Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina baseball's next opponent, the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri is on the verge of making some history. As his Gamecocks swept the Milwaukee Panthers, they also maintained their undefeated record. Now 8-0 on the young season, USC is just one win away from matching its best-ever season start during a coach’s first season at the helm (Dick Weldon started 9-0 in his only year coaching in 1966; hat-tip to GamecockCentral’s Mike Uva for the statistic).

South Carolina will go for the record this week. While many eyes are already on the weekend series against the rival Clemson Tigers, the Gamecocks first must play a mid-week contest against the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs.

Win tickets to USC-Clemson baseball (Sunday game in Columbia)

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Resume Check: Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs

Record: 5-4; 22-31 (9-15) in 2024
AP Ranking: N/A
Last Week: Mid-week win 12-2 over Davidson in Boiling Springs; 3-out-of-4 weekend series win over Mercyhurst in Boiling Springs
Previous Meeting: South Carolina won a mid-week contest 7-1 during 2024 season

Gardner-Webb should be a much-improved team in 2025. Last season, the Runnin’ Bulldogs posted a listing record overall and finished third-to-last in the Big South at 9-15. This year, though, the conference’s coaches are much higher on Jim Chester’s bunch. This preseason, Big South coaches voted the team third in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs also earned a first-place vote from one coach.

Through nine games so far this season, Gardner-Webb is 5-4. However, the Runnin’ Bulldogs own a 73-54 (+19) run differential. The team’s bats have been hot as four different Bulldogs already have multiple home runs. Two who don’t (Lawson Knight and Nick Capozzi) can hurt teams in another way. The preseason All-Big South outfield duo have combined to go 16-for-17 on stolen base attempts.

Relief pitcher Devin Pressley joined Knight and Capozzi on the preseason all-conference squad. As a whole, though, the pitching staff has struggled. Of the seven arms with more than four innings pitched, only Mason Manriquez has an ERA below 4.80. The Bulldogs lost most of their starting pitching production from last year, and right now, that shows. Other than the four-game set against Mercyhurst (a team in its first year at the Division-I level), Gardner-Webb’s starters have struggled to the tune of a whopping 25 earned runs allowed in just 12 innings pitched.

Having played every game so far at home, GW’s trip to Columbia will be their first road trip this season.

South Carolina baseball will start left-handed pitcher Jackson Soucie on the mound against the Garnder-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs. Soucie had a nice start last Wednesday against Queens, surrendering just one hit and no runs in three innings. USC and GW will take the field on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Founders Park. Fans unable to make it to the ballpark can stream the contest on SEC Network+.

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