Mark Kingston shares injury update on multiple South Carolina players

Mark Kingston and the South Carolina Gamecocks are gearing up for another go-round on Saturday afternoon against Miami (Ohio), and anticipation is reaching a zenith.

The Gamecocks were able to win their opener on Friday, defeating Miami (Ohio) by a score of 5-1. With good feeling all around South Carolina, Kingston provided an update on some Gamecocks players who are dealing with injuries at the moment, and how serious they are.

“Well here we are. We’re excited. Get this thing rolling,” Kingston started, ahead of South Carolina’s second game. “[Matthew] Becker and [Roman] Kimball are dealign with minor lat issues. We think that it’s nothing serious long term. Just a little bit of an inconvenience now. Becker probably will not pitch this weekend, Kimball probably will, as of today. [Garrett] Gainey appears to be fine.

“[Gavin] Cassius and [Tyler] Causey are dealing with minor issues. Nagging issues. But we’re hoping they’ll be able to play, as well.”

With the injuries South Carolina is dealing with, perhaps we’ll see Eddie Copper get another shot at getting to the mound, following his less-than-stellar performance in relief on Friday.

“When you have a four-run lead, you’re going to try to use some other guys so you don’t use your best guys until it gets tight,” Kingston said. “So we tried to do that, we tried to sneak Eddie in there. Eddie Copper’s been one of our best pitchers through the entire preseason and he just went out there tonight and looked a little nervous, which is completely normal for a freshman pitching in an SEC environment for the first time.

“So we’ll go back out to him very quickly at some point. But we wanted to get his feet wet with that lead. But when he got in trouble, you’re one pitch away from it being a very close ballgame. So you have to go to your guys when you need to go to your guys.”

Moreover, Saturday’s first pitch is slated for 12:00 p.m. for the second game of the season for the Gamecocks. They’re looking to stay hot with another win, even with some of their roster dealing with injuries at the moment.

We’ll see if they’re able to do so, and if Mark Kingston can lead South Carolina to a win once again on Saturday afternoon.