Mark Kingston addresses how Will Sanders will be used in Super Regional

South Carolina is facing a familiar foe in the NCAA Super Regionals. It only makes sense for the Gamecocks to use an unfamiliar weapon.

On Wednesday, South Carolina baseball head coach Mark Kingston discussed the upcoming series against Florida. One reporter asked Kingston about the possibility of Will Sanders taking the mound. The 53-year-old head coach was open to the idea.

“Absolutely. It’s just a matter of what we think is the best way. If we don’t play any extra-inning games, there’s 27 innings to play. So, what’s the best way to get our best pitchers throwing the most amount of impactful innings, and that’s what we’ll evaluate,” Kingston said.

While the comment doesn’t seem like much to outsiders, it’s a life raft for the Gamecocks faithful. Sanders sat from May 5 to June 2 due to a lower leg injury. Nonetheless, trouble arose for Sanders far before his health sidelined him.

Sanders has a 5.37 ERA this season, far worse than his previous two seasons at South Carolina. In March, the staff skipped Sanders in the weekend rotation during a road series at Mississippi State, hoping to shock the 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher back to life.

The risky decision certainly struck a nerve with Sanders.

“This school has given me a lot,” Sanders said during a press conference on April 12. “I want to give it back to the coaches, the team and the city, so it was more than baseball. Not throwing for 10 days really aggravated me.”

Will Sanders. That’s it. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/KnGiLeXUMK

— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) June 5, 2023

Unfortunately, Sanders got injured before he could fully capitalize on that aggravation. Nonetheless, Sanders refused to sit back and end the season on such a sour note. The Georgia native fought tooth and nail to return to the rotation in time for the NCAA Tournament.

He succeeded. Sanders pitched four innings in two regional games, giving up one hit and striking out eight batters. Now, Sanders has a chance to bring his season full circle.

Sanders’ best performance of the season came on April 20 against the Florida Gators. He threw a season-high 10 strikeouts in South Carolina’s 13-3 triumph. Sanders has the opportunity to repeat history when his team needs it most.

Watch the Gamecocks take on the Gators in Game 1 of the Gainesville Super Regionals at 6 p.m. ET on Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2.