South Carolina confident heading into first SEC, road series of 2023
South Carolina has passed every test this season with nearly flying colors, but a new challenge awaits this weekend.
The Gamecocks–who’ve won 17 of their first 18 games–are outscoring opponents by an average of eight runs per game not only start SEC play this weekend but do it on the road, a place they struggled mightily last season.
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“I feel like whenever we go into somewhere else, this team has a little more swagger to it. We get it after it a little bit more than I would say last year’s team,” Talmadge LeCroy said. “We’re more confident. We’ve hit the ball out of the ballpark and we’ve scored when we’ve needed to score. I think we’re going to take that into this weekend in their ballpark.”
Last year South Carolina was Jekyll and Hyde between Founders Park and anywhere else. The Gamecocks were nine games above .500 at home, 21-12, but a paltry 6-16 in road or neutral site games.
In true road games, the Gamecocks were just 4-14 and went just 3-12 away from home in the SEC with no series wins. South Carolina is 1-1 in games away from home this season, losing the lone road game so far (at Clemson, 5-2).
This year, with a more experienced and talented roster, the Gamecocks are looking to change those fortunes.
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It starts this weekend at Georgia, a place South Carolina is just 1-3 in its last four series and 4-8 in the last 12 games. The win did come in 2021 when the Gamecocks lost the first game and ultimately won the series.
“I just have a lot of confidence in this team wherever we’re playing. It’s talented, it’s old, it’s experienced,” Mark Kingston said. “It’s a lot of really competitive guys and we have a lot of guys with experience. Regardless of where we play, I’m going to feel like we have a chance we win that day.”
One thing that will have to continue to be productive is South Carolina’s offense, which is producing at a high level right now with 195 runs over 18 games while slashing .308/.451/.615 as a team while mashing a nation-leading 48 homers.
Kingston’s confidence in this group comes in large part because of how overwhelming it’s been at home this year. The Gamecocks have 10 wins of at least six runs, six by double digits. Four have by at least 15 runs.
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“We haven’t squeaked by for most of our wins–when you look at the stat sheet and see numbers that aren’t dependent on who we’re playing. You’re seeing a good number of stolen bases. You’re seeing power,” Kingston said.
“When you square a ball up against somebody it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. I think the fact we know we have good pitching and our defense has been trending in a good direction the last 10 games, the eye test tells you that you have the pieces there you need to compete.”
Georgia is undoubtedly a step up for the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs trotting out two starters–lefties Jaden Woods and Liam Sullivan–who’ve combined to allow just six earned runs and 16 hits over a combined 37.2 innings.
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“In the fall and spring, we’ve faced our arms. Which we have one of the best staffs in the country,” LeCroy said. “We’re going to keep our same approach and hit balls and if they fall, they fall. If they go out of the ballpark, they got out of the ballpark.”
Series details
Who: South Carolina (17-1) at Georgia (13-4)
Where: Foley Field; Athens, Georgia (Capacity: 3,291)
When: Saturday, March 18 – 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 18 – 1 hour after the completion of game one
Sunday, March 19 – 3 p.m.
How to watch/listen: Friday and Saturday, SEC Network Plus; Sunday, SEC Network; Listen: Gamecock Sports Radio (107.5 FM)
Probable pitchers
Game 1: RHP Will Sanders (2-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP Jaden Woods (3-0, 2.60 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Noah Hall (3-0, 2.59 ERA) vs. LHP Liam Sullivan (3-0, 0.44 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Jack Mahoney (2-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. TBA
