Garnet & Black Sports

Dyson Gets SEC POTW

2010-04-26T19:49:00.003-04:00

April 26, 2010
David Able

Columbia, S.C. - For the third week in a row, a Gamecock pitcher has earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Junior right-hander Sam Dyson was named the conference pitcher of the week following his three-hit complete game shutout in the seven-inning 5-0 win over Georgia on Sunday in game one of a doubleheader.

Dyson is only the third SEC pitcher to record a complete game shutout this year and the second this season to do it in SEC play. Dyson finished with 69 strikes and allowed just one runner from Georgia to get in scoring position in the seven-inning shutout. Dyson struck out five batters and recorded 14 ground outs. The win was the first complete game shutout of Dyson's career. It helped clinch a series victory over Georgia, the first time since 2002 that the Gamecocks have won a series at Georgia. With the win, Dyson moved into a tie for 15th on the all-time career victory list at Carolina with 21 career wins.

Dyson earned a second straight win in conference play and is now 4-2 with 4.35 ERA on the year. He has 53 strikeouts to just nine walks in 51.2 innings pitched. Opponents are batting just .259 against him on the year.

Dyson, Blake Cooper (April 19) and Jay Brown (April 12) have all earned the award in the last three weeks for the Gamecocks.

Tolleson Gets Called Up

2010-04-26T19:29:00.003-04:00

April 26, 2010
David Able

Columbia, S.C. - Former Gamecock baseball player Steven Tolleson has been called up to the Major Leagues by the Oakland Athletics. The infielder is scheduled to be with the club as they begin a series in Tampa Bay against the Rays beginning on Tuesday night.

Tolleson started off the season in Triple-A with the Sacramento River Cats and had a .333 batting average with eight runs scored. He is one of four former Gamecocks to currently be in Major League Baseball.

In his three-year career at Carolina, Tolleson (2003-04-05) hit a career .305 (176-for-578) and played in 171 games for the Gamecocks. He played on three NCAA Regional teams including two squads that made it to the College World Series in 2003 and 2004.

Tolleson earned first-team All-SEC honors at shortstop his junior season in 2005 for the Gamecocks. In his sophomore season in 2004, he was a .316 hitter (62-for-196) and earned SEC Tournament Co-MVP honors along with Kevin Melillo as the Gamecocks claimed the conference tournament championship. Tolleson also was named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team as a freshman as the Gamecocks claimed the regional championship in Atlanta, Ga. on the way to a berth into the College World Series.

Tolleson signed a professional contract with the Twins in the summer of 2005 after being a fifth round selection.

Gamecocks Sweep Georgia

2010-04-25T19:22:00.000-04:00

April 25, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Athens, Ga. - Jackie Bradley Jr. reached base five times with four hits including a homer and a game-winning RBI single in the top of the seventh inning as South Carolina held on for an 8-7 victory over Georgia in game two of a doubleheader on Sunday at Foley Field. Carolina sweeps the three-game series vs. the Bulldogs with the squad now 32-8 and 14-4 in SEC play while the loss drops Georgia to 12-28 and 3-15 in conference action. South Carolina has won all six SEC series this year and nine straight dating back to the 2009 season.

With the score deadlocked at 7-7, the Gamecocks made their move in the top of the seventh. Whit Merrifield reached with a leadoff walk and stole second base to set the stage for Bradley. On a 1-2 pitch, Bradley drilled a RBI single to center field that scored Merrifield and put the Gamecocks up a run. The bottom of the seventh was not without dramatics though as Georgia loaded the bases with one out on a pair of hits and an intentional walk. Gamecock freshman reliever Ethan Carter battled though as he struck out Brett DeLoach with the bags full for a key second out in the inning. Carter then sealed the Gamecock victory coaxing pinch hitter Zach Taylor into a short fly out to left field to end the threat and secure a Carolina win.

Carter worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and is now 2-0 on the year. The freshman right-hander has not allowed a run in 14 of 15 relief appearances and owns a scoreless inning streak of 14 games. George reliever Cooper Moseley suffered the loss after 0.2 innings of work allowing one run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout. He is now 0-2 for the season.

Fresh off the victory in game one of the doubleheader, Carolina wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in game two with four runs in the first inning off of Georgia starter Michael Palazzone. The Gamecocks started off with three consecutive hits by Whit Merrifield, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Walker with Walker's driving in Merrifield for the first run of the game. With runners on the corners, Jeffery Jones lifted a deep sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field scoring Bradley. Morales, who was 2-for-2 with two runs in the first game of the DH, kept his hot day at the plate going as he drilled a 0-2 pitch from Palazzone over the left center wall for a home run, his second of the day and his fourth of the season increasing the advantage to 4-0.

That lead increased to 5-0 in the second inning as the Gamecocks knocked Palazzone from the game in the process. Bradley and Walker each tallied their second hits of the game and Jones was hit by pitch to load the bases. Morales would drive in Bradley on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Georgia answered Carolina with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second. Robert Shipman drew a one-out walk and scored from first base on a double to the gap in left center by Brett DeLoach. The Bulldogs then got their second run as Chase Davidson drilled a line shot up the middle off the chest of Jay Brown that deflected into right field scoring DeLoach from second base. The Bulldogs crept to within 5-4 in the bottom of the third inning as Zach Cone tallied a RBI base hit that was followed by a RBI double off the bat of Kyle Farmer.

South Carolina extended the lead back to three runs in the top of the fourth with Jackie Bradley Jr. connecting with a solo homer to lead off the frame. Bradley ripped a 1-1 pitch to left center for his third homer of the year, his first round tripper since March 30 vs. The Citadel. Evan Marzilli also tallied a key two-out RBI single that plated home Christian Walker, who had doubled earlier in the inning.

The Bulldogs tied it in the fifth inning on a three-run two-out homer off the bat of Brett DeLoach. Levi Hyams started the frame with a leadoff walk and Kyle Farmer was hit by pitch with one out to give Georgia a pair of runners. With two outs and runners on second and third base, DeLoach drilled a 3-2 pitch from Gamecock reliever Matt Price over the wall in center field to tie the game at 7-7.

South Carolina finished with 11 hits to Georgia's 10 in game two of the doubleheader. Bradley had a season-high in hits with a 4-for-4 day at the plate. Christian Walker also went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Evan Marzilli started in left field and was 2-for-3 as well. Adrian Morales drove in three runs in game two of the doubleheader and finished with five in the doubleheader. DeLoach went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead Georgia. Peter Verdin, Levi Hyams and Zach Cone also tallied two hits apiece for Georgia.

Gamecock Knocks off Georgia 5-0 In First Game Of Doubleheader

2010-04-25T15:18:00.000-04:00

April 25, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Athens, Ga. - South Carolina junior right-hander Sam Dyson hurled a three-hit complete game shutout in seven innings and was backed by a pair of homers from Nick Ebert and Adrian Morales as the Gamecocks upended Georgia 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Foley Field. With the win, Carolina clinches its sixth straight SEC series this year and ninth straight dating back to last season. The Gamecocks are 31-8 and 13-4 in the SEC while the loss drops Georgia to 12-27 and 3-14 in the SEC. Game two of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at 2:35 p.m.

Dyson was stellar the entire outing for the Gamecocks as he limited the Bulldogs to just three singles. He is now 4-2 on the year. It is the Gamecocks seventh shutout of the season. Georgia starter Jeff Walters suffered the loss and is now 1-4 for the season. He allowed two runs, on earned, on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

Adrian Morales gave South Carolina a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning with a solo homer. On a 2-2 pitch, Morales drilled a shot over the wall in left field for his third home run of the season. Morales would come through in the fourth inning with his second RBI to increase Carolina's lead to 2-0 as he knocked a RBI base hit to right center scoring pinch runner Robert Beary.

Carolina got some important insurance in the top of the sixth inning scoring three times with two outs to extend the team's advantage to 5-0 on the Bulldogs. Nick Ebert started it off with a solo homer to right center off of Georgia reliever Justin Earls, his fourth homer of the year. Georgia would go to the pen for reliever Cooper Moseley, who struggled with control as he hit Adrian Morales followed by walks to Evan Marzilli and Kyle Enders. With the bags full and Moseley still on the hill, Bobby Haney delivered with a two-run single as he drove a 1-1 pitch down the left field line to score both Morales and Marzilli.

Morales was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI. Haney also finished 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Gamecocks at the plate

Gamecock Baseball Opens Series With 11-4 Win Over Georgia

2010-04-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

April 23, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Athens, Ga. - Blake Cooper worked eight innings and struck out nine batters to earn his eighth win of the season and was backed by an offense that pounded out 12 hits as South Carolina upended Georgia 11-4 on Friday evening in game one of a three-game SEC baseball series at Foley Field. Carolina is now 30-8 and 12-4 in the SEC while the loss drops Georgia to 12-26 and 3-13 in the conference. Game two of the series is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised live on CSS and can also be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

Cooper is now 8-0 on the year after allowing four runs on seven hits in eight innings on the night. He struck out nine and walked one. Georgia starter Justin Grimm went five-plus innings and allowed nine runs on seven hits with six walks and three strikeouts. He also hit a batter. He is now 2-6 for the season.

South Carolina sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the third inning to build a 6-0 lead on the Bulldogs. Leadoff hitter Bobby Haney walked and Scott Wingo was hit by a pitch on Grimm's first offering to give the Gamecocks a pair of runners. After a walk to Whit Merrifield loaded the bases, Carolina scored its first run as Jackie Bradley Jr. walked to score Haney. With one out and a 1-2 count, Nick Ebert drove in a pair of runs as he knocked a RBI double down the left field line. The hitting continued as Adrian Morales tallied a RBI infield single on a high chopper to third and Kyle Enders finished off the scoring with a two-run single as the Gamecocks gave Cooper a six-run cushion.

"We were fortunate to get some runs in the third without too many hits," said head coach Ray Tanner. "(Blake) had good stuff early and he pitched well enough for us to win and that was the key in the game as far as I was concerned."

The Bulldogs would strike back in the bottom half of the third with a pair of runs. Chase Davidson drew a leadoff walk and Brett DeLoach followed with a single over the head of third baseman Adrian Morales. On the play, Davidson advanced to second base as Gamecock left fielder Adam Matthews attempted to throw out Davidson at third base. With one out, Johnathan Taylor laced a single up the middle that scored Davidson. Peter Verdin added a RBI groundout to cut the Gamecock lead to 6-2. Carolina's lead would be cut in half at 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Kyle Farmer connected on a 1-2 pitch for a homer to left center, his second homer of the season.

South Carolina countered with a home run of its own in the top of the fifth as Adam Matthews connected on Justin Grimm's first pitch of the frame with a home run to right field, his fourth homer of the year giving the Gamecocks a 7-3 lead.

Carolina chased Grimm in the three-run sixth inning that extended the Gamecock lead to 10-3. Merrifield reached base for the fourth time in the game with a solo home run to right field, his eighth homer of the season, tying him with Wingo for the team lead. After a Jackie Bradley Jr. single, the Bulldogs went to the pen for reliever Steve Esmonde. He was greeted by Jeffery Jones, who laced a single to right field. Ebert would drive in Bradley with a sacrifice fly and Jones scored on Adam Matthews' RBI groundout.

Georgia scored a single run in the seventh inning on a RBI pinch hit double by Todd Hankins. The Gamecock struck back in the top of the eighth with a single run as well as a wild pitch by reliever Alex McRee scored Adrian Morales.

The Gamecocks finished with a 12-9 advantage in hits on the evening. Morales tied his career-high in hits with a 3-for-5 day at the plate as well as two runs scored. Merrifield reached base four times and was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Bradley also went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Ebert finished with a team-high three RBI in the game. Brett DeLoach went 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead Georgia at the plate.

Gamecocks Knock off USC Upstate

2010-04-20T22:54:00.000-04:00

April 20, 2010
David Able

Columbia, S.C. - The South Carolina bullpen came through and shut down
Upstate as South Carolina defeated USC Upstate 4-2 on last night at Carolina
Stadium. The Gamecocks are now 29-8 on the year while the loss drops USC
Upstate to 13-29 for the season.

USC Upstate broke ahead 2-0 on the Gamecocks with single runs in the third
and fourth innings. Brian Dempsey had a RBI single in the third inning and
Tyler Miller drove in a run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. Gamecock
starter Colby Holmes left the game in the fourth inning after he injured his
right hand off a line drive. He will have X-rays on Wednesday morning.

Trailing 2-0, the Gamecocks cut the Spartan lead in half in the bottom of
the fourth inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. led off with a single and advanced to
third on a double down the right field line by Jeffery Jones. Bradley would
score off of Christian Walker's RBI ground out. Carolina tied the game in
the fifth inning as Robert Beary singled and with two outs on third base
scored on a wild pitch issued by Bumgardner.

With the score tied at 2, the Gamecocks out in front of the Spartans with a
pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. opened
the sixth with a one-out base hit that put the runners on the corners. Nick
Ebert came up big for the Gamecocks as he knocked a RBI double down the
right field line scoring Bradley and giving the Gamecocks a one-run lead.
That lead then increased to 4-2 when Adam Marzilli scored on Adrian Morales'
RBI sacrifice fly to center field.

The two-run lead was enough for the Gamecocks as Jose Mata continued his
stellar outing of relief. He allowed just two hits and struck out two
batters in the victory. Mata is now 3-0 for the season. Sophomore
left-hander Michael Roth struck out the only batter he faced and Carter
closed out the ninth with a pair of strikeouts as he picked up his second
save of the season. USC Upstate starter Gaither Bumgardner suffered the
loss and is now 0-5 on the year. He allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.1
innings with two strikeouts and two walks.

Carolina and USC Upstate each finished with seven hits. Bradley went
2-for-4 with two runs scored with Ebert also going 2-for-3 at the plate for
the Gamecocks. Brody Greer was 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead the
Spartans.

Carolina heads on the road to face Georgia this weekend in a three-game
series beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Athens.

Cooper Named Pitcher of The Week

2010-04-20T17:00:00.002-04:00

April 20, 2010
David Able

Columbia, SC - South Carolina senior pitcher Blake Cooper has earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Cooper tossed a complete game shutout in the 5-0 win vs. nationally ranked Ole Miss on Friday. He is only the second SEC pitcher to record a complete game shutout this year and the first this season to do it in SEC play.

The complete game shutout was the first by a Gamecock pitcher since Aaron Rawl did it on May 13, 2005 in a 2-0 win also against Ole Miss. It was the second consecutive shutout by the Gamecocks in SEC play. Carolina defeated Vanderbilt 2-0 last Sunday.

Cooper struck out a career-high 10 batters in the victory, his fifth complete game of his career but his first career complete game shutout. He allowed just four hits and one walk in the victory.

Cooper leads the SEC in victories and owns a 7-0 record with a 2.44 ERA. He has pitched 62.2 innings and allowed just 40 hits while striking out 57 and walking 21. Opponents are batting just .185 against him

With the win, Cooper also passed Jason Haynie (1993-96) for the 10th on the all-time career victory list at Carolina with 28 career wins.

Carolina Drops Series Finale 5-4 To Ole Miss

2010-04-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

April 18, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A solo home run by David Phillips in the top of the seventh inning lifted Ole Miss to a 5-4 victory over South Carolina in the finale of a three-game SEC baseball series at Carolina Stadium. Despite the loss, Carolina won its fifth consecutive series in SEC play and eighth straight dating back to the 2009 season. Ole Miss is now 24-13 and 8-7 in league play while the loss drops Carolina to 28-8 and 11-4 in the SEC. South Carolina returns to action on Tuesday night hosting USC Upstate with first pitch at 7 p.m.

With the score deadlocked at 4-4 in the top of the seventh, Phillips knocked the first pitch from reliever John Taylor over the right field wall to give the Rebels a one-run lead. Carolina looked to rally in the bottom half as Whit Merrifield reached on a bunt base hit and advanced to second base on a throwing error by first baseman Miles Hamblin. After a fly ball out to center field advanced Merrifield to third base, Ole Miss reliever Matt Tracy kept the potential tying run 90 feet away as a hot shot ground ball from pinch hitter Christian Walker went off the glove of Tracy and into the hands of second baseman Alex Yarbrough, who playing in would nab Walker at first base without Merrifield being able to score. After an intentional walk to Nick Ebert put runners on the corners, Tracy escaped without any damage as pinch hitter Parker Bangs knocked a line drive that was nabbed on a nice jump by second baseman Alex Yarbrough. Carolina would be unable to come away with a run in the eighth or ninth inning.

Tracy earned the win after 3.2 scoreless innings of relief for Ole Miss. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. He is 2-2 on the year. Taylor worked two innings and allowed one run on one hit and suffered the loss for Carolina. He is also 2-2 on the year. Ole Miss reliever Brett Huber worked the ninth inning to earn his fourth save of the season.

South Carolina broke ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning. Ole Miss starter David Goforth had struck out seven of the first eight batters he faced before Scott Wingo launched a solo homer to right field, his team-leading eighth of the season. That lead extended to 2-0 in the fourth inning as Adam Matthews delivered with a solo homer to left center, his third round tripper of the year.

Ole Miss jumped ahead 4-2 with four runs in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks to Taylor Hightower and David Phillips got things started for the Rebels with both runners being sacrificed to second and third by Kevin Mort. A single to left field by Tim Ferguson scored Hightower. On the play, third baseman Adrian Morales mishandled the throw in from left fielder Adam Matthews allowing Ferguson to reach second base. Phillips scored the tying run on a groundout. With two outs and a 3-0 count, Ole Miss gave Matt Smith the green light and he launched a two-run homer to left center that gave the Rebels a two-run advantage.

