Matthew Becker providing stability at back-end of rotation
The Gamecocks entered the weekend series against Vanderbilt and Florida with Will Sanders and Jack Mahoney leading the back and TBA bringing up the rear.
South Carolina might not need the TBA designation anymore.
With Noah Hall out still dealing with a back injury, South Carolina’s turned to Matthew Becker in consecutive weekends. And the sophomore has stepped up in a big way, headlined by a nearly-flawless outing to clinch a sweep over Florida.
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“He stepped up big time for us,” Mark Kingston said. “He looked like a guy that should be pitching on an SEC weekend.”
Needing to fill innings with Hall on the shelf, Becker’s giving the Gamecocks nearly everything they could have asked for. After starting at Vanderbilt, Becker came home and threw up five innings of two-run baseball.
Becker allowed a lone baserunner Saturday afternoon was a two-out walk to leadoff man Wyatt Langford. He promptly erased it with a strikeout looking of Jac Caglianone.
Cade Kurland went 2-for-2 against Becker Saturday with a pair of solo shots. The rest of Florida’s vaunted lineup went hitless in 15 at-bats with six strikeouts and the singluar walk.
He looked every bit like a weekend starter in the SEC, a welcomed addition to the rotation now as South Carolina makes its push for a national seed.
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“He had poise. I told Matthew after he came out of the game as impressed as I was with his stuff and his performance, the fact he was that poised throughout the outing was really big progress for him,” Kingston said.
“Sometimes he lets the emotions get a little bit the best of him. That didn’t happen today on a big stage with a huge crowd and the chance to sweep a series. I was so proud of him, so proud.”
But Saturday’s start was the latest in a long line of quality outings from the lefty, who’s been great since the second weekend of SEC play.
Becker has a 2.12 ERA and a 0.941 WHIP over his last five outings (17 innings). He’s struck out 25 to six walks while teams are hitting .169/.269/.305 against him.
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The left-hander’s allowed four earned runs over nine innings with a 1.11 WHIP and 14 strikeouts to four walks since joining the weekend rotation. The Commodores and Gators have combined to hit .188/.316/.438.
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“The comfort always comes from the guys behind me,” Becker said. “I have elite defense left and right, everywhere I look. Up there knowing that’s really easy to get into a rhythm and throw pitches here I want to throw them.”
His emergence over the last month shows not only the depth of the Gamecocks’ pitching corps but the growth from Becker himself.
South Carolina used him often as part of last year’s injury-riddled staff. Becker finished with a 5.21 ERA in 48.1 innings. Becker was largely a bullpen piece (16 relief appearances) but did make four starts and flashed.
In those, he had a 4.50 ERA in 20 innings with a 1.4 WHIP and a slash line against of .186/.333/.386.
South Carolina is seeing just how much he’s grown since inserting him into the weekend rotation.
“I’m comfortable no matter the inning. I haven’t been starting this year. But getting back in the first few games I started the pitch count’s been a problem for me,” he said. “You saw today I didn’t get a ton of strikeouts but I trusted my defense. I threw it where they could hit knowing I’d have some stellar defense behind me.”
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He’s part of arguably the best pitching staff in the SEC currently and one coming off an impressive performance against Florida this weekend.
The Gamecocks have almost seven days off off with no midweek before hosting Auburn Friday.
“I think this group is just ready to play whenever. Like Kingston says: whenever, whenever we’re going to come and try to beat you because we know we can,” Becker said. “We know we’re one of the better teams in the country. The break’s nice but everyone is itching to get back out there again.”
