talented.”
SEC EAST STANDINGS (As of April 25)
South Carolina 14-4
Florida 13-5
Kentucky 10-8
Vanderbilt 10-8
Georgia 7-11
Tennessee 6-12
Missouri 4-14