Carolina struck back in the bottom half of the fifth to tie it as Scott Wingo drew a leadoff walk and after a one-out single by Jackie Bradley Jr., both runners would score on Jeffery Jones two-run double to the gap in left center.

South Carolina finished with seven hits to five for Ole Miss. Merrifield was 2-for-5 to lead the Gamecocks. Smith went 2-for-4 to lead the Rebels.

South Carolina Clinches Series With 9-5 Win Over Ole Miss

2010-04-17T19:41:00.000-04:00

April 17, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Christian Walker's grand slam highlighted a seven-run second inning and starting pitcher Sam Dyson did not allow an earned run in 6.1 innings of work as South Carolina defeated Ole Miss 9-5 to clinch a weekend SEC baseball series at Carolina Stadium. Carolina is now 28-7 and 11-3 in the SEC while the loss drops Ole Miss to 23-13 and 7-7 in league play. The series finale is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon with a live video broadcast on GamecocksOnline.com and also available on the Gamecock Radio Network.

South Carolina has now won all five series this year in the SEC with eight straight series wins in conference play dating back to the 2009 season.

Trailing 1-0, the Gamecocks struck back with seven runs in the second inning off of Ole Miss starter Austin Barrett. Nick Ebert led off with a single that was followed by a double off the right field wall courtesy of Brady Thomas. With runners in scoring position, Adrian Morales delivered with a sharp RBI single up the middle that put the Gamecocks ahead 2-1. After Adam Matthews singled, the Gamecocks tallied their fifth straight hit as Bobby Haney laced a RBI single to right field that scored Morales. Wingo would also drive in a run with a RBI single but it would be Walker with two outs that had the big hit of the frame. With the bags full, Walker drilled the first pitch he saw from Barrett over the right centerfield wall for a grand slam, his third homer of the season that lifted the Gamecocks to a 7-1 lead. The last grand slam by a Gamecock player was Whit Merrifield on March 3, 2010 vs. Presbyterian. It was Walker's first homer since the first weekend series vs. Duquesne.

Ole Miss took advantage of a Gamecock miscue to score a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third inning. Matt Smith and Zach Miller each drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. South Carolina added a single run in the bottom half of the third as Thomas tallied his second hit of the game with a homer to right field. The homer was his fourth of the season.

Both teams traded runs in the fifth inning with Ole Miss runner Tim Ferguson scoring with two outs on a passed ball. Adrian Morales scored on a little crazy of a play as Bobby Haney struck out but was able to draw a throw out of the catcher on the ball in the dirt to first base. With the throw to first, Morales sped home from third and just beat the throw by first baseman Miles Hamblin to give the Gamecocks the ninth run of the game.

It would get a little dicey for Carolina in the top of the seventh as Ole Miss looked to rally. Taylor Hightower would reach base on a fielding error by Morales at third. With two outs, Hightower would score on Matt Smith's RBI single. After a single by Matt Snyder and a walk to Zach Miller loaded the bases, the Gamecocks went to the bullpen for freshman right-hander Ethan Carter. On a 0-1 pitch Carter coaxed Kevin Mort to fly out to center field preserving the four-run lead. Carter would close out the game with two more scoreless innings.

Dyson improves to 3-2 on the season with the win as he went 6.1 innings and allowed five runs, all unearned, on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks. Carter worked 2.1 scoreless innings of relief with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his first career save. He has not allowed a run in 12 of 13 relief appearances on the year. Barrett went 3.2 innings and allowed eight runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts in the loss. He is now 6-2 for the season.

All nine position players recorded at least one hit with the Gamecock finishing with 16 in the game, the second highest total by the Gamecocks at the plate this year. Thomas and Morales were each 3-for-4. Morales' three hits were a career high. Walker went 2-for-4 with Ebert 2-for-3 and Adam Matthews 2-for-4 as well. Ole Miss had eight hits. They were led by a 2-for-4 day at the plate by Tim Ferguson as well as a pair of hits by designated hitter Matt Snyder.

Blake Cooper Hurls Shutout In 5-0 SC Win Over Ole Miss

2010-04-16T23:49:00.000-04:00

April 16, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina senior right-handed pitcher Blake Cooper hurled a four-hit complete game shutout and the Gamecocks scored all five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on its way to 5-0 victory over Ole Miss on Friday night at Carolina Stadium. The win improves Carolina to 27-7 and 10-3 in the SEC while the loss drops Ole Miss to 23-12 and 7-6 in conference play. Game two of the series on Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will be televised live on SportSouth.

Cooper struck out a career-high 10 batters in the victory, his fifth complete game of his career but his first career complete game shutout. He allowed just four hits and one walk in the victory. He is now 7-0 on the year. The complete game shutout was the first by a Gamecock pitcher since Aaron Rawl on May 13, 2005 in a 2-0 win at Ole Miss. It is the second consecutive shutout by the Gamecocks in SEC play (Carolina defeated Vanderbilt 2-0 last Sunday). Ole Miss reliever Trent Rothlin suffered the loss and is now 3-4 on the season.

The pitching matchup between Cooper and Ole Miss starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz was everything as advertised as both staff aces put up zero after zero on the scoreboard through the night on a warm evening in Columbia, S.C. Pomeranz did not allow a hit until the sixth and Cooper retired 13 in a row at one point. Pomeranz left after seven innings allowing no runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts and four walks.

It would be the eighth inning against the Rebels bullpen that would be when the Gamecocks made their move. Scott Wingo opened the frame with a leadoff walk against Ole Miss reliever Trent Rothlin. With reliever Brett Huber into the game, Whit Merrifield also walked to give the Gamecocks a pair of runners. Carolina then caught a break as Jackie Bradley Jr. laid down a sacrifice bunt with an errant throw by third baseman Zach Miller going past first baseman Miles Hamblin and allowing Wingo to score from second base. With Bradley on second and Merrifield on third with one out, the Rebels intentionally walked Nick Ebert to load the bases. Still with one out, Huber got the second out of the inning with a strikeout against Adam Matthews. However, it would be Adrian Morales that would strike with the key hit in the inning as he roped a double to right center clearing the bases and putting the Gamecocks ahead by four runs. Kyle Enders kept the momentum going as he tripled to right center then scoring Morales and giving the Gamecocks a 5-0 lead.

South Carolina and Ole Miss each tallied four hits apiece

Wingo Homers Twice In 10-4 Gamecock Win Over The Citadel

2010-04-15T00:36:00.001-04:00

April 14, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Charleston, S.C. - Scott Wingo homered twice and drove in three runs and the Gamecocks pounded out nine hits on its way to a 10-4 victory over The Citadel on Wednesday evening at Joe Riley Park in non-conference baseball action. The Gamecocks improve to 26-7 for the season while the loss drops The Citadel to 23-13 for the year. Carolina returns to action on Friday night hosting Ole Miss in the first game of a three-game SEC series. First pitch at Carolina Stadium is 7 p.m. with the game televised live on SportSouth.

Gamecock reliever John Taylor earned the win in relief to improve to 2-1 for the season. He allowed one run, unearned, on one hit in 2.1 innings of work with three strikeouts and one walk. The Citadel starter Austin Pritcher suffered the loss and is now 2-2 for the season. He allowed six runs, one earned, on five hits in 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and two walks allowed.

Matt Simonelli would give The Citadel a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run. He connected on the first pitch from Colby Holmes for his fourth homer of the season. South Carolina answered in the top of the third with a solo home run courtesy of Scott Wingo. The Gamecock second baseman launched a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall for his sixth round tripper of the season tying the game at 1-1.

Trailing 2-1 entering the top of the fifth inning, the Gamecocks would score five runs and chase starting pitcher Austin Pritcher to take a 6-2 lead on the Bulldogs. Evan Marzilli led off with a double and with one out scored as Scott Wingo reached base on a fielding error by Citadel first baseman Justin Mackert. That error would come back to haunt The Citadel as Carolina scored four more of its runs with two outs. Jackie Bradley Jr. tallied a RBI double, Jeffery Jones drove in a pair with a RBI double as well and Nick Ebert tallied a RBI single as the Gamecocks built a four-run cushion. Scott Wingo increased the Gamecock lead to 7-2 in the top of the sixth with a solo homer his second of the game. The last Gamecock player to hit two home runs in one game was Brady Thomas on April 2, 2010 in a 10-2 win over Mississippi State.

After The Citadel scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, the Gamecocks came back with three runs in the top of the eighth inning. Nick Ebert opened the inning with a walk and Adam Matthews set down a sacrifice bunt but would reach base as third baseman David Greene threw wide allowing the runners to advance to second and third respectively. Adrian Morales would drive in Ebert with a RBI single. On the play left fielder William Ladd misplayed the single allowing Matthews to also score from second base. Wingo would eventually drive in his third run of the game with a RBI single that scored Morales. The Citadel scored a single run in the ninth inning as Josh Pless tripled and scored on Matt Reifsnider's RBI ground out.

South Carolina out-hit The Citadel 9-7 with Ebert 2-for-3 and Wingo 3-for-4 to lead the Gamecocks. Bryan Altman went 2-for-4 with two runs to lead The Citadel

JAY BROWN NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK

2010-04-12T14:03:00.002-04:00

April 12, 2010

Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Columbia, S.C. - South Carolina senior right-hander Jay Brown has earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. In his second career SEC start, Brown pitched a season-high 6.1 innings and combined with relievers Michael Roth and Matt Price to face the minimum in Sunday’s 2-0 victory at nationally ranked Vanderbilt to help the Gamecocks clinch the rubber game of a three-game SEC series.

Brown did not walk a batter and allowed just two singles. He also did not allow a batter to get past second base in the entire outing. It was the third longest outing in Brown’s career at Carolina. Brown, Roth and Price finished with a two-hit shutout, the first time since 2005 that Vanderbilt had been shutout at home in an SEC game. The loss was only Vanderbilt’s third of the season at home.

Brown is now 2-0 on the year and owns a 2.84 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched. Opponents are batting just .225 against him.

TANNER WINS 1000TH CAREER VICTORY AS GAMECOCKS DEFEAT VANDERBILT 2-0

2010-04-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

April 11, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Nashville, Tenn. – South Carolina pitchers Jay Brown, Michael Roth and Matt Price combined to face the minimum on Sunday afternoon and recorded a two-hit shutout as the Gamecocks defeated Vanderbilt 2-0 on Sunday afternoon to win the rubber game of a three-game SEC baseball series. With the victory, head coach Ray Tanner has now tallied 1,000 career victories. He is the fourth fastest active coach to tally 1,000 Division I victories in games played (Tanner is 1,000-446-3 in Division I). The Gamecocks are now 25-7 and 9-3 in the SEC while the loss drops Vanderbilt to 26-8 and 6-6 in conference play.

“I’m grateful to be where I am,” said head coach Ray Tanner. “I think I have one of the better jobs in the country and I’m just a part of a team. Like I said before, I’ve never made any pitches, I’ve never gotten any hits, I’ve never made any plays. I’m just proud to be part of this program. Jay Brown, I’ll always remember getting 1,000 when he pitched and I’m honored that he was the guy that went out there. He figured in with Roth and Price in a tough game today.”

In his second start of the year, Brown commanded the zone and worked ahead of the Vanderbilt hitters yielding just two hits while striking out two batters. He is now 2-0 on the year. Brown recorded a double play as did Michael Roth in the seventh inning putting the Gamecocks in position to face the minimum 27 batters. It would be freshman right-hander Matt Price that would close it out, as the righty worked two perfect innings with three strikeouts to earn his fourth save of the season. Vanderbilt starter Taylor Hill worked 7.2 innings and allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk in a tough loss. He is now 3-3 for the season.

“I am so proud of our team,” said head coach Ray Tanner. “We played hard and pitched great today. We didn’t dominate. We were able to win both games that were close and on the road against a great club, one of the better hitting and pitching teams in the country. I am really proud of what we were able to accomplish.”

Whit Merrifield didn’t waste any time to put Carolina ahead 1-0 as he drove the first pitch of the game from Taylor Hill over the green monster wall in left field. The home run was Merrifield’s team-leading seventh of the season. The game remained that way until the top of the ninth inning when Carolina added some insurance courtesy of Adrian Morales. With two outs and pinch runner Robert Beary on second base, Morales stroked a double off of Vanderbilt pitcher Russell Brewer off the wall in left center plating home Beary and giving the Gamecocks a two- run lead.

South Carolina finished with a 4-2 advantage in hits. Merrifield was 2-for-3 and now owns a 19-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 31 of 32 games on the year. Brian Harris was 2-for-3 to lead Vanderbilt.

Sunday’s series victory in Nashville also marked the first time in school history that the Gamecocks have won four consecutive series in conference play to open a season since joining the SEC in 1992.

Vanderbilt Evens Series With Gamecocks As SC Falls 8-2

2010-04-10T18:17:00.001-04:00

April 10, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Nashville, Tenn. – Vanderbilt jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings and starting pitcher Jack Armstrong worked eight strong innings and allowed just one earned run as the Commodores defeated the Gamecocks 8-2 to even up a three-game SEC baseball series. South Carolina is now 24-7 and 8-3 in the SEC while the win improves Vanderbilt to 26-7 and 6-5 in conference play. The rubber game is set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Field with senior RHP Jay Brown (1-0, 3.79 ERA) on the hill for Carolina and junior RHP Taylor Hill (3-2, 3.95 ERA) on the mound for Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt belted out 14 hits in a winning cause as five players tallied two hits apiece. Bryan Johns, Aaron Westlake, Joe Loftus, Connor Harrell and Mike Yastrzemski led the way for Vandy. Loftus, Harrell and Yastrzemski also drove in two runs apiece as well. Jackie Bradley Jr. had two of the Gamecocks’ seven hits in the loss. Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a base hit and now has hit safely in 30 of 31 games on the year.

Armstrong improved to 5-0 and was effective all day on the mound for Vandy. He allowed two runs, one earned on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in eight innings of work. Chase Reid closed out the game with one inning of relief and a pair of strikeouts. Gamecock starter Sam Dyson suffered the loss and is now 2-2 for the year. He lasted only 2.2 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

The Commodores took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Loftus led off with a single and after stealing second base scored on Harrell’s RBI base hit to right field. The Commodores would touch Dyson for five more runs in the bottom of the third inning to increase the advantage to 6-0. Bryan Johns opened the frame with a single and Aaron Westlake reached with a base hit to give Vanderbilt a pair of runners. After a sacrifice bunt advanced both runners into scoring position, Jason Esposito would be hit by pitch to load the bases. It would be Loftus who would come through in the clutch for Vandy as he knocked a base hit through the hole into right field scoring both Johns and Westlake. With two outs Anthony Gomez knocked a hard hit double down the right field line and past a diving first baseman Jeffery Jones that scored two more runs and ended the day for Dyson.

Carolina scratched across a couple of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Nick Ebert was hit by a pitch with one out that was followed by a single from Bobby Haney and a RBI base hit off the bat of Scott Wingo. Whit Merrifield would also drive in a run as he ripped a RBI single to left field scoring Haney. Armstrong worked out of a first and third jam though as he induced Jackie Bradley Jr. to hit into a 6-3 double play keeping the Gamecocks behind four runs.

Carolina stayed close to the Commodores on the backs of a quality effort by junior right-hander Jose Mata. The Gamecock reliever hurled 4.2 scoreless innings of relief and allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out a pair of batters to keep the Gamecocks within reach.

Vanderbilt got some important insurance in the bottom of the eighth inning against Gamecock reliever Nolan Belcher. With two outs and runners on second and third base, Belcher issued a wild pitch that saw Riley Reynolds score and Esposito knocked a RBI base hit to right field that extended the Vanderbilt lead to 8-2.

Gamecocks Hold On For 3-2 Win Over Vanderbilt

2010-04-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

April 9, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Nashville, Tenn. – South Carolina scored three runs with two outs in the top of the second inning and behind stellar pitching from senior right-hander Blake Cooper and three relievers held on for a 3-2 victory over Vanderbilt in game one of a three-game SEC baseball series on Friday night at Hawkins Field. The Gamecocks are now 24-6 and 8-2 in the SEC while the loss drops Vanderbilt to 25-7 and 5-5 in conference play. Game two of the series is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon with live audio broadcast on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com

After spotting Vanderbilt a pair of runs with no hits in the bottom of the first inning, South Carolina would answer in the top of the second scoring three runs to go ahead 3-2 on the Commodores. Jeffery Jones opened the frame with a single to right center and was sacrificed over to second by Adam Matthews. With two outs and Jones still on second base, Kyle Enders lofted a RBI single down the left field line. After a Bobby Haney single put runners on the corners, a wild pitch strikeout against Scott Wingo allowed Enders to score and Wingo to reach base. After a walk to Whit Merrifield loaded the bases, Carolina took the lead on a walk issued to Jackie Bradley Jr.

That score would hold up for the final seven innings as both Cooper and Vanderbilt starter Sonny Gray matched zero for zero on the scoreboard. Cooper ended up going 7.1 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits with three strikeouts and four walks to improve to 6-0 on the year. Cooper now is tied for 10th on the all-time career victory list at Carolina with 27 career wins alongside Jason Haynie (1993-96). Gray went the distance for Vanderbilt allowing three runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and five walks in nine innings of work. He is now 4-4 on the year.

