Column: South Carolina can make strong postseason run ... with a few small caveats

There is a rekindled energy, you can feel it. This isn’t the same team that sat in the visitor’s dugout in Knoxville with blank expressions after being swept.

Despite everything that had gone wrong, South Carolina went into Hoover and took care of business. A win locked down a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Anything beyond that only strengthened its case.

Considering how rough things were looking two weeks ago, the Gamecocks going 3-2 in the SEC Tournament should be a big positive. It wasn’t always pretty but they did what they needed to do. They definitely were able to get their mojo back.

Entering Monday’s tournament selection show, the vibes were strong. Everyone was loose and having a good time. You could even hear a lot of chatter and noise when it was announced Vanderbilt would be playing in Clemson’s regional.

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For South Carolina, it will be heading to the Raleigh Regional with what looks to be a very favorable draw. The Gamecocks haven’t been to Omaha in more than a decade. And the fan base is itching to get back there.

Obviously, it’s going to take a good five-game run to make it to the College World Series. But this team is capable of doing so. That is if certain things can work out in their favor.

The Gamecocks will kick off regional play against James Madison on Friday (2 p.m., ESPN+). It’s unclear who will be pitching that day. But you can almost bet that it will be another bullpen day for what should be a well-rested pitching staff.

This might be the most important game of the postseason. The difference between winning and losing is astronomical. Win and South Carolina advances into the winner’s bracket. But if it loses, there’s a possibility it will have to play four to five games by the end of the weekend.

What’s the difference you may ask? For reference, the Gamecocks only needed to win three games in their regional last year to advance. Without a true starting rotation, this would be the ideal scenario. We saw how things played out last week in Hoover when Mark Kingston had to configure his bullpen for a five-game stretch. There will be a lot of worn out and tired arms if that happens again this weekend.

And if they can make it through the regional in good shape, this new pitching philosophy Kingston is going with can work in a Super Regional. That’s because unlike the regional, you only need to win two games in Supers to advance to Omaha. So throwing your best arms out there to get two wins is a lot more manageable.

But it’s not just the pitching and counting on a plethora of guys to go out there and do their job. At this point in the season, South Carolina also needs to hope and pray its defense can be better.

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In five games last week, the Gamecocks made 12 errors in the field, tying an SEC Tournament record. And you can argue it should’ve been more.

10 of those errors came in the final three games, two of which turned out to be losses to LSU. It’s safe to say if South Carolina didn’t make as many defensive mistakes as it did, it would be fighting for an SEC Championship.

Instead, those miscues became the team’s downfall and reason for elimination in the semifinals. If anything similar happens this weekend, it could lead to the same fate. But with a few days to practice, there should be reason to believe the defense can be better.

The one area of the team that can be consistently counted on is the offense. South Carolina, led by home run and RBI machine Cole Messina, was able to do enough in each game in Hoover to be able to win. So it does come down to if the pitching and defense can do their part.

If all aspects of play can come together, who knows what can happen. The postseason is all about getting hot, and South Carolina definitely can do so.

Complete schedule for the Raleigh Regional

Friday, May 31
Game One: 2 p.m. ET* – South Carolina vs. James Madison (ESPN+)
Game Two: 7 p.m. ET* – NC State vs. Bryant (ESPN+)

Saturday, June 1
Game Three: 12 p.m. ET* – Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two
Game Four: 6 p.m. ET* – Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two

Sunday, June 2
Game Five: 12 p.m. ET* – Loser Game Four vs. Winner Game Three
Game Six: 6 p.m. ET* – Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five

Monday, June 3
Game Seven (if necessary): TBA* – Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six
*All times subject to change based on TV

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