South Carolina hitters preparing to face LSU ace Paul Skenes
South Carolina has faced its share of good pitching this season but nothing on the level of LSU’s Paul Skenes.
The Gamecocks will begin a three-game series against the top-ranked Tigers Thursday night where Skenes will be on the mound for LSU.
The right-hander has been putting up video game numbers so far this year, arguably the toughest test for a Gamecocks offense that’s rolled through most of the season.
“If you were going to design a pitcher in a lab, this is what you would come up with,” Mark Kingston said. “He’s strong, physical, power arm, has command. 10 to 1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Competitive. He came from the Air Force so you know he’s probably got a lot of discipline to how he goes about his business. I just think he checks all the boxes of what a dominant power pitcher should be.”
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Skenes spent the first two years of his college career at Air Force where his numbers were great as a two-way player for the Falcons. He pitched his way to an 11-4 record with a 2.73 ERA and 126 strikeouts to 39 walks. He was a two-time First-Team All-American.
Skenes came to the SEC via the portal and has been unreal to start the season, by far the best pitcher in the sport halfway through the year.
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Through seven starts (44.1 innings), Skenes has been utterly dominant. He’s 5-0 with a 0.81 ERA, giving up just four earned runs and 19 hits.
He leads the country in strikeouts by a wide margin with 83, while walking eight batters. He’s also done a good job of keeping hitters modest at the plate, not allowing a single home run this year.
“This guy’s said to be the best thing since Stephen Strasburg,” catcher Cole Messina said. “So I think it’s a challenge for us, and I think we’re excited. We’re going to prepare today for him and we’re going to go get him.”
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Much like Strasburg, a former No. 1 draft pick by the Washington Nationals in 2009, the excitement surrounding Skenes is on a similar level.
He’s one of the hardest throwers, consistently sitting 100 to 102 miles per hour.
How’s his off-speed? His slider, which has an insane break, hovers in the mid to upper 80’s. His changeup on the other hand has reached 92 miles per hour. He’s struck out 11 or more batters in every start he’s made with the Tigers.
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Needless to say, South Carolina is in for a challenge unlike any other. No team has been able to figure out Skenes yet. But after everything the Gamecocks have accomplished this season, their confidence is at an all-time high.
It’ll be a good test for a South Carolina offense slashing .299/.438/.576 this season.
In SEC games only, the Gamecocks rank fifth in batting average (.284), fourth in on-base percentage (.410) and second in slugging percentage (.545).
They are tied for third in runs scored and home runs.
“I definitely think it’s my approach. Coach (Monte) Lee does a great job working with all hitters,” Messina said. “The biggest thing he’s instilled is the confidence you go up to the plate with. That’s the biggest key point I can give you. It’s been great.”
Weather permitting, South Carolina will face Skenes and LSU starting Thursday night at 7 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.