After Cooper struck out Brian Harris to open the eighth inning, head coach Ray Tanner went to the bullpen and summoned left-hander Michael Roth. The sophomore lefty would get Aaron Westlake to ground out on a short chopper for the second out of the eighth inning. Carolina then went to the pen again with freshman right-hander Ethan Carter, who retired Andrew Giobbi on a ground out to end the eighth as well as Jason Esposito to open the ninth inning. Joe Loftus would lift a single into right center off of Carter to give the Commodores a runner on first with one out. That would set the stage for Carolina freshman right-hander Matt Price, who then entered the game and after falling behind 3-1 on pinch hitter Riley Reynolds, would get a strikeout swinging for the second out of the ninth. Price would then close the game out for his third save of the season as he induced Drew Fann into a ground ball out to second baseman Scott Wingo preserving a Gamecock victory.

South Carolina finished with a 7-3 advantage in hits in the win. Adam Matthews was 2-for-3 to lead the way. Whit Merrifield also tallied a base hit and now owns a 17-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 29 of 30 games for the season.

Vanderbilt took advantage of a couple of Gamecock miscues to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Brian Harris drew a leadoff walk and Aaron Westlake was hit by a pitch to give the Commodores a pair of runners. They would advance to second and third base on a passed ball issued to catcher Kyle Enders. Andrew Giobbi and Jason Esposito then each drove in a run with RBI groundouts to second baseman Scott Wingo.

Gamecocks Defeat College Of Charleston 6-3

2010-04-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

April 7, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Columbia, S.C. – Nick Ebert was 2-for-3 with three RBI and homered for the second consecutive game and freshman right-hander Colby Holmes worked into the sixth inning to earn his second win of the year as South Carolina defeated College of Charleston 6-3 on Wednesday night at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks are 23-6 on the year while the loss drops College of Charleston to 23-8 for the season. Carolina returns to action on Friday night at Vanderbilt for the first of a three-game SEC series.

Holmes was effective in five-plus innings allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks. He is now 2-0 on the year. Sophomore left-hander Michael Roth hurled 1.2 perfect innings of relief to pick up his third save of the season. College of Charleston starter Jake Zokan suffered the loss and is now 2-1 on the year. He worked 2.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts.

Carolina broke ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Both runs came with two outs. Parker Bangs singled and advanced to second base on a fielding error by left fielder Jose Rodriguez. He would score on Nick Ebert’s RBI double down the left field line that was followed up by a RBI single courtesy of Adam Matthews.

Ebert again delivered for the Gamecocks in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer to left center. Ebert had the green light as he drilled a 3-0 pitch from Zokan for his third homer of the season to extend the Gamecocks lead to 4-0. Carolina loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with one out and scored a run as Whit Merrifield drove in Kyle Enders with a sacrifice fly to left field. South Carolina extended the lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning as Adrian Morales tallied a RBI base hit to score Bangs.

Cole Rakar got the College of Charleston on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning as he drilled a solo home run to left field, his third round tripper of the year. They would add one more run in the frame as Baker Knox drilled a RBI double to left center scoring Rob Kral. College of Charleston cut the Gamecock lead to three runs in the top of the eighth inning as Matt Leeds delivered with the Cougars second home run of the game.

That would be it though for the Cougars as Roth entered and shut down the Cougars with a pair of runners on base with a double play in the eighth inning and retired them in order in the ninth to preserve a Gamecock victory.

Carolina out-hit College of Charleston 9-7 in the game. Ebert and Bangs each had two hits. Whit Merrifield also extended his hitting streak to 16 games and has hit safely in 28 of 29 games on the year. Matt Leeds and Baker Knox were each 2-for-4 to lead College of Charleston.

Archie Will Not Receive Sixth Year Of Eligibility

2010-04-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

April 6, 2010

Courtesy Gamecocksonline

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina fifth-year senior forward Dominique Archie will not receive a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. Archie’s case did not meet the criteria for granting a sixth year of eligibility established by the NCAA. Archie will graduate from the University in May 2010 with a degree in African-American studies.

“I want to thank Coach Horn, the assistant coaches and the compliance office for their efforts in helping with the process for a sixth year of eligibility,” Archie said. “I’m disappointed I won’t be able to play next season as a Gamecock, but I leave with great memories. I want to thank the fans for their support during my time at South Carolina.”

“Although we are disappointed Dominique won’t be a member of the team next season, he will always be an important member of the Gamecock family,” South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn said. “He played a significant role in building the South Carolina program over his career. As always, we have the best interest of our players in mind, and we will continue to support Dominique in his future as an individual and with his professional career.”

Archie became the 41st member of the Gamecock 1,000-point club last November, prior to a knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2009-10 campaign. He concluded his career ranked among South Carolina leaders in blocked shots (10th, 90) and had started every game of his Carolina career (98) prior to his injury. During his time in the Garnet and Black, Archie averaged 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 1.14 steals per game.

South Carolina Baseball Hosts College of Charleston

2010-04-06T12:13:00.001-04:00

April 6, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina (22-6) closes out its homestand on Wednesday night hosting College of Charleston (23-7) with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. at Carolina Stadium. The game will be televised live on SportSouth and is also available on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

This week, South Carolina is ranked No. 8 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 11 by Baseball America and No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. Carolina leads the all-time series history 41-5 including a pair of wins last year vs. the Cougars. Carolina defeated College of Charleston 14-2 in Charleston and 20-6 in Columbia.

College of Charleston enters Wednesday’s game fresh off of a weekend sweep vs. Georgia Southern. The Cougars are led by head coach Monte Lee, who is in his second season at the helm. Lee served as an assistant from 2003-08 to head coach Ray Tanner at South Carolina.

Probable Starting Pitchers

Team Pitcher 2010 Stats
South Carolina Colby Holmes (Fr. RHP) 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 12.0 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO
Coll. of Charleston Jake Zokan (Fr. LHP) 2-0, 6.23 ERA, 21.2 IP, 8 BB, 17 S

Gamecocks Win Series With 14-2 Win Over Mississippi State

2010-04-04T19:37:00.001-04:00

April 4, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina scored a combined nine runs in the third and fourth innings and freshman right-hander Matt Price hurled five scoreless innings of relief to earn his third win of the year as South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 14-2 on Sunday afternoon to win the rubber game of a three-game SEC baseball series. South Carolina is now 22-6 and 7-2 in the SEC while the loss drops MSU to 15-13 and 3-6 in conference play.

The middle of the order did a lot of damage for the Gamecocks on the afternoon with the 3-6 hitters driving in nine of the 14 runs. All nine starters reached base with eight of nine tallying at least one hit. Adrian Morales was 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI with Parker Bangs also going 1-for-3 with three runs scored, three RBI and a homer. Nick Ebert also homered and drove in a pair of runs. Kyle Enders, Bobby Haney and Scott Wingo each had two hits. Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 15 games and has now hit safely in 27 of 28 games on the year. South Carolina finished with 11 hits on the afternoon.

It was enough support for Price, who came on in the fourth inning and shut down MSU until the ninth inning. Price allowed just two hits and struck out six batters to improve to 3-0 on the year. Freshman right-hander Ethan Carter closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning to seal the Gamecock win. MSU starter Tyler Whitney lasted only 2.1 innings and suffered the loss. He is 0-1 on the year. He allowed five runs on two hits with five walks and four strikeouts.

Mississippi State's leadoff hitter Luke Adkins gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a solo home run. Adkins knocked a 0-1 pitch from Gamecock starter Jay Brown over the wall in right field to give MSU a one-run cushion. South Carolina answered in the bottom half of the first with Ebert, as the senior first baseman stroked a two-run homer to right center giving Carolina a 2-1 lead. Ebert launched the first pitch for his second homer of the season. State came right back though in the top of the second to tie the game at 2-2 as Russ Sneed began the frame with a solo homer also to right center.

The third inning would be big for the Gamecocks as Carolina broke the tie with five runs to take a 7-2 lead. The five runs came on just one hit as Whitney walked Merrifield, Bradley Jr. and Bangs to open the inning. With Greg Houston on in relief, he plunked Adam Matthews on his first pitch to the plate scoring Merrifield. Morales followed with a two-run double ripped to right center and after a passed ball scored another run, the Gamecocks completed the scoring with a squeeze bunt by Kyle Enders.

South Carolina extended the lead to 11-2 in the fourth inning with four more runs on a pair of homers. Parker Bangs knocked a three-run homer to left center with Morales hitting a solo shot to left center as well. For Bangs it was his third homer of the year with Morales tallying his second of the season.

Carolina completed the scoring in the sixth inning with three runs. MSU made a pair of errors and Scott Wingo had a RBI triple as the Gamecocks built a 14-2 lead.

South Carolina has now defeated Mississippi State in five consecutive series in Columbia dating back to the 2000 season. Carolina leads the all-time series 30-25. The Gamecocks are tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 7-2 mark. Carolina is also one game ahead of Florida (6-3) in the SEC Eastern Division

Late Gamecock Rally Falls Short As MSU Defeats Carolina 8-7

2010-04-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

April 3, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Columbia, S.C. - Mississippi State scored five runs in the first three innings and held off a late rally by South Carolina to defeat the Gamecocks 8-7 on Saturday afternoon at Carolina Stadium. MSU is now 15-12 and 3-5 in the SEC while the loss drops the Gamecocks to 21-6 and 6-2 in conference play. The rubber game is scheduled for Easter Sunday with first pitch at 2 p.m. and the game televised live on ESPNU. Live audio broadcast is also available on the Gamecock Radio Network.

MSU starter Chris Stratton worked five-plus innings to earn the win. He is 3-3 on the year. He allowed three runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and five walks. Carolina starter Sam Dyson suffered the loss and is now 2-1 on the year. He allowed five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Mississippi State got to Dyson early with three runs in the top of the first inning. Luke Adkins singled to open the game followed by a double by Jet Butler to right field. A strange play would then make the bases loaded as Connor Powers reached base. On a short grounder back to Dyson on the mound, the Gamecocks tried to nab Adkins in a run down. He, however, made it back to third base without being tagged and the rest of the runners remained safe at first and second base making the bags full for the Bulldogs. With one out, Ryan Collins laced a two-run double down the left field line to put MSU on the scoreboard. MSU went ahead 3-0 on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Duffy. MSU added a run in the second inning with Jet Butler driving in Jonathan Ogden on a RBI groundout.

South Carolina put a run on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Jeffery Jones led off with a single followed by base hits by Adam Matthews and Evan Marzilli to load the bases with no outs. MSU starter Chris Stratton battled though as he struck out Kyle Enders for the first out of the inning. Carolina then scored the team's first run of the game as Bobby Haney knocked a sacrifice fly to left field to score Jones. Mississippi State made it 5-1 in the third inning with Cody Freeman driving in Ryan Collins.

South Carolina struck back in the fifth and sixth innings with single runs. In the fifth, Jeffery Jones singled with one out in the fifth followed by a walk to Matthews and a two-out walk to pinch hitter Michael Roth. With Christian Walker also pinch hitting; Stratton knocked Walker for a hit by pitch scoring Jones. Stratton got out of the bases loaded jam though getting Scott Wingo to ground out to end a Carolina threat. In the sixth, Merrifield connected for a solo home run cutting the MSU lead to two runs.

State got some important insurance with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth. Freeman delivered with a key two-out RBI single and Collins drove in two more runs with a two-out RB single as well as the Bulldogs went ahead by five runs.

Carolina fought back again in the bottom of the eighth. Scott Wingo opened the frame with a single followed by a base hit by Whit Merrifield. Jackie Bradley Jr. then would drive a RBI base hit to left center that scored Wingo. Both Bradley and Merrifield then cut the deficit to two runs as Brady Thomas knocked a RBI double down the left field line. With runners on first and third and one out, Adrian Morales knocked in Thomas with a RBI fielder's choice. MSU reliever Devin Jones got out of the jam against pinch hitter Nick Ebert with a groundout that ended the eighth inning.

Mississippi State with an 8-7 lead went to their closer Ben Bracewell in the bottom of the ninth. He retired the Gamecocks in order with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to pick up his third save of the season.

South Carolina lost despite finishing with a 12-10 advantage in hits. Merrifield was 3-for-6 with two runs scored. He extended his hitting streak to 14 games and has now hit safely in 26 of 27 games. Bradley, Thomas and Jones also tallied two hits apiece. MSU was led by a 3-for-5 day at the plate for both Luke Adkins and Ryan Collins.

Gamecocks Take Series Opener With Win Over Mississippi State

2010-04-02T23:26:00.000-04:00

April 2, 2010
Courtesy Gamecocksonline

Columbia, S.C. - Brady Thomas hit a pair of two-run homers and starting pitcher Blake Cooper worked into the ninth inning to earn his fifth win of the year as South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 10-2 in the first of a three-game SEC baseball series on Friday night. South Carolina is now 21-5 and 6-1 in the SEC while the loss drops MSU to 14-12 and 2-5 in the conference play. Game two of the series is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday with the game televised live on SportSouth and also available on the Gamecock Radio Network.

Cooper went 8.1 innings, his longest outing of the season to improve to 5-0 on the year. He allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. MSU starter Kendall Graveman faced only five batters and allowed four runs, three earned on two hits and three walks. He is now 1-2 for the season.

After a solo home run by Luke Adkins put MSU up 1-0 in the top of the first, South Carolina batted around in the bottom half and scored four times to take a 4-1 lead. Whit Merrifield led off with a single and a pair of walks to Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brady Thomas loaded the bases. It would set the stage for Jeffery Jones, who knocked a RBI single to right field scoring both Merrifield and Bradley. After a walk to Adam Matthews loaded the bases for a second time, Thomas would score on a fielding error by third baseman Nick Vickerson. Robert Beary would tally a RBI on the play. Carolina's fourth run came on a sacrifice fly RBI courtesy of Bobby Haney.

Mississippi State added a single run in the top of the third inning. Sam Frost bunted for a base hit with one out with Nick Vickerson also reaching base on a single and Luke Adkins walking to load the bases for the Bulldogs. Frost would then score as Connor Powers was hit by a pitch to cut Carolina's lead to 4-2. Cooper battled though and worked himself out of the jam as he induced Russ Snead into a 6-4-3 double play to end the MSU threat.

Carolina bounced back with a run in the bottom of the third as Adam Matthews tripled with one out and scored on Beary's RBI groundout. The Gamecocks extended the lead to 7-2 in the fifth inning as Thomas launched a two-run homer to left field, his second round tripper of the season.

South Carolina closed out the scoring with three more runs in the eighth inning as Merrifield delivered with a RBI single and Thomas added his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to left center. He is the second Gamecock player to tally two home runs in a game this year; the previous was Jeffery Jones on Opening Day, Feb. 19 vs. Duquesne. Thomas' four-RBI total tied his career high he set at Georgia Southern earlier this year on March 23.

Carolina finished with an 11-6 advantage in hits. Thomas was 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored. Jackie Bradley Jr. also scored three runs. Merrifield finished 2-for-5 as did Jeffery Jones. Merrifield has now hit safely in 25 of 26 games this year and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Sam Frost was 2-for-3 to lead Mississippi State at the plate.

Tanner Earns 600th Win

2010-03-31T18:36:00.001-04:00

David Able
March 31, 2010

Columbia, SC - With last night’s 10-1 win over The Citadel at Carolina Stadium, South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner earned his 600th win as a Gamecock.

Coach Tanner is in his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach. He has never finished a season below .500 and has missed the postseason only four times.

Entering the 2010 campaign, Tanner's team averaged 44 wins per season. To become the winningest coach at South Carolina, Tanner needs to surpass June Raines' 763 win total as head coach of the Gamecocks.

Tanner also needs just five more wins to reach 1,000 for his career.

Tanner's Milestone Wins

No. 1 - vs. College of Charleston, 9-8 (Feb. 2, 1997)
No. 50 - vs. Tennessee, 4-3 (Mar. 15, 1998)
No. 100 - vs. The Citadel, 5-4 (10) (Apr. 7, 1999)
No. 150 - vs. Clemson, 9-8 (12) (Apr. 19, 2000)
No. 200 - at Clemson, 2-1 (Apr. 25, 2001)
No. 250 - at Kentucky, 6-4 (Apr. 28, 2002)
No. 300 - vs. UNC-Asheville, 5-1 (Apr. 22, 2003)
No. 350 - vs. Ole Miss, 7-3 (Apr. 30, 2004)
No. 400 - at LSU, 7-5 (Apr. 10, 2005)
No. 450 - vs. Kentucky, 4-2 (May 24, 2006)
No. 500 - at North Carolina, 8-6 (June 10, 2007)
No. 550 - vs. Old Dominion, 3-3 (Mar. 10, 2009)

GAMECOCKS BOUNCE BACK WITH 10-1 WIN OVER THE CITADEL

2010-03-31T13:13:00.002-04:00

Courtesy Gamecocksonline.com
March 30, 2010

Columbia, S.C. - South Carolina belted a season-high five home runs and the Gamecock pitching staff recorded double-digit strikeouts for the 13th time this season as South Carolina defeated The Citadel 10-1 on Tuesday night at Carolina Stadium. The win marks head coach Ray Tanner's 600th victory at South Carolina and his 995th career win. Carolina is now 20-5 on the year while the loss drops The Citadel to 18-7 for the season.

Carolina tallied 13 hits in the game including the five home runs, tying a Carolina Stadium record for home runs in a single game. Robert Beary homered and finished 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI as well as a double. His four hits tied a season-high by a Gamecock player for hits in a game. Jackie Bradley Jr. also was 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs scored and three RBI. Whit Merrifield had a base hit to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. He has hit safely in 24 of 25 games this year. Jeffery Jones, Michael Roth and Scott Wingo also tallied home runs for the Gamecocks. Jones, Wingo and Merrifield are tied for the team lead with five home runs apiece.

Freshman right-hander Colby Holmes earned his first career victory after five innings of work. He allowed just one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. John Taylor hurled two scoreless innings of work with a pair of strikeouts, Matt Price pitched a perfect inning of relief and struck out the side and Ethan Carter closed the game out with a perfect inning of relief with a strikeout. Holmes is now 1-0 on the year. Citadel starter TJ Clarkson suffered the loss and is now 1-2 on the year. He lasted only 1.1 innings and allowed six runs, four earned, on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

"I'm just grateful to be a coach here (at South Carolina)," said head coach Ray Tanner. "I've never made a play, never gotten a hit, never fielded (a ground ball). I'm just grateful for the former players and great coaches (I've worked with). I'm just glad to be in this position."

South Carolina wasted no time getting on the scoreboard with three runs in
the bottom of the first inning. Whit Merrifield would reach base to open the inning on a fielding error by Citadel second baseman Legare Jones. That set the stage for Jackie Bradley Jr., who launched a two-run homer over the wall in center field to put the Gamecocks out in front. They would take a 3-0 lead later in the inning as Adam Matthews reached base on a twoout single and scored on Robert Beary's two-out RBI double.

That lead increased to 6-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Scott Wingo and Whit Merrifield each drew one-out walks with Bradley driving in his third run of the game with a RBI single that scored Wingo. Merrifield would score on a passed ball to catcher Bryan Altman and with the bases loaded, Adam Matthews walked to score Bradley and giving the Gamecocks a six-run cushion.

Brad Felder put The Citadel on the board in the top of the third inning on a
solo home run for the Bulldogs, his fifth home run of the year. That would be it for the Bulldogs though as Carolina came back with a single run in the sixth inning on Wingo's homer and three more runs in the seventh with Jones, Beary and Roth all connecting on home runs.

Gamecocks Returns Home To Face The Citadel Tuesday Night

2010-03-29T18:31:00.001-04:00

David Able
March 29, 2010

Columbia, S.C. - The South Carolina Baseball team (19-5) returns home with a Tuesday night non-conference match-up with The Citadel (18-6) at Carolina Stadium. South Carolina enters the week ranked No. 12 by Baseball America, No. 14 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll. The Citadel is ranked No. 25 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

South Carolina leads the all-time series 117-46-1 although The Citadel won both games last season against the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs defeated Carolina 12-5 last year in Charleston and 5-3 win in 11 innings at Carolina Stadium last year.

A milestone victory will be reached by one of the head coaches in tomorrow's contest. South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner has 599 victories at the helm at South Carolina, one short of 600. His all-time career record is 994-444-3. The Citadel's head coach Fred Jordan has 641 wins at The Citadel and is currently tied with former Bulldogs coach Chal Port in career victories

First pitch is set for 7p.m. with the game available on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

Also after the game check back here for a complete wrap-up.

Probable Starting Pitchers

South Carolina Colby Holmes (Fr. RHP) 0-0, 6.43 ERA, 7.0 IP, 4 BB, 9 SO
The Citadel TJ Clarkson (So. RHP) 1-1, 4.98 ERA, 21.2 IP, 9 BB, 19 SO

Downey Named Honorable Mention AP All-American

2010-03-29T18:11:00.001-04:00

David Able
March 29, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior guard Devan Downey has been named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. Downey was also named Honorable Mention following the 2008-09 season.

Downey concludes his career as a Gamecock with 1,901 points, including 699 during the 2009-10 campaign. He became South Carolina's first-ever SEC scoring champion this season, posting an impressive 26.2 points per game in league play. Downey scored 20 or more points 19 times this season, and tallied 30 or more six times, including in five SEC contests. Downey is No. 4 on the all-time scoring list (1,901), first in field goals attempted (1,634), in steals (277) and steals per game (3.0).

Following this season, Downey earned Sporting News Fourth Team All-America, Yahoo! Sports Honorable Mention All-America, Rivals.com Honorable Mention All-America honors, was named an Oscar Robertson Trophy Finalist, was named to the USBWA All-District III Team, the NABC All- District 21 First Team, and he was named a Sporting News First Team All-SEC and a Rivals.com First Team All-SEC honoree. He was also a unanimous choice to the media and coaches First-Team All-SEC squad.

Carolina Baseball News & Notes

2010-03-29T17:40:00.000-04:00

David Able
March 29, 2010

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina baseball team continues their winning ways after they won four of their last five games this past week. The Gamecocks won a close game at Georgia Southern on Tuesday night, and had back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday at Auburn. But the 13-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday with a loss at Auburn. The streak was the longest since Carolina opened the 2004 season with an 18-game win streak. Also this weekend’s series victory vs. Auburn was the 11th straight dating back to the 1998 season.

Last Week: 3-1

3/23/10 – at Georgia Southern (W, 8-5, 13 inn.)
3/26/10 – at Auburn (W, 11-5)
3/27/10 – at Auburn (W, 2-0)
3/28/10 – at Auburn (L, 10-6

The Gamecock bats are starting to heat up. South Carolina hitters own a .300 batting average with 53 doubles, six triples and 23 homers. The team has a .404 on-base percentage and a .463 slugging percentage as well. Carolina is fielding .972 for the season. Friday’s 11-5 win at Auburn saw Carolina tie a season-high with three home runs on the evening. Junior Whit Merrifield became the 23^rd player in school history to record 200 or more career hits with a base hit in Friday’s game vs. Auburn. Merrifield now has 203 career hits, 100 shy of the school record set by Mac White. Merrifield has hit safely in 23 of 24 games this year and owns a .354 batting average with five HR and 19 RBI. Merrifield is second in the Southeastern Conference with 32 runs scored. He owns an 11-game hitting streak and leads the team with nine multi-hit games as well as six multi-RBI games.

Junior pitcher/utility player Parker Bangs was strong for the Gamecocks both at the plate and on the mound this weekend. Bangs threw 2.2 scoreless innings without a hit and struck out a pair of batters in the 8-5 win at Georgia Southern on Tuesday night. He then showed why he needs to bat by showing his hitting skills at the plate in the Auburn series starting all three games at DH. He was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Friday’s 11-5 win over Auburn, and had a hit in the 2-0 win on Saturday and was 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI in Sunday’s loss. Bangs is hitting .333 with a pair of HR and 10 RBI. He has made 10 appearances on the mound and has a 3.86 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched and opponents batting just .103 against him.

The Gamecock pitching staff continues to succeed on the mound with a strong weekend showing at Auburn. Carolina is third overall in the SEC with a 3.51 ERA and leads the conference in both strikeouts (253) and opposing batting average (.218). Carolina has a SEC best 3.06 ERA in SEC games.

Week Ahead:

3/30/10 – The Citadel (7 p.m.)
4/2/10 – Mississippi State (7 p.m.)
4/3/10 – Mississippi State (4 p.m.) (SportSouth)
4/4/10 – Mississippi State (2 p.m.) (ESPNU)

South Carolina is now 19-5 on the year including a 5-1 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Carolina is tied with LSU in the conference race and leads Florida (4-2) by one game in the Eastern Division.

We're back!!!

2010-03-29T16:09:00.002-04:00

Hello fellow gamecock fans,

As you can tell we've been down for awhile. We have fixed the problem and we will start back by covering gamecock baseball and some spring football. We hope that everyone has missed us, and we hope to keep bringing you great gamecock coverage.

Thanks,

Garnet & Black Sports

Gamecocks Moves Up In Polls

2009-10-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

David Able
October 25, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecock football team is ranked 21st in the nation in both the AP and USA TODAY/Coaches' polls.

The Gamecocks moved up two spots in both major polls following their 14- 10 win over Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks are 6-2 on the season, 3-2 in the SEC and tied with Georgia for second in the SEC East behind top-ranked Florida.

South Carolina will head to Knoxville to take on SEC Eastern Division rival Tennessee (3-4, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday, October 31. Game time is set for 7:45 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Gamecocks Hold Off Commodores

2009-10-24T23:53:00.001-04:00

October 24, 2009
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Stephen Garcia threw two touchdown passes and No. 23 South Carolina ended Vanderbilt's two-game series win streak - barely - with a 14-10 victory Saturday night.

The Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) played as flat as they did the past two years against Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-5). Only thanks to Garcia and his young receivers, this time it didn't cost them the win.

"I know it wasn't pretty, but it was a real good win over a tough Vandy team," coach Steve Spurrier said.

Garcia connected with freshman Alshon Jeffery on a 43-yard TD pass with 12:51 remaining for the winning score. Earlier, freshman D.L. Moore caught a 35-yard touchdown from Garcia.

The Commodores got the ball one last time with 4 minutes left and drove to South Carolina's 25. However, quarterback Larry Smith was called for intentional grounding on 3rd down, then did not get close to the necessary yardage on fourth-and-32.

Spurrier probably won't put this game among his team's top offensive efforts. Still, the head ball coach at least got to walk off a winner unlike the past two games in the series.

Spurrier was a perfect 14-0 over the school he calls "Vandy" until 2007 when the heavy underdogs upset the then-sixth ranked Gamecocks 17-6.

The Commodores backed it up a season later, defeating another ranked South Carolina squad 24-17. They almost made it three in a row, but instead lost their sixth straight SEC game dating back to last season.

Ryan Fowler's 21-yard field goal in the third quarter put the Commodores ahead 10-7 and for a while, it looked like a mix of stellar defense and special teams play would keep them out front.

South Carolina had only one first down on its first three possessions of the third quarter. Vanderbilt punter Brett Upson kept the Gamecocks pinned with boots of 57 yards and 64 yards. Two of his punts were downed at the Gamecock 1.

But after South Carolina's go-ahead touchdown, Vanderbilt's struggling offense could not rebound.

Garcia completed 22 of 33 passes for 312 yards. Freshman runner Kenny Miles had 102 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Garcia had his second 300 yard game this season. But said he and the Gamecocks "need to play a lot better if we're going to beat Tennessee" next week.

The school honored its 1969 Atlantic Coast Conference champions and its 1984 "Black Magic" team that was the only one in history to win 10 games. Allen Mitchell, the quarterback of the latter squad, said an hour before kickoff he feared the Gamecocks would come out flat. Was he ever right.

If not for a couple of "wins" on official reviews, the uninspired Gamecocks might have left the field at halftime trailing instead of tied 7-7.

Tailback Kenny Miles appeared to fumble on South Carolina's fourth snap with Vanderbilt's Patrick Benoist grabbing it deep in Gamecocks territory.

But the officials in the replay booth said Miles was down before the ball got away and South Carolina's drive continued.

The Gamecocks finally broke through on Garcia's touchdown pass to Moore, who juggled the ball and didn't look like he had full possession until his right foot stepped on the inbounds line.

Another official review - and another call for the Gamecocks, who took a 7-0 lead.

That didn't last long, however, as freshman Warren Norman went 99 yards for a touchdown on South Carolina's kickoff to tie things.

Norman became the first-ever Commodore - Vanderbilt began playing football in 1890 - with two kickoff return TDs in a season.

There's no telling where Vanderbilt would've been without Norman's run back. The team managed just 112 yards of offense in the opening half. Their best series came when they drove 65 yards to South Carolina's 8. But Fowler missed a 25-yard field goal try.

Spurrier, who won his 105th SEC game to tie Georgia's Vince Dooley for third all-time, was asked about that distinction. He said he was more impressed that South Carolina had won a record five straight SEC games at home. "That's a record, right?" Spurrier said. "I like that one better."

Game Two Of Garnet & Black World Series Postponed

2009-10-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

David Able
October 24, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – Due to rain in the Columbia area game two of the Garnet & Black World Series scheduled for Saturday has been postponed . The game will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. at Carolina Stadium. The first game will be nine innings with the second game scheduled for seven innings.

The two teams will play a third game, regardless if the Black squad wins game two. Black defeated Garnet 12-2 in the opener on Thursday night.

Black Defeats Garnet In Game 1 Of Gamecock World Series

2009-10-22T23:44:00.001-04:00

David Able
October 22, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – On a cool fall night there was baseball being played in Columbia. The South Carolina baseball team wraps up their fall practice with a fall classic of there own. In Game 1 of The Gamecock World Series senior right-handed pitcher Blake Cooper struck out eight batters in four scoreless innings of work and the Black squad pounded out 18 hits in a 12-2 victory over Garnet in game one of the Garnet & Black World Series on Thursday night at Carolina Stadium.

The team will step aside on Friday night for former Gamecock greats as the Alumni Game will be held atCarolina Stadium with first pitch set for 7 p.m.

Cooper was effective in his start as he held the Garnet squad to just three hits. The Black team was strong at the plate as well with freshman catcher Brison Celek tallying two homers and Jackie Bradley Jr., Jake Williams, Steven Neff and Anthony Iacomini also hitting homers on the night.

Freshman infielder Christian Walker also had an effective night at the plate hitting 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI and two doubles as well. Senior catcher Kyle Enders, who is managing the Black squad, was 4-for-5 also with a pair of RBI. Alex Burrell, Al Hentz, Colby Holmes and Jordan Propst all threw a scoreless inning of relief for Team Black. The Garnet squad was led at the plate by senior infielder Bobby Haney’s 2-for-4 game at the plate.

Game two of the Garnet & Black World Series is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. on Saturday with the finale on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free to all events.

Garnet & Black World Series

2009-10-22T17:08:00.002-04:00

David Able
October 22, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – It is going to be a sports weekend in Columbia this weekend. It all gets started tonight at Carolina Stadium as the Gamecock baseball team closes out fall team practice with the Garnet & Black World Series. First pitch for game one is Thursday night at 7:15 p.m.

Then on Friday night the team will have the day off to welcome back former players and coaches for the Alumni Game that is set for 7 p.m.

Then the Garnet & Black World Series continues on Saturday with game two set for 12:15 p.m.

Then that night over at Williams-Brice Stadium The Gamecock football team will host Vandy. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m.

Then on Sunday the final game of the Garnet & Black World Series will take place at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free of charge to the Garnet & Black World Series and to the Alumni Game.

Senior right-handed pitcher Jay Brown will manage the Garnet squad while senior catcher Kyle Enders will manage the Black team. Both players selected their teams.

Starting Pitching Matchups

Thursday
Garnet – Nolan Belcher (So. LHP)
Black – Blake Cooper (Sr. RHP)

Saturday
Garnet – Jay Brown (Sr. RHP)
Black – LHP Logan Munson (Jr. LHP)

Sunday
Garnet – Tyler Webb (Fr. LHP)
Black – Steven Neff (So. LHP)

Garnet Squad (managed by Jay Brown)
Parker Bangs – Jr. RHP/OF
Robert Beary – Jr. OF/C
Nolan Belcher – So. LHP
Jay Brown – Sr. RHP
Ethan Carter – Fr. RHP
Will Casey – Jr. LHP
David de la Chapelle – Jr. RHP
Nick Ebert – Sr. 1B
Bobby Haney – Sr. INF
Evan Marzilli – Fr. OF
Adam Matthews – So. OF
Brandon Miller – So. LHP
Adrian Morales – Jr. INF
Matt Price – So. RHP
Casey Rihn – Sr. INF
Michael Roth – So. OF/LHP
Richard Royal – Jr. C
John Taylor – Jr. RHP
Brady Thomas – Sr. C
Tyler Webb – Fr. LHP

Black Squad (managed by Kyle Enders)
Jackie Bradley Jr. – So. OF
Alex Burrell – So. LHP
Brison Celek – Fr. C
Blake Cooper – Sr. RHP
Kyle Enders – Sr. C
Greg Harrison – Fr. RHP
Al Hentz – Jr. RHP
Colby Holmes – Fr. RHP
Jeffery Jones – Sr. 1B
Anthony Iacomini – Fr. INF
Jose Mata – Jr. RHP
Whit Merrifield – Jr. OF
Logan Munson – Jr. LHP
Curtis Murphy – Jr. INF/OF
Steven Neff – So. LHP/OF
Jordan Propst – Sr. RHP
Jimmy Revan – So. LHP
Patrick Sullivan – So. RHP
Christian Walker – Fr. INF
Jake Williams – Jr. OF
Scott Wingo – Jr. INF

Norwood Honored Again

2009-10-21T12:33:00.001-04:00

David Able
October 21, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – USC standout linebacker Eric Norwood has been named to the first-team Midseason All-America Team by the Sporting News and is a quarterfinalist for the annual Lott Trophy.

Norwood is a two-time first-team All-SEC selection. He is the SEC active leader in both career sacks (28.0) and career tackles for loss (49.5). He leads the SEC in sacks this season with 6 and is fifth in the league in tackles for loss while leading the Gamecocks in tackles. He has played in all 45 games over the past four seasons, making 32 consecutive starts.

The Sporting News midseason recognition is the second of its kind for Norwood. Last week, the Gamecocks’ career leader in sacks and tackles for loss was named to Phil Steele’s 2009 midseason first-team All-America squad.

Norwood is one of 20 players still in line for the Lott Trophy, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has announced.

Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.

The award is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

South Carolina Falls Short at # 2 Alabama

2009-10-18T00:42:00.000-04:00

Oct. 17, 2009
Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --Mark Ingram rushed for a career-high 246 yards and a game-clinching touchdown, powering No. 2 Alabama to a 20-6 victory over No. 22 South Carolina on Saturday night.

Ingram's tackle-breaking, defender-dragging runs and a punishing defense helped the Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) overcome four turnovers--doubling their season total. It also helped `Bama avoid the down-to-the-wire scares No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Texas had--or an upset defeat like No. 4 Virginia Tech endured.

Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2) had never beaten a team ranked higher than No. 3 and were hoping for their second win over a top-five team this season.

Ingram didn't let it happen. He was practically a one-man show on the decisive drive. He took the direct snap for five consecutive runs--including a 24-yarder and 22-yarder--and then took a pitch in from 4 yards out with 4:54 left. Ingram covered all 68 yards on the drive.

His previous career-high was 172 yards set last week against Mississippi, which also didn't manage a touchdown against the Tide.

The game's only other touchdown fittingly came from the a defense that sacked Stephen Garcia five times and kept him firing blanks into the end zone at the end of promising drives.

Safety Mark Barron stepped in front of Garcia's first pass attempt in the middle of the field and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown.

Garcia wound up 20 of 46 for 214 yards after completing just 4 of 18 passes in the first half. South Carolina managed just 64 yards rushing.

Alabama's Greg McElroy also was shaky against the nation's No. 6 pass defense. His first pass--and two of his initial four--were picked off after he had gone 135 straight passes without an interception.

He wound up completing half of his 20 attempts for just 92 yards. Ingram made up for it on his 24 rushes and also caught two passes for 23 yards.

Leigh Tiffin kicked field goals of 25 and 35 yards for the Tide, which had 10 penalties for 113 yards.

South Carolina couldn't get points off two drives into Alabama territory late in the third quarter. The Gamecocks marched just across midfield on 12 plays before having to punt. Then Clifton Geathers stripped the ball from McElroy to give them back the ball.

But the Alabama defense held again and Spencer Lanning's 50-yard field goal attempt was short.
The Gamecocks scored on field goals of 22 and 31 yards by Lanning in the final 3:14 of the first half but missed chances for more points. Garcia threw a combined five incompletions into the end zone.

He had hit freshman Alshon Jeffery on a 52-yarder and leading receiver Moe Brown on an 8-yarder down to the 5. Brown lay on the field for several minutes before being strapped to a backboard and carted off the field with a concussion, flashing a thumbs-up to fans chanting "Let's Go Moe."

Garcia set up the second kick, made as time expired, with runs of 21 and 12 yards on consecutive plays.

Both teams were missing key players. South Carolina's No. 2 rusher Jarvis Giles was suspended. Alabama cornerback and return man Javier Arenas watched from the sidelines with an undisclosed injury.

#25 South Carolina Outlasts Kentucky

2009-10-10T17:56:00.002-04:00

Oct. 10, 2009
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Stephen Garcia threw for three touchdowns and ran for another and No. 25 South Carolina stopped a potential tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to beat Kentucky 28-26 on Saturday, keeping coach Steve Spurrier a perfect 17-0 against the Wildcats.

The Gamecocks (5-1, 2-1 SEC) won their 10th straight over Kentucky (2-3, 0-3).

Wildcats quarterback Mike Hartline left the game with a sprained left knee early in the third quarter after leading Kentucky to a 17-14 halftime lead.

Garcia had touchdown passes of 10, 28 and 22 yards to freshman Alshon Jeffery. Garcia added what proved to be the winning margin with his leap from the 1 with 8:22 remaining to give South Carolina a 28-20 lead.

Kentucky had a chance to tie after Randall Cobb's 2-yard TD run with 4:34 left. But Will Fidler's pass was knocked down by defensive end Cliff Matthews.

Facing third-and-4 moments later, Garcia gained 5 yards leaping over a Kentucky defender to keep South Carolina moving with 3:02 to go. Kentucky never got the ball back as South Carolina matched its best start in Spurrier's five seasons.

The Gamecocks have a difficult road to keep things going as they head to No. 3 Alabama next Saturday.

And they'll definitely have to be sharper than they were against Kentucky.

South Carolina's defense, which came in third in the SEC, could not stop a Kentucky attack that had managed only 240 yards a game the past two weeks against the league's No. 1 and No. 2 defenses in Florida and Alabama.

The Wildcats got nearly that much against the Gamecocks in the opening half with 213 yards built on scoring drives of 82, 59 and 54 yards.

Things changed, though, when Hartline left the game. He had thrown a touchdown pass and was 9 of 14 for 139 yards. Kentucky, which had converted 6 of 11 third downs in the opening half, was only 2 of 8 over the final 30 minutes.

It was the second time in the past four seasons the Wildcats opened SEC play with three straight defeats.

Spurrier himself said this week he didn't understand South Carolina's mastery over Kentucky.

The Wildcats had some untimely mistakes in this one.

With Kentucky in sure field goal range in the third quarter, Cobb failed on a fake. Tight end T.C. Drake dropped a certain touchdown on the Wildcats' next series.

Kentucky's Derrick Locke picked up a first down on fourth-and-2 a drive later. But the play was called back because of a false start.

South Carolina's Kenny Miles finished with 100 yards on 17 rushes. Jeffery had 138 yards on seven receptions.

Maybe it was the early start, South Carolina's fall break or the relatively small crowd - the 68,278 was the lowest attendance at Williams-Brice Stadium since the Gamecocks went 1-10 in 1998. A false start on South Carolina's first drive ruined a fourth-and-1 pickup. Garcia was sacked twice and was intercepted for the first time in 124 attempts covering four games to end another sequence.

Kentucky took advantage.

Hartline hit Gene McCaskill for a 31-yard completion to South Carolina's 11, then found Locke for a touchdown and a 10-7 lead.

After the Gamecocks moved in front on Jeffery's second touchdown catch, Hartline connected on passes of 55 and 7 yards to Cobb to put the Wildcats ahead 17-14.

South Carolina Tops SC State

2009-10-04T01:47:00.001-04:00

Oct. 3, 2009
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Stephen Garcia threw two touchdowns, rushed for another score and South Carolina matched its best start of Steve Spurrier's five seasons with a 38-14 victory over South Carolina State on Saturday night.

The Gamecocks improved to 4-1, tying their opening mark of 2007. But it took more time than Spurrier would've liked to finally put away the Football Championship Subdivision opponent.

South Carolina's head ball coach has groused about his team's stuck-in-the-mud offense for much of the season. And after a slow start against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Bulldogs, Garcia and the Gamcocks finally got things going.

Garcia's 1-yard TD right before halftime put South Carolina ahead 10-0. In the second half, Garcia connected with Moe Brown on touchdowns of 40 and 9 yards to put things out of reach at 31-7.

Garcia finished 13 of 19 for 132 yards.

Spurrier improved to 38-0 against opponents not in the six conferences with Bowl Championship Series bids.

South Carolina State (3-1) fell to 0-5 against Football Bowl Subdivision.

South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood put on a show against his younger brother's Bulldogs with a blocked field goal and an interception. Erin Norwood is a sophomore defensive back at South Carolina State.

Spurrier hopes the Gamecocks can carry this start further than they did two years ago. Back then, they reached No. 6 in the country as they opened 6-1. But they lost their final five games and didn't even make the postseason.

Right before kickoff, Williams-Brice Stadium experienced a power outage that hampered ESPN Classic's planned broadcast and knocked out the video board midway through the second period.
There wasn't much power displayed by either team in the opening half, either.

South Carolina was outgained by its FCS opponent 159 yards to 149. The Gamecocks couldn't crack the end zone until Garcia's 1-yard run with 2:23 to go before halftime that made it 10-0.

South Carolina State responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that concluded with a milestone touchdown. Malcolm Long's 5-yard scoring run was the first time the FCS team had put up a touchdown in its five games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

The Bulldogs swarmed Long as if they had just earned another league title instead of simply cutting things to 10-7 at halftime.

That was about all the celebrating South Carolina State would get to do. South Carolina struck for Kenny Miles' 22-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter and the Bulldogs could not recover.

The only drama at the end came when South Carolina State broke through for a second touchdown, Long converting a 4th-and-goal from South Carolina's 1 with 4 seconds left.

Robertson Out for Season

2009-09-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

Courtesy USC Sports
September 25, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – according to University of South Carolina football team physician Dr. Jeff Guy defensive tackle Travian Robertson tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, an MRI confirmed Friday night.

Robertson will undergo surgery in a couple of weeks, and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2009 season.

Robertson, a junior from Laurinburg, N.C., injured the knee in the third quarter of the Gamecocks’ 16- 10 win over fourth-ranked Ole Miss on Thursday night.

Robertson started in all four games and had logged eight tackles including one tackle for a loss.

Robertson becomes the second Gamecock defensive starter to be lost for the season with a knee injury, joining junior linebacker Rodney Paulk, who also has a torn ACL in his right knee in the season opener at NC State. In addition, freshman defensive end Ronald Byrd underwent successful surgery on his left knee during the past week. Byrd suffered a torn ACL during the preseason camp.

The Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 SEC) will host South Carolina State on Saturday, October 3 at Williams-Brice Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN Classic.

Gamecocks Defeat #4 Ole Miss

2009-09-25T02:38:00.000-04:00

Sept. 24, 2009
By Associated Press

Final Stats

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Mississippi wasn't ready for the Top 5--or South Carolina's defense.

Star passer Jevan Snead was hounded all game and the fourth-ranked Rebels never got in gear, losing to South Carolina 16-10 Thursday night.

South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) had been 1-31 all-time against Top 5 foes, but left Williams-Brice Stadium with the biggest win of coach Steve Spurrier's five seasons.

Spencer Lanning kicked three field goals and fullback Patrick DiMarco a key 2-yard TD catch for the Gamecocks.

Ole Miss (2-1, 0-1) had one last chance at a go-ahead TD that would've extended its eight-game winning streak. But Snead was sacked by Cliff Matthews, then had a fourth-down pass knocked away by Darian Stewart.

The Rebels began the day with their highest ranking in nearly four decades. But they lost their SEC opener for the sixth straight season--and will likely drop down the polls once the new rankings come out.

The Gamecocks jumped around when the game ended, celebrating a victory these players had never enjoyed before at their own stadium. South Carolina's lone top-5 win came at North Carolina in 1981.

Snead came into the season with a Tim Tebow-like buzz--Spurrier even voted him preseason first-team SEC quarterback before changing to Tebow.

Snead, though, flopped in front a national audience eager to see what the Rebels were made of.

The Ole Miss senior missed six straight throws during one stretch and only once came through with a critical play. His 45-yard TD pass to Markeith Summers with under 10 minutes left in the game that cut it to 16-10.

South Carolina's defense had to come through after that because the offense, which controlled things for much of the first three quarters went three-and-out on its final four possessions.

Snead's 11-yard pass to Pat Patterson brought Ole Miss to the Gamecock 32 with 2:55 to play. Then coach Houston Nutt tried to outfox South Carolina.

A carry by Brandon Bolden out of the "Wild Rebel" package went for a yard. A double reverse to Dexter McCluster lost 4 yards.

Matthews followed with his sack of Snead before Stewart preserved the win by batting down the final pass.

Snead had thrown at least two TD passes in each of his past eight games. He finished this game 7 of 21 for 107 yards.

Right from the start, Snead and the Rebels looked tight. They had only four drives in the opening half, three that ended without a first down.

Eric Norwood ended the Rebels' first drive with his school-record 27th sack.

Snead passed for just 30 yards as the Rebels were outgained by South Carolina 181-71 in the first 30 minutes.

Bolden appeared to get things going with a 59-yard touchdown run. A holding penalty, however, brought that back and the Rebels eventually settled for their only points of the half on Joshua Shene's 42-yard field goal.

Mississippi came close to scoring just once more, but instead of another field goal, Nutt went with a fake. Holder Justin Sparks' pass to Derrick Davis came up 2 yards shy of a first down.

The Gamecocks had more plays and more yardage. They, too, though had trouble finding the end zone.

Stephen Garcia fumbled away one drive after a sack on Ole Miss 16 in the first quarter. An illegal shift on the Rebels' 4 led to Lanning's first field goal.

Freshman receiver Tori Gurley caught Garcia's pass and took it in for a 12-yard score right before halftime. But South Carolina was flagged for an ineligible receiver downfield. Lanning converted a 20-yard field goal to put the Gamecocks ahead 6-3 at the break.

Dawg-gone shame: Late stand halts USC

2009-09-13T02:44:00.002-04:00

Georgia's late defensive stand holds off the Gamecocks in a surprising shootout

By JOSEPH PERSON
From: thestate.com

Game Stats

ATHENS, Ga. — It turns out the concerns about South Carolina’s offense were misguided.

It was the Gamecocks’ defense that fell apart Saturday in a 41-37 loss to No. 21 Georgia — a nearly four-hour-long game where both defenses seemed to take the night off.

After a decade of mostly close, low-scoring games in the series, the teams combined for 735 yards and 78 points, the most since the Gamecocks joined the SEC and the second-most in series history. The highest-scoring game in the series was Georgia’s 52-34 win in 1970.

The USC defense, so fast and dominant in throttling N.C. State in a 7-3 season-opening win, failed to show up. The Gamecocks missed tackles, blew assignments and spoiled a career night by USC quarterback Stephen Garcia and the most prolific scoring game by a Gamecocks’ offense against Georgia.

USC (1-1, 0-1 SEC) fell to 5-13 against ranked opponents under Steve Spurrier. Georgia (1-1, 1-0) avoided its first 0-2 start since 1996.

The statistics did not reveal a total Georgia gashing. The Gamecocks ran 30 more offensive plays and outgained Georgia 427-308 in total yardage.

But the Bulldogs scored on all five of their red-zone chances and kept pin-balling off USC defenders who were going for big hits instead of textbook tackles.

“We came out a little sluggish, I guess like we were living in last week,” USC cornerback Akeem Auguste said. “On defense, we like to hit. So every chance we get, we’re going to try to take your head off. But they were bouncing off.”

Garcia set career highs by completing 31 of 53 passes for 313 yards. His completions tied for the fourth-most in school history while his attempts tied for second all-time behind Steve Taneyhill’s 58 against East Carolina in 1994.

The right-hander threw two touchdowns, led USC in rushing (10 carries for 42 yards) and drove the Gamecocks the length of the field in the final minutes.

But on fourth-and-4 from the Georgia 7-yard line, Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran broke up Garcia’s pass for tight end Weslye Saunders at the goal line with 22 seconds remaining.

“We had a great chance to win at the end,” Spurrier said. “Their kid made a good play batting it down.”

It appeared Garcia had a running lane, but he said he decided to pass after seeing Curran coming toward him. Curran thought Garcia likely would have made the first down if he’d kept it.

“I tried to sidearm it to Wes. I thought we’d win the game,” Garcia said. “But then I saw (Curran) put his arm out to tip it.”

Gamecocks kicker Spencer Lanning tied Collin Mackie’s single-game record with five field goals — the first of his career.

Lanning was 5-for-5 on field goals but had an extra point blocked that forced the Gamecocks to go for the end zone on their final drive rather than try a game-tying field goal.

DeAngelo Tyson penetrated the right side of the Gamecocks’ line and blocked Lanning’s extra point, which special teams coordinator Shane Beamer thought was too low.

“Extra points should never be blocked,” Beamer said. “Regardless of penetration, a kick that short should never be blocked.”

The extra point would have tied the score at 38 with 12:56 remaining following Eric Norwood’s 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. Norwood said the block changed momentum.

Georgia answered with a 12-play, 47-yard drive that culminated with a 42-yard field goal by Blair Walsh that pushed the Bulldogs lead to 41-37 with 6:20 left.

The Gamecocks took over at their own 19-yard line with just more than six minutes remaining, but they had to start at their 14 following a false-start penalty.

They converted three third-down situations, the first on a pass interference penalty on Vance Cuff against Tori Gurley. A Garcia completion to Moe Brown gave USC a first down at the Georgia 13 with about a minute left.

But after a completion to Brian Maddox moved USC inside the 10, the drive stalled.
The defense was not the only culprit for USC, which looked defenseless in trying to stop Georgia’s kickoff return team.

Brandon Boykin set the tone with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the Bulldogs’ first score.

Georgia added a pair of 48-yard returns and finished with a school-record 252 on kickoff returns. By the midpoint of the third quarter, USC kicker Adam Yates had resorted to popping the ball up and forcing Georgia’s up-backs to call fair catches.

Given the recent history in the series — the winning team had not scored more than 20 points in seven of the past eight meetings — most observers predicted a low-scoring, defensive struggle.

Or not.

Ellis Johnson, USC’s assistant head coach for defense, said an ankle injury to defensive tackle Nathan Pepper forced the Gamecocks to use more three-man fronts than he had hoped.

“That’s where a lot of the busted assignments came from,” Johnson said. “We were playing something we hadn’t practiced much.”

But Norwood said it was a failure to execute more than anything scheme related.

“We gotta get right, just plain and simple,” Norwood said. “You can sit here and say it’s Xs-and-Os. But we’ve got to go out and make it happen.”

That did not happen Saturday.

Gamecocks Open Season With Victory Over NC State

2009-09-04T00:30:00.001-04:00

Sept. 3, 2009
By Associated Press

Game Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Brian Maddox had a short touchdown run while Stephen Garcia completed a key third-down pass in the final minutes to help South Carolina beat North Carolina State 7-3 on Thursday night.

Garcia threw for just 148 yards on a frustrating night for both offenses, but the sophomore came through with a 33-yard completion to Moe Brown that allowed the Gamecocks to run out the final 2 1/2 minutes of the game. It gave South Carolina a second straight season-opening victory against the Wolfpack, who were shutout 34-0 in last year's meeting and failed to reach the end zone in the rematch.

Maddox scored from a yard out in the first quarter and finished with 66 yards rushing, which ended up being about the most reliable form of offense for typically pass-happy coach Steve Spurrier. Garcia completed 13 of 22 passes with an interception that gave the Wolfpack a needed burst of momentum and led to N.C. State's only scoring drive.

It was just one of numerous mistakes for the Gamecocks, the most costly being an offensive pass interference penalty on Tori Gurley that negated his 38-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. There was also a low snap that killed a second-quarter field-goal attempt and a missed 27-yard kick from Spencer Lanning in the third.

Then again, the Gamecocks had plenty of wiggle room considering the how defense bottled up Russell Wilson and the Wolfpack's offense all night.

N.C. State managed just 133 yards, with Wilson -- who last year became the first freshman named first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference quarterback -- completing just 12 of 23 passes for 74 yards while facing steady pressure from the speedy South Carolina pass rush. He got no help from the Wolfpack's ground game, either, with Toney Baker's first-quarter fumble setting up Maddox's early TD run.

Still, the Wolfpack had a chance for the go-ahead score, pushing to South Carolina's 32 with about 4 minutes left. Wilson evaded the rush and lofted the ball toward Jay Smith in the end zone despite the reserve receiver being in double coverage, but the ball slipped over both defenders and bounced off Smith's hands near the back of the end zone.

That drive ended with Wilson's fourth-down incompletion, and Garcia soon found Brown behind two Wolfpack defenders to seal the win.

Wilson set an ACC record with 272 consecutive passes without an interception. Florida State's Drew Weatherford held the record with 270 set in 2007.

Gamecocks Men's Basketball Add Walk-On To Roster

2009-09-03T15:28:00.000-04:00

USC Media Relations
September 3, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina men’s basketball coach Darrin Horn announced today the addition of Malik Cooke (Jr. - F – 6-5 – 200 – Charlotte, N.C./Christ School/University of Nevada) to the men’s basketball team as a walk-on for the 2009-10 season. Cooke, a native of Charlotte, N.C., who spent two years at the University of Nevada, will sit out the upcoming season due to NCAA transfer rules. He will be eligible to play during the 2010-11 season as a redshirt-junior. Cooke will not receive any financial assistance from South Carolina during the 2009-10 academic year.

“I’m excited to be part of the program that coach Horn and his staff are building here at South Carolina,” Cooke said. “I transferred from Nevada to get closer to home, and I feel that South Carolina is the best program to allow me the opportunity to grow as a player.”

Cooke, a graduate of Christ School in North Carolina, saw action in all 33 games, including one start, at Nevada as a true freshman in 2007-08, contributing 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest. As a sophomore, Cooke started all 34 games for the Wolf Pack, posting 9.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per outing.

Another one Suspended

2009-09-02T18:57:00.002-04:00

David Able
September 2, 2009

The Gamecock d-line took another hit with the suspension of tackle Kenny Davis.

According Sports information director Steve Fink Davis will miss Thursday's game at NC State and did not make the trip to Raleigh.

Fink says Davis is being punished for violating team rules.

Davis joins Ladi Ajiboye and Clifton Geathers as defensive linemen who'll miss the first game because of suspensions or injury.

Geathers is back on Team

2009-09-02T14:41:00.001-04:00

David Able
September 2, 2009

Word out of the Gamecock camp is that defensive end Clifton Geathers has been medically cleared to play.

However, Geathers received a one-game suspension by the school effective once he was healthy enough to play.

Athletic spokesman Steve Fink said Wednesday that Geathers was given medical approval for injuries suffered in the fight. But he will be suspended for the N.C. State game tomorrow and will be eligible to play against Georgia on September 12.

Geathers was arrested Aug. 23 after a fight at a nightclub in Columbia's downtown hot spot known as the Vista. He was charged with drunkenness, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest by Columbia police.

Geathers is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Season Opener Versus Wolfpack on Thursday

2009-08-31T22:37:00.000-04:00

USC Media Relations
August 31, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina football team returned to the Bluff Road practice fields on Monday night after being forced indoors on Sunday. They are just three days away from opening the 2009 season with a Thursday night date in Raleigh with the NC State Wolfpack. That contest will be televised nationally on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m.

"Just a normal Wednesday night practice on Monday," said head coach Steve Spurrier following the workout. "Hopefully our guys will be ready to play well Thursday night."

There was some question earlier in the week as to why Tori Gurley moved ahead of Jason Barnes on the depth chart at wide receiver. "The reason Tori passed him up is because Tori practiced better than Jason. We got all of that straightened out. Guys that practice the best are usually the guys who are starting."

"We've had good spirit the last couple of days," noted Coach Spurrier about the mood of his team. "It's getting closer. We don't run or hit as much as we've been doing. We're hopefully getting ready for a ballgame and getting ready to play our best."

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields again on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. That practice is closed. Coach Spurrier's call-in show will take place at the Wild Wings Café in the Vista on Tuesday night from 7-8 p.m.

Sunday's Practice Report

2009-08-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

USC Media Relations
August 30, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina football team practiced at the indoor practice facility on Sunday evening as a heavy rainstorm engulfed Columbia. The Gamecocks are turning up for the season opener at NC State on Thursday. That 7 p.m. contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.

“We went to the indoor for about two hours,” said head coach Steve Spurrier. “It always seems to pick up the guys spirits a little bit when we go indoors. We got some good work done. A lot of handing the ball off, blocking, stuff like that. Hopefully we made a little progress tonight. Stephen (Garcia) actually looked pretty good throwing. Catching was a lot better in there. We mainly worked on the run game, run defense and so forth. We hope all of our running backs get some holes and run well and we hope pass protection is good. We hope the same thing every team in the country hopes right now. We’ll find out Thursday night.”

Coach Spurrier confirmed that backup tight end Mike Triglia sprained his neck in practice on Saturday and could miss Thursday’s game. “He actually was a starter on our extra point/field goal team. He may not be able to play in this one.”

The Gamecocks will practice again on Monday night at 7:30 p.m

Tuesday's Practice Report

2009-08-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

David Able
August 25, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecock football team continued to prepare for the September 3 season opener at NC State with a full pad practice on Tuesday afternoon at the Proving Grounds.

“Just another practice today,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the workout. “Nine days until we play. So we’re closing down preseason and getting into our week before the game type practices here in a couple of days.”

The Gamecocks look like they'll use a running backs by committee approach, at least for the first games. “All the backs are healthy except Brian Maddox,” said Coach Spurrier. “He didn’t participate too much today. But the other guys are getting back healthy, so we’ve got five running backs ready to go.”

Matt Clements returned to wide receiver after a brief look at cornerback. “Matt had a good day today,” said the Head Ball Coach. “He knows offense a lot better than defense right now.”

Cliff Matthews missed the practice with a little fever, according to Coach Spurrier.

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields on Wednesday afternoon at 4:15 p.m. The practice is closed to the public.

Monday's Practice Report

2009-08-24T23:15:00.000-04:00

David Able
August 24, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina football team was on the Bluff Road practice fields on Monday night. The team was dressed in helmets and shorts with no pads.

Much of the post-practice questions revolved around the recent suspension of starting defensive end Clifton Geathers following a late night altercation in the Vista.

Here's what Spurrier had to say about the situation. “It’s very disappointing he got himself in that situation,” said the Head Coach. “Like any person that is arrested, he’s suspended from the team and will be until whenever all the facts come in about what happened exactly. The University, the athletics director and me will all get together and see what we’re going to do with him. His behavior has not been like this,” continued Coach Spurrier. “He got himself in a bad situation. We’ll see what the legal system says and we’ll go from there. We all know how to act. Unfortunately, one of our team didn’t act that way. It’s embarrassing to all of us, the whole program. It’s not going to dampen our spirits. If he’s not here, Devin Taylor gets his shot. Devin Taylor is our starting defensive end. We had a curfew that wasn’t as well-explained as it should have been. They know they have one now – 2 a.m.”

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields Tuesday afternoon. Practices through Friday are all scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

Geathers Suspended

2009-08-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

David Able
August 24, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock head football coach Steve Spurrier released a statement regarding junior defensive end Clifton Geathers:

According to the statement released by the athletics dept Coach Spurrier has suspended Clifton Geathers indefinitely from the team until all the facts come in. Spurrier Also said that he was disappointed in the actions of Geathers the other night.

The Gamecocks will take the practice field again Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's Scrimmage Report

2009-08-22T14:58:00.000-04:00

USC Media Relations
August 22, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – After surrendering more than 600 yards of total offense in each of the previous two scrimmages, the defense had the better of it on Saturday as the South Carolina Gamecock football team scrimmaged at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“The defense got the best of the offense today,” admitted head coach Steve Spurrier. “Our quarterbacks struggled a bit today. Our pass protection struggled a bit too. The defense looked a lot better than the offense today. Hopefully we can tighten up and get ready to go Monday. Hopefully we can watch the tape and learn from it.”

The highlight for the offense was the continued impressive play from walk-on tailback Bryce Sherman. The 5-6, 155-pound redshirt freshman from Winston-Salem, N.C. rolled up 113 yards on just 10 carries, including a 45-yard burst. He also had runs of 26 and 16 yards and caught a 17-yard pass.

“I think Bryce Sherman was our most valuable offensive player today,” said the Head Ball Coach. “He’s a good little player and we’re looking into see if we can get him on scholarship. He deserves it. He’s a valuable player. Jarvis Giles hurt his hand a little bit, Kenny Miles pulled a muscle, Brian Maddox is out with a shoulder, so we ended up with two running backs and Bryce Sherman did some nice running out here today. He’s a tough, little player. I had no idea he was a football player. We thought he was a little track guy who could run fast, but he’s a football player. He’s probably a better football player than he was a track guy. He came out of nowhere, but he was the offensive most valuable player of the scrimmage.”

After going 14-for-16 for 150 yards in the last scrimmage on Wednesday, sophomore signal-caller Stephen Garcia had a “so-so day” completing 10-of-23 passes for 100 yards on Saturday. Reid McCollum completed 7-of-15 passes for 93 with a touchdown and an interception. According to the head coach, both quarterbacks were just “average.”

Freshman Alshon Jeffery was the top receiver with three catches for 49 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. Stephen Flint, who was tabbed “the most valuable receiver today” by Coach Spurrier, had three catches for 48 yards, including an impressive leaping 33-yard grab between two defenders. Tori Gurley also had three receptions for 26 yards.

The kicking game showed some improvement as Spencer Lanning nailed a 53-yard field goal, his longest in one of the fall scrimmages.

The Gamecocks will enjoy an off day on Sunday before returning the practice fields on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

SCORING PLAYS:
Alshon Jeffery 12-yard pass from Reid McCollum (Joey Scribner-Howard kick)
Spencer Lanning 53-yard field goal
Joey Scribner-Howard 23-yard field goal
Alshon Jeffery 25-yard pass from Aramis Hillary (Spencer Lanning kick)
Jarvis Giles 1-yard run (Spencer Lanning kick)

PASSING: Stephen Garcia 10-23-0-100; Reid McCollum 7-15-1-93, 1 TD; Aramis Hillary 4-9-0-48, 1 TD. TOTALS: 21-47, 241, 2 TD.

RUSHING: Bryce Sherman 10-113; Jarvis Giles 9-13, 1 TD; Kenny Miles 3-12; John Guerry 1-12; Patrick DiMarco 1-5; Aramis Hillary 2-4; DeAngelo Smith 1-4; Dalton Wilson 1-3; Reid McCollum 2-(-5); Stephen Garcia 4-(-9); DeMario Bennett 1-(-10). TOTALS: 35-142, 1 TD.

RECEIVING: Alshon Jeffery 3-49, 2 TD; Stephen Flint 3-48; D.L. Moore 3-31; Tori Gurley 3-26; DeAngelo Smith 2-37; Bryce Sherman 1-17; Jarvis Giles 1-14; Dalton Wilson 1-10; Scott Spurrier 1-6; Weslye Saunders 1-5; Patrick DiMarco 1-1; Lamar Scruggs 1-(-3). TOTALS: 21-241, 2 TD.

Scrimmage Report

2009-08-19T23:46:00.000-04:00

USC Media Relations
August 19, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The offense was sharper as the South Carolina Gamecock football team scrimmaged Wednesday night at Williams-Brice Stadium. It was the squad’s final workout before classes begin at the University on Thursday.

“Typical scrimmage around here – the good part is nobody got hurt,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the 94-play scrimmage. “Nothing major. The offense had some good moments and the defense recovered a few fumbles. Just a very average night. We have a lot of work to do on both sides.”

The offense generated 622 yards of offense on Wednesday, including 291 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-32 passing by the top two signal-callers, sophomore Stephen Garcia and redshirt freshman Reid McCollum. Garcia was especially efficient; completing 14-of-16 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed six times for 22 yards and another score.

“(Garcia) looked better,” said the Head Ball Coach. “He can still throw a lot of them a little bit better, but he did throw a lot of good ones tonight. He was much improved. The protection was better. We had some guys open and he threw it where he was supposed to most every time.”

Freshman wide receiver DeMario Bennett continued to impress, catching four passes for 93 yards, including a 43-yard scoring strike from McCollum. Junior tight end Weslye Saunders was the favorite target, catching five passes for 46 yards.

Walk-on Bryce Sherman also continued his strong camp showing, leading the rushers with 11 carries for 76 yards. “Bryce Sherman is a good little football player,” acknowledged Coach Spurrier. “He really is. He’s a tough little kid. He has a chance to help us out. We had two running backs in gold jerseys (for injured players). Sometimes as the season goes along you get one or two running backs hurt. He could play some ball for us this year.”

The Gamecocks will return to the Bluff Road practice fields on Thursday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.

SCORING PLAYS:
Stephen Garcia 2-yard run (Spencer Lanning kick)
Jarvis Giles 3-yard run (Lanning kick)
DeMario Bennett 43-yard pass from Reid McCollum (Lanning kick)
Lanning 21-yard field goal
Jason Barnes 2-yard pass from McCollum (Lanning kick)
Lanning 47-yard field goal
Weslye Saunders 6-yard pass from Garcia (Lanning kick)
C.C. Whitlock 93-yard interception return
Lanning 37-yard field goal

PASSING: Stephen Garcia 14-16-0-150, 1 TD; Reid McCollum 10-16-2-141, 2 TD; Zac Brindise 3-4-0-26; Stephon Gilmore 1-2-0-32; Aramis Hillary 2-5-0-28. TOTALS: 30-43-2-377, 3 TD.

RUSHING: Bryce Sherman 11-76; Jarvis Giles 7-38, 1 TD; Kenny Miles 9-33; Reid McCollum 2-29; Stephon Gilmore 7-25; Stephen Garcia 6-22, 1 TD; Patrick DiMarco 3-16; Zac Brindise 1-14; Alshon Jeffery 1-4; DeMario Bennett 1-4; Dalton Wilson 1-0; Team 2-(-11). TOTALS: 51-250, 2 TD.

RECEIVING: Weslye Saunders 5-46, 1 TD; DeMario Bennett 4-93, 1 TD; Tori Gurley 3-39; Jason Barnes 3-28, 1 TD; Stephen Flint 2- 44; Foxy Foxworth 2-28; Joe Hills 2-18; Patrick DiMarco 2-2; Moe Brown 1-37; Bryce Sherman 1-12; Scott Spurrier 1-12; Alshon Jeffery 1-8; Justice Cunningham 1-8; Mike Triglia 1-5; Kenny Miles 1-(-3). TOTALS: 30-377, 3 TD.

Downey Named to Preseason Wooden Award List

2009-08-19T18:03:00.000-04:00

USC Media Relations
August 19, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior point guard Devan Downey has been selected to the 2009-10 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year Trophy preseason top 50 candidate list, as announced today by Richard “Duke” Llewellyn, Wooden Award Chairman and founder. The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performances and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. It marks the second-consecutive year that Downey has been selected to the preseason list.

Downey secured another impressive season in the statistical categories in 2008-09. He led Carolina with 19.8 points per game, scoring a total of 614 points - the most by a Gamecock in a single season since Zam Fredrick Sr. posted 781 points during his school record-setting season in 1980-81. Downey's 614 points rank sixth in the Gamecock record book. Downey continued his strong effort on the defensive end as well, swiping 89 steals (2.9 per game). His 192 career steals at Carolina rank fourth in the school record book, while his 3.0 career steals per game average currently ranks atop the Gamecock record book. Downey scored in double figures in 30 of South Carolina's 31 games in 2008-09, including 15 20-point and two 30- point efforts. He collected his 1,000th career point (including one-year total from Cincinnati) and also tallied his 1,000th point in the Garnet and Black during the season.

In late December, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 30 list, followed in March by the National Ballot, consisting of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round during the NCAA Tournament.

The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winner, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 9-11, 2010.

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.

Norwood on Nagurski List

2009-08-19T09:05:00.000-04:00

David Able
August 19, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock linebacker Eric Norwood has now been named to the preseason Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Charlotte Touchdown Club announced the 62-player watch list on Tuesday.

The Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the nation’s best defensive player.

Each week during the 2009 season, the FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. If the selected player is not on the watch list, he automatically will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on November 18 or 19.

Norwood is also on the Watch list for the Lott Trophy, the Bednarik Award, and the Lombardi Award and is a 2009 preseason first team All-SEC selection.

Tuesday's Practice Report

2009-08-18T23:07:00.000-04:00

David Able
August 18, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecock football team worked out twice on Tuesday, hitting the Proving Grounds on Bluff Road for about 90 minutes in the morning then for another two-hour practice in the evening hours.

“We had a pretty good practice tonight,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the evening workout. “Some guys really were pretty good, some not so good, but that’s the way it usually is. We’ll scrimmage tomorrow night and hopefully make some progress. We still have a lot of questions – a lot of positions we’re not exactly sure, but we’re closing in on it.”

Coach Spurrier announced that several walk-ons have earned scholarships for the 2009-10 school year. The list includes seniors John Guerry and Scott Spurrier, along with Darantzy Brunson, Stephen Flint, Cedrick Snead, Brandan Davis, Zac Brindise and Blake Baxley. “These guys have been rewarded for doing everything,” said Coach Spurrier. “We were able to put them on this year and use our scholarships that are available to us.”

Coach Spurrier also confirmed that Leon Mackey would not be joining the squad this fall. “He has not been cleared by the NCAA. The next option from what I understand is a prep school or a junior college. We’re hoping that will work out and he will be back. If it’s the prep school route, he’ll be back in January possibly.”

The Gamecocks will have a closed scrimmage at Williams-Brice Stadium on Wednesday.

Several Drafted Gamecocks Returning

2009-08-18T21:13:00.001-04:00

David Able

August 18, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – Several Gamecock baseball players have decided to put their professional baseball careers on hold, and are returning to South Carolina for another season.

Juniors Sam Dyson and Parker Bangs and senior Nick Ebert did not sign professional contracts by the designated MLB deadline and will return for the 2010 season. Also, Gamecock signees Adrian Morales, Colby Holmes and Christian Walker have chosen college instead of professional baseball and will enter their first season at South Carolina.

Dyson had been selected in the 10th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s with Ebert chosen in the 32nd round by the New York Yankees and Bangs in the 46th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Morales, a junior college infielder out of Miami Dade CC, was a 45th round choice by the Houston Astros,

Holmes, a right-handed pitcher from Conway, S.C., was drafted in the 47th round by the Atlanta Braves and Walker a first baseman/third baseman from Limerick Pa., was a 49th round choice by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Norwood Named to Lombardi List

2009-08-18T20:54:00.001-04:00

David Able
August 18, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood has been named to another preseason watch list. This one is the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List.

Norwood is also on the Watch list for the Lott Trophy, the Bednarik Award and is a 2009 preseason first team All-SEC selection.

The Rotary Lombardi Award is presented annually by Houston's Rotary Club to the nation's top college football lineman offense or defense who, in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the discipline of Vince Lombardi.

Norwood, a 6-1, 252-pounder from Acworth, Ga., was a consensus first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in 2008 after finishing second on the squad with 75 tackles, including a team- leading 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks. He also led the team with nine quarterback hurries, while recovering two fumbles and forcing another. He has played in all 38 games over the past three seasons, making 25 consecutive starts for the Gamecocks.

On Oct. 14, the 12 semifinalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award will be announced. On Nov. 11, the four finalists will be named. All of the finalists will travel to Houston for the ceremony to announce the winner on Dec. 9 at the Hilton Americas.

The Rotary Club of Houston founded the Rotary Lombardi Award in 1970, in the weeks following the death of legendary football coach Vince Lombardi from cancer. The 40th Rotary Lombardi Award dinner will be held on December 9, 2009, at the Hilton Americas Hotel. Net proceeds from the event benefit the American Cancer Society.

For more information visit the website at www.rotarylombardiaward.org

Mackey Not a Gamecock

2009-08-18T20:38:00.001-04:00

David Able
August 18, 2009

Columbia, SC -- The South Carolina football team learned today that recruit Leon Mackey will not join the team after being denied by the NCAA Clearinghouse, according to The State newspaper.

Mackey was at Hargrave Military Academy last season, and was considered a four-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. He originally signed with Virginia Tech in 2008, but failed to qualify academically and headed to Hargrave.

The NCAA was taking a close look at the different schools Leon has attended, as well as a correspondence class he took at Brigham Young University. The BYU online program came under NCAA scrutiny several years ago.

Monday's Practice Report

2009-08-17T23:31:00.000-04:00

David Able
August 17, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – One day after going through a 100-play scrimmage in Williams-Brice Stadium, the University of South Carolina football team returned to the Bluff Road practice fields Monday night, just 17 days away from the start of the 2009 football opener at NC State. The Gamecocks practiced in shells on Monday.

Much of Monday’s post-practice talk was about the play of the young wide receivers, who combined to log 13 of the 23 pass completions in Sunday’s scrimmage.

“Alshon Jeffrey made a couple of leaping catches, so he’s sort of proven to be a guy that you can throw the ball at,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following Monday’s workout. "Moe Brown is doing well. Jason Barnes didn’t have his best scrimmage, but we know he can play. Joe Hills caught one or two here and there. Alshon acts like he wants to play,” continued Coach Spurrier on the play of the true freshman. “He had a good practice tonight. He’s moving faster. He listens to coaches.”

Senior linebacker Eric Norwood sat out Monday’s practice and will be sidelined for some time after injuring his right wrist in the scrimmage. “He’s going to be ok,” said Coach Spurrier. “He’s sort of got a cracked bone in his wrist, but it should be ok in a week or so. He’ll be held out of all contact (until the wrist heals).”

The squad will have their second and final two-a-day on Tuesday, with practices scheduled for 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Both practices will be closed.

Charleston Classic Tickets On Sale Monday

2009-08-17T12:01:00.013-04:00

David Able

August 17, 2009

Tickets for the 2009 Charleston Classic will go on sale today at 10 a.m. ET. The second annual Charleston Classic will be held on Nov. 19, 20 and 22, at Carolina First Arena.

The eight-team field includes Davidson, La Salle, Miami (Fla.), UNC Wilmington, Penn State, South Carolina, USF and Tulane. Four of the teams in the field played in the 2008-09 National Invitation Tournament, including NIT champion Penn State, Davidson, Miami and South Carolina.

The tournament consists of 12 games through three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The full schedule is below.

Fans can purchase tickets to all six sessions (12 games) for $90 each, or single-session tickets (two games) for $20 each. “Booster tickets” are also available for $50, allowing entrance to all three sessions (six games) involving the pre-designated team of your choice. Tickets are available at www.CharlestonClassic.com, by calling the College of Charleston box office at (843) 953-2632 or at the Carolina First Arena Box Office.

Fans can purchase official hotel accommodations and game tickets by going to www.anthonytravel.com (search Charleston Classic) or by calling 1-888-632-6951. Additional information can be found on the Charleston Classic’s official Web site at www.CharlestonClassic.com.

Tournament Schedule

(Home team listed second; Davidson will be home team in each of its games)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, Nov 19	1:30 p.m.	Tulane vs. Miami (Fla.)
	4 p.m.	UNC Wilmington vs. Penn State	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	USF vs. Davidson
	9:30 p.m.	La Salle vs. South Carolina	ESPNU
Fri, Nov 20	12:30 p.m.	Game 5
	3 p.m.	Game 6
	7 p.m.	Game 7
	9:30 p.m.	Game 8
Sun, Nov 22	10 a.m.	Game 9
	12:30 p.m.	Game 10
	3:30 p.m.	Game 11
	6 p.m.	Game 12 (Championship Game)	ESPN2

Sunday's Scrimmage Report

2009-08-16T20:56:00.001-04:00

Courtesy: USC Sports
August 16, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecock football team had a busy day on Sunday, first signing autographs for fans at the annual Colonial Life Fan Appreciation Day, then taking the field at Williams-Brice Stadium for its second scrimmage of the preseason. The offense showed signs of being more productive this season as it generated 677 yards in 100 plays, mixing in both the run and pass effectively.

“The most encouraging part of the scrimmage is that we were able to run the ball,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the two-hour workout. “We ran the ball decently out here today, which we have not done very well on the practice field.”

The Gamecocks showed off their trio of running backs who are competing for touches this season. Redshirt freshman Kenny Miles had the biggest day, carrying the ball 16 times for 98 yards, including a 39-yard run, and two touchdowns, both five-yard bursts. Junior Brian Maddox rushed eight times for 50 yards, while true freshman Jarvis Giles carried eight times for 39 yards and a touchdown. The ground game churned up 276 yards on 59 tries.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Reid McCollum had the best numbers among the QB's, completing 7-of-11 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He connected with redshirt freshman Tori Gurley on a 57-yard scoring strike and later hit freshman Alshon Jeffery on a 46-yard scoring pass. Sophomore starter Stephen Garcia completed 8-of-16 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown with one interception – a 48-yard “pick-six” by junior safety Chris Culliver. Four quarterbacks combined to hit 23-of-41 passes for 401 yards.

“Reid McCollum threw some good balls,” said Coach Spurrier. “Reid had four or five really nice throws in there. He is a pure drop-back passer. If he ever gets his mind really, really straight, he can be real good. And he can run - he can run that spread offense. It’s just a matter of he and Stephen making that total commitment to learn everything about football. These guys have ability. Our offensive linemen have ability. We should be a dang good offense,” continued the Head Ball Coach, “but we’re still careless and don’t do all the little things right most of the time. We’ll keep practicing and keep hammering into our players that we have to cut out the careless mistakes. I wish Stephen had played a little bit better. He wasn’t particularly sharp early in the scrimmage. He’s our quarterback, but Reid needs to be ready to play. He’s definitely our second right now.”

Junior tight end Weslye Saunders was the top receiver, catching three passes for 93 yards. Jeffery caught two passes for 68 yards, while freshman DeMario Bennett added two catches for 73 yards, including a 47-yard TD pass from Zac Brindise. In addition to Culliver’s interception return for a score, Cedrick Snead picked off a pass. The defense also recovered three fumbles two of which came on bad snaps.

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. The practice is closed.

SCORING PLAYS:
Tori Gurley 57-yard pass from Reid McCollum
Jarvis Giles 2-yard run DeMario Bennett
47-yard pass from Zac Brindise
Chris Culliver 48-yard interception return
Kenny Miles 5-yard run
Alshon Jeffery 46-yard pass from Reid McCollum
Bryce Sherman 3-yard run
Mike Triglia 1-yard pass from Stephen Garcia
Kenny Miles 5-yard run
Cliff Matthews 15-yard pass from Aramis Hillary

PASSING: Reid McCollum 7-11-1, 166 yards, 2 TD; Stephen Garcia 8-16-1, 110 yards, 1 TD; Zac Brindise 5-10-0, 96 yards, 1 TD; Aramis Hillary 3-4-0, 29 yards 1 TD. TOTALS: 23-41-2, 401, 5 TD.

RUSHING: Kenny Miles 16-98, 2 TD; Bryce Sherman 9-51, 1 TD; Brian Maddox 8-50; Jarvis Giles 8-39, 1 TD; DeAngelo Smith 1-25; Reid McCollum 6-22; Zac Brindise 2-13; Patrick DiMarco 1-10; Dalton Wilson 1-1; Aramis Hillary 2-0; Stephen Garcia 4-(-15); Team 1-(-18). TOTALS: 59-276, 4 TD.

RECEIVING: Weslye Saunders 3-93; Lamar Scruggs 3-26; DeMario Bennett 2-73, 1 TD; Alshon Jeffery 2-68, 1 TD; Stephen Flint 2-21; Bryce Sherman 2-16; Patrick DiMarco 2-8; Dalton Wilson 2-7; Tori Gurley 1-57, 1 TD; Cliff Matthews 1-15, 1 TD; Joe Hills 1-11; Jason Barnes 1-5; Mike Triglia 1-1, 1 TD. TOTALS: 23-401, 5 TD.

Weekend Practice Report

2009-08-16T20:33:00.001-04:00

David Able
August 16, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina football squad worked out for two hours in full pads Friday night under the lights at the Bluff Road Proving Grounds. It was the squad’s final practice before their fist scrimmage Saturday afternoon.

“The defense looked pretty good tonight,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the workout. “The offense struggled a bit. We’ve probably got too many plays right now for our offensive guys. We seem confused at times. We’ll hopefully condense down a little bit and see if we can’t look decent in the scrimmage tomorrow. (In the scrimmage on Saturday) we want to see guys play their assignment, make a play or two here or there, see if the quarterbacks can make good decisions. Our decision making and our timing have not been very good lately.”

Coach Spurrier indicated that Reid McCollum and Stephen Garcia will take the most snaps on Saturday. “Reid and Stephen Garcia will probably do most of it. They’re probably the top two (quarterbacks). Aramis (Hillary) is good in the run game. Every now and then a ball gets away from him a bit, but he’s doing ok.”

Coach Spurrier also confirmed that walk-on tight end Andrew Power has left the team and would likely be headed to Georgia Southern to continue his playing career.

The Gamecocks got onto the field at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday to begin stretching and warmups when a strong, steady rainstorm canceled South Carolina's scrimmage. Spurrier called off the session after rain fell for over an hour. Spurrier said he didn't want to take a chance with injuries in wet conditions or tearing up the team's home field by going through the full-squad drills. The team eneded up holding the scrimmage Sunday, which had been scheduled as a day off from practice

Steve Spurrier thought his South Carolina offense showed progress in the Sunday scrimmage in which it overcame several early mistakes to score touchdowns on its final five full possessions.

Backup quarterback Reid McCollum completed 7 of 11 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Starter Stephen Garcia also threw a touchdown pass in the 90-minute session.

Kenny Miles led the ground game with 16 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

Norwood on Watch List

2009-08-13T17:00:00.001-04:00

David Able
August 13, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina announced today that senior linebacker Eric Norwood is on the 2009 Watch List for the Chuck Bednarik Award. The Bednarik Award goes to the nation’s Outstanding Defensive Player.

Norwood was a consensus first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in 2008 after finishing second on the squad with 75 tackles, including a team- leading 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks. He also led the team with nine quarterback hurries, while recovering two fumbles and forcing another.

A 2007 first-team All-SEC selection by the SEC coaches and a 2006 Freshman All-American, Norwood is Carolina’s all-time leader with 43.0 career tackles for loss and is third on the school’s all-time list in sacks with 22.0. He is the SEC active leader in both categories. He has played in all 38 games over the past three seasons, making 25 consecutive starts for the Gamecocks.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced on November 4th and three finalists for the award will be announced November 23rd. The winner of the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show which will be held on December 10, 2009. The formal presentation of this award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah’s Entertainment Atlantic City on March 5, 2010.

The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Eagle great.

Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame 69’ and the NFL Hall of Fame 67’.

Men's Hoops Releases Non-conference Schedule

2009-08-11T14:30:00.000-04:00

David Able
Aug. 11, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In his second year at the helm of the Gamecock program, Darrin Horn has made a major improvement to the non-conference schedule with RPI and strength of schedule rankings in mind. Contests against six teams that participated in postseason play, including three that competed in the NCAA Tournament, highlight the 2009-10 South Carolina men’s basketball non-conference schedule, released on Tuesday.

The Gamecocks will host eight non-conference contests, with four road competitions, including contests at archrival Clemson and Boston College, as well as participating in the Second Annual Charleston Classic.

“We are pleased with the way our non-conference schedule finalized for our second year at South Carolina,” Horn said. “The structure of the schedule, along with the caliber of teams we are playing fit very well into our scheduling philosophy. Last season we competed against eight non-conference teams with an RPI above 200, this year we project that number to be cut in half. The schedule will be very competitive, with games against Clemson and Boston College on the road and Baylor at home. The non-conference schedule will help us prepare for the SEC portion of the season, which will be as competitive as it’s ever been.”

The upcoming non-conference schedule features contests against at least seven teams that won 18 or more games last season, with six of those teams advancing to postseason play. Three of those teams Clemson, Boston College and Western Kentucky competed in the NCAA Tournament last March. South Carolina has the opportunity to play five BCS schools, compared to playing just two last season.

The Gamecocks kick off the regular season with back-to-back home contests against Alabama A&M (Nov. 13) and Georgia Southern (Nov. 16) at Colonial Life Arena, before heading to the low-country to take part in the Second Annual Charleston Classic (Nov. 19- 22). The Gamecocks join La Salle, South Florida, Tulane, Miami (Fla.), UNC-Wilmington, Davidson and Penn State at the four-day event. The Gamecocks begin tournament play against La Salle, a squad that finished the 2008-09 campaign with an 18-13 record, including a 9-7 slate in Atlantic 10 Conference action.

Following the Thanksgiving holiday, South Carolina will play three of its next four games in Columbia, beginning with consecutive home dates against Jacksonville (Nov. 27) and Western Kentucky (Dec. 2). Last season, Western Kentucky collected its second-consecutive Sun Belt Tournament title and advanced to its second-straight NCAA Tournament. WKU defeated Illinois in the opening round of NCAA action before falling to Gonzaga in the tournament’s second round. The Hilltoppers have captured five consecutive 20-win seasons, four of which came under the direction of Horn.

Carolina travels to the upstate to face archrival Clemson (Dec. 6) for its first true road contest of the season. The Tigers advanced to their second-straight NCAA Tournament in 2009. South Carolina looks to avenge a 98-87 loss to Clemson last season in Columbia.

South Carolina will then host Richmond (Dec. 16), a team that won 20 games last season and returns four starters from its College Basketball Invitational squad. Back-to-back contests against Southern Conference opponents are next for Carolina, as the Gamecocks travel to Wofford (Dec. 19) and host Furman (Dec. 21) in their final contest prior to the break for the Christmas holiday.

Following the holiday break, Carolina travels to face perennial ACC contender Boston College (Dec. 30), a squad that has advanced to seven of the last nine NCAA Tournaments. The Gamecocks and Eagles have met just one time in the history of the two programs, where Carolina defeated Boston College 86-64 during the 1971-72 season.

The Gamecocks return home to open the new year, hosting the Baylor Bears (Jan. 2), in a highly-anticipated contest at Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina defeated Baylor 85-84 in Waco last season, as Zam Fredrick’s lay-up with just over five seconds remaining in the game proved to be the game-winning basket in the one-point Carolina win. The victory over then-No. 19 Baylor marked the first Gamecock road win over a ranked non-conference opponent since a 97-83 road victory over then-No. 8 Cincinnati at the Shoemaker Center on Feb. 15, 1997.

South Carolina concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule when it hosts Longwood (Jan. 5), a squad that finished the 2008- 09 campaign with a 17-14 record.

Game times and television details for the non-conference schedule will be released at a later date. The Southeastern Conference schedule, along with television details, will also be released at a later date.

2009-10 Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 13 – Alabama A&M
Nov. 16 – Georgia Southern
Nov. 19-22 – at Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C.)
Nov. 27 – Jacksonville
Dec. 2 – Western Kentucky
Dec. 6 – at Clemson (Clemson, S.C.)
Dec. 16 – Richmond
Dec. 19 – at Wofford (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Dec. 21 – Furman
Dec. 30 – at Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Jan. 2 – Baylor Jan. 5 – Longwood

Gamecocks To Play In Charleston Classic Tournament

2009-08-04T17:30:00.003-04:00

David Able
Aug. 4, 2009

Charleston Classic Official Website

COLUMBIA, S.C. – ESPN released the bracket for the Charleston Classic on Tuesday, and we found out that South Carolina will play La Salle in the tournament’s first round on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, on ESPNU. The contest is set for a 9:30 p.m. (ET) tip time at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C.

The Classic is a bracket-format tournament that will feature 12 games over the course of four days, Nov. 19-22. Each team will compete in one game per day, with the two teams that remain undefeated facing off in a championship contest on Sunday, Nov. 22. The Gamecocks join a competitive bunch at the event, which features La Salle (18-13), South Florida (9-22), Tulane (14-17), Miami (Fla.) (19-13), UNC-Wilmington (7-25), Davidson (27-8) and Penn State (27-11). South Carolina, Davidson, Miami and Penn State each made an appearance in the Postseason NIT last March.

Other first-round matchups (all on Nov. 19) include Tulane versus Miami (Fla.) (1:30 p.m.) and UNC-Wilmington versus Penn State (4 p.m./ESPNU) in the top half of the bracket and Davidson versus South Florida (7 p.m.) in the lower portion of the bracket with the Gamecocks. In each half of the bracket, the winning teams will play each other in the first game of each session on Nov. 20, while the losing teams will play each other in the second game of each session.

The Gamecocks and Explorers have previously met twice on the hardwood, both times on a neutral court. South Carolina won the first match-up between the two schools, a 62-59 victory competing in the Quaker City Classic in Philadelphia, Pa., on Dec. 30, 1968. La Salle evened the series with an 85-67 win over Carolina at the Cotton States Classic in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 29, 1988. South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn has never faced the Explorers during his time as a head coach.

La Salle finished the 2008-09 campaign with an 18-13 record, including a 9-7 slate in Atlantic 10 Conference action. Four Explorers finished the season averaging double-digits in scoring, led by rising senior Rodney Green with 17.8 points per contest. La Salle played a competitive schedule last season, including contests against nine teams that advanced to NCAA Tournament play. The Explorers are led by Dr. John Giannini, who enters his sixth season at the helm of the La Salle program this fall.

While South Carolina enjoyed a successful 21-10 season under first-year head coach Darrin Horn during the 2008-09 campaign. The Gamecocks reached double-digit victories in league play for the first time since the 1998 SEC season, and earned an SEC Eastern Division Co-Championship with a 10-6 record in conference action. South Carolina's appearance in the postseason NIT last March was its 11th overall and first since the 2005-06 season when the Gamecocks earned their second-consecutive postseason NIT Championship.

South Carolina returns four of its five starters from a year ago, including All-SEC guard Devan Downey (19.8 points per game, 4.5 assists per game), senior forward Dominique Archie (10.9 ppg, 6.4 rebounds per game), junior forward Mike Holmes (10.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and junior center Sam Muldrow (5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg).

Preseason Practice Schedule Announced

2009-08-04T17:28:00.001-04:00

David Able
August 4, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina football squad officially reported for fall camp yesterday, and the first practice is scheduled for tonight. The first practice will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Bluff Road “Proving Grounds.”

The first practice of the fall camp is open to the public. If you can't make it tonight then you may be out of luck. Because this is the only practice open to fans. The USC Athletic Dept. says that any additional open practices will be announced at a later date. Remember if you go that NO cameras (video or still) will be allowed after the first 15 minutes of the practice. Pets are not permitted on the practice fields.

The Gamecocks will open the 2009 season on Thursday, September 3 when they travel to Raleigh to face the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The 7 p.m. ET contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Be sure to check back later for a recap of the first practice.

2009 Preseason practice schedule:
Most practices will last approximately two hours. Dates and times subject to change.
Tuesday, August 4: 7:30 p.m. (Helmets only)
Wednesday, August 5: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 6: 7:30 p.m. (Helmets and shoulder pads)
Friday, August 7: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 8: 7:30 p.m. (First day of full pads)
Sunday, August 9: Media Day, 3- 5 p.m. No practice scheduled.
Monday, August 10: 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 11: 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 12: 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 13: 7:30 p.m.
Friday, August 14: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 15: 4:15 p.m. (Scrimmage)
Sunday, August 16: Fan Appreciation Day, 1-2:30 p.m., Colonial Life Arena. No practice scheduled.
Monday, August 17: 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18: 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 19: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 20: First day of classes; Practice TBA

Givens picks Rutgers as new school

2009-08-04T16:52:00.003-04:00

From GoGamecocks.com
By Joe Person and Phil Kornblut
August 4, 2009

The South Carolina football coaching staff learned Monday that it will not be getting defensive back Darrell Givens.

Givens, a Penn State signee who could not gain admission to the Big Ten school, has decided to attend Rutgers, according to a source close to the situation.

USC officials were scheduled to meet Tuesday about Givens’ possible admission.

Givens had been asked to provide very specific information regarding his academic records and a letter from Penn State confirming his release from the letter of intent.

Givens was looking for a school after being denied admission last week, and he canceled his visit to North Carolina, according to the Web site InsideCarolina.com.

Givens was told the academic review process at North Carolina would take a week, and he would not know his enrollment situation until after the start of preseason drills. Givens wants to be at his school in time for the start of practice.

SEC Media Days (Day Three)

2009-07-24T19:24:00.013-04:00

By: Brad Mashburn

Media Days wrapped up in Birmingham today with coaches and players from Auburn, Carolina, LSU and Tennessee talking to the media about preparations for the upcoming season and why this year is certain to be a success. The day also brought to a close the scandal of the week, with Steve Spurrier confessing to only signing a filled out pre-season all SEC team ballot without noticing someone from USC's staff had named Jevan Snead over Tim Tebow for first team all conference. Citing the fact 10 Gators were already on the team, whoever filled out the ballot obviously thought the defending national champs had had their fill of all star projections. Saying he "didn't sleep worth a dang" after discovering Tebow had been omitted from USC's first team ballot, Spurrier took ultimate responsibility for the selection that has, at times, overshadowed the entire meeting. Spurrier said a correction has since been made, and while Snead is a good player, Tim Tebow is now a unanimous pick for first team all SEC at quarterback.

And so, with the world returned to its axis after a three minute mea culpa from the Gamecocks head coach, what else happened on Friday? Well, another one of the league's first year head coaches officially began the day revealing Auburn has had to, "re-recruit our own football team." I guess that's to be expected after a guy replaces someone who posted an 85-40 mark over the last 10 years. Especially if that guy enters the new job with a less than stellar 5-19 head coaching mark while at Iowa State. Gene Chizik must have made a lot of friends on The Plains in his stint as defensive coordinator earlier this decade.

At ant rate, his hiring of Gus Malzhan is arguably the most interesting staff change in the SEC. Auburn's failed experiment with spread offense "genius" Tony Franklin wasn't exactly the smoothest transition in the world, but there will be a more concerted effort with the spread this time around because the head coach isn't feeling the pressure to implement a system that is polar opposite of what he's had success with in the past. Tiger fans will hope exciting signal caller Kody Burns can emerge as one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the SEC under the guidance of Malzhan, whose own previous foray into the SEC was testy as well. Here's hoping the former Tulsa head man finds a little more harmony this season that his tumultuous 2007 season at Arkansas.

TE Tommy Trott and DE Antonio Coleman joined Chizik at the press conference and shared a few thoughts as well.

Trott on new offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan: "The first impression's been great. We've been with him all through the spring and as much as possible since then because he can't be out there in the summer. He's a football nut, football 24/7. He's brought a successful offense here, and hopefully things will work well."

Coleman on the difference between last year and this year: "The most important thing we lost is swagger (during last year) and I think we have it back. We got people hurt, people injured, and we didn't finish the way we wanted, but we can't harp on that, it was last year."

Steve Spurrier took the podium next, and since I covered the flap and subsequent admission from the Head Ball Coach that it was Carolina who omitted Tebow from the first team ballot, let's skip to the real reason he made the trip to Birmingham in the first place. Year 5 of the Spurrier Era begins with only 7 seniors on the team. Two of them, WR Moe Brown and LB Eric Norwood joined their head coach for the occasion. (I had to erase "DE" next to Norwood. Defensive end, linebacker, hybrid... whichever. The man is a beast and all USC fans should be thankful the best defender from last season stuck around for his senior season). It's hard to tell sometimes if Spurrier is excited, perplexed, or downright frightened about Stephen Garcia being the starter this season under center for the Gamecocks. Having gone through his first spring drills and a full summer workout on the horizon is certainly encouraging, but the jury is still out on Spurrier's most touted recruit at Carolina. Moe Brown praised Garcia's improved work ethic, saying he sees and well as hears the right things from Garcia. Extra passing drills after voluntary workouts and a call from Garcia immediately following Chris Smelley's departure for Alabama give Brown hope Garcia is ready for the challenge. During that conversation, Garcia said it was his team now, and he had to get more serious. We shall see if those words translate into wins this season.

For me, the subject of play calling was the most interesting one Spurrier touched on in his Q&A with the media. While it seems he has re-gained his title of offensive coordinator, Spurrier indicated son Steve Spurrier, Jr and new offensive line coach Eric Wolford would also have a hand calling plays. "We haven't discussed that finally yet. We've got some coaches that have called some plays there, and I've called a few I guess in my career. But I will still have the title of head coach, and I guess offensive coordinator. I'll be in charge of it.
But we'll have a way of getting them in there. Eric Wolford, our line coach, you called a bunch of them during the scrimmage one day. He's got some runs. So he's going to chip in with, Let's run this, let's run that. Our receiver coach will chip in some here and there.
But who's the main guy in charge, we haven't really formalized that yet. The situation is thus up in the air for now, but you can bet any team Spurrier coaches will see a steady diet of "ball plays" he cooks up. Spurrier also singled out DE Cliff Matthews and DB newcomer Stephon Gilmore as possible two-way players. Matthews worked a bit at tight end in the spring and that position, according to Spurrier, could be where his NFL bread is buttered. "A lot of people think Cliff Matthews' ultimate position in the NFL may be tight end. He's a tough kid, can run all day. He's about 260. That's probably about as heavy as he can get. " Spurrier highlighted Stephon Gilmore's having quarterbacked South Pointe to a state title as well as his prospects of starting at cornerback this year. It would not be a shock to see a package of offensive plays inserted for Gilmore at QB this season, with Spurrier's emphasis on getting the best players on the field as often as possible.

Moe Brown on his leadership style: "I'm one of the most vocal guys on the team. I go hard and lead through example. Like, when we do running drills, I make sure we finish to the line, there is no pulling up. We have to pay attention to details.

Eric Norwood on the expectations and perceptions of the program: "Expectations haven't dimmed down and neither has the talent. The talent is up there with every other team in the SEC. We are really looking forward to winning, and winning big."

Les Miles enters his fourth season as head coach at LSU a bit under the radar. A program with three conference and a pair of BCS national titles since 2001 can be excused for the occasional 8-5 year, and 2008 was certainly a drop off on the Bayou. That underachievement, coupled with the pre-season hype surrounding Alabama and Ole Miss see LSU playing ugly step sister this year in the SEC West. Don't expect that tag to stick, however. Few teams in the nation have recuited as well as LSU the past 3 seasons, which is a credit to Miles. No, he's not Nick Saban. But just as importantly, he can recruit on a high level and won at least 11 games his first 3 sesasons at LSU. Ask Curley Hallman or Gerry DiNardo about that "auto pilot" it would seem to take to recruit well in the state of Louisiana. The talent is there to be had in the state, but credit Miles for continuing the incredible job Saban began mining the state for some of the top high school players in the nation.

Tennessee castoff John Chavis landed on his feet with the plum defensive coordinator's job at LSU. He'll have a tough act to follow after Bo Pelini attained cult-like adulation while patroling the Tigers' defense. Miles was asked a question about the spike in assistant coach's salaries and had this take for the media: "I think we're fortunate to live in a country where those things, market value, is generally looked at as a positive thing. How wonderful it is for an assistant coach to be able to make a great living, provide for his family, talk about retirement, all the things that you want to do. What he's done to put himself in that position is go to college, spend hours early and late generally at the beginning of his career and not be paid a darn. In fact, about $8200 a year in their GA years. To go basically as an intern to an assistant coach's job, work up the ladder. In my opinion, it's wonderful that the assistant coach's salaries are escalating fairly, in my opinion.

Offensive tackle Ciron Black and LB Jacob Cutrera joined Miles for the festivities Friday afternoon. Here is a selected quote from each.

Black on pre-season expectations: "I consider it a blessing. It's preseason. I still have a long season ahead of me and a lot of playing to do. There are a lot of great guys in our conference that will be coming after me. I just have to play."

Cutrera on new defensive coordinator John Chavis: "Intensity. He's a fired up guy every practice. Those two and a half hours we're out there he's in your face and you'll know when you mess up. He's brought a lot of intensity and the way he does things has helped out."

The biggest newsmaker (or maybe the loudest?) of all the SEC coaches this spring and summer has been Tennessee's new man in charge, Lane Kiffin. The former Oakland Raiders head coach and Southern Cal assistant comes to Knoxville hoping to restore the swagger of past seasons. A string of secondary NCAA rules infractions has followed Kiffin since he replaced Phil Fulmer, as well as a few comments that have stirred the pot even more than back when Spurrier was the SEC's chief smart alec. The Head Ball Coach talked a great game back in the day, but the Gators backed it up come Saturday. Heck, even his Duke team shared the ACC title in 1989. What rankles fans most about Kiffin is the fact he has never been a head coach in college, and sported a 5-15 mark in Oakland. His boasts of landing a highly touted recruit despite Florida's "cheating" to try and land the player earned Kiffin a repremand from SEC commissioner Mike Slive. Verbal jousts with Spurrier and a high voltage approach to recruting have certainly gotten folks talking about the Vols again, which has been Kiffin's modus operandi. Whether that talk transforms a team without a proven quarterback, a new defensive coordinator and the usual, rigerous SEC schedule remains to be seen. Kiffin seems to be shifting to blocking and tackling mode now that fall camp is quickly approaching, stating "... That's not what it's about now, about not time to say something, now you have to back it up.

Safety Eric Berry and RB Montario Hardesty were with Kiffin Friday, and had this to say about various topics.

Berry on possibly splitting time between quarterback safety this season: "I believe I could. But right now I think I'm helping my team out the most being well and fresh on defense. I think that's where I have the big contribution to my team, is at safety. If they do want to do that, then we'll talk about it. But right now that's where I'm helping them at."

Hardesty on the Vols offensive line: ""I'm very excited about our offensive line. Our first unit guys are all veterans, they played well in the spring, and you can see them continue to improve. I think this new system will be a great asset for us this fall. I can't wait to get the taste of 5-7 out of our mouth. Let's go get some W's under our belt."

The talking, for now, is over. Teams begin fall camp in earnest next month, with the Gamecocks beginning preparations for their September 3 opener against NC State on August 4. Be sure to check us out as the season approaches for more coverage of the 2009 Carolina football season.

(Quotes courtesy of SECSPORTS.COM)

SEC Media Days (Day 2)

2009-07-23T18:51:00.011-04:00

By: Brad Mashburn

After technical difficulties last night, we're ready to pickup on coverage of the annual SEC Media days at the Wyndham Hotel in Birmingham. We apologize for the lack of coverage on Day one, but everything has been ironed out and we're ready to roll.

Day two featured the biggest coaching and playing headliners of the event, with the likes of Nick Saban, Mark Richt, Houston Nutt and Urban Meyer (a combined 6 SEC and 2 national titles) representing the coaching ranks, and Tim Tebow and Jevan Snead among the players interviewed.

Alabama kicked off the proceedings with the aforementioned Nick Saban joined by OL Mike Mike Johnson and LB Rolando McClain. Coach Saban highlighted quarterback and offensive line play as the two biggest keys to the Tide's offensive success. Greg McElroy is the heir apparent to departed signal caller John Parker Wilson and has seen very little playing time since his arrival from Southlake, TX. His development will rest on the shoulders of a somewhat depleted offensive line, which will rely on as many as four new lineman counted on Saban to provide "...depth or to improve quality of starters..." He declined to name who would fill the four slots on the O-Line for the Tide.

Alabama is armed with another highly touted recruiting class, and Saban was not hesitant to allow newcomers the chance to play early. Likening fall practice to the NFL, he stated if some of the top 50-55 players on the squad were first or second year players, they would get a shot to play early. As a team coming off a 12-2 season in 2008, it sounds like the Tide are in reloading rather than rebuilding mode.

Offensive lineman Mike Johnson on Alabama's preseason expectations:

"I don't think it's too much to expect (good things) at all. You hear people go back to the Sugar Bowl, but they don't realize we had our second string line in there and we're struggling to make adjustments. We've got two guys battling it out at left tackle that will be really good, they'll only get better. With time, I think everyone will be surprised at what they see."

Linebacker Rolando McClain on expected QB starter Greg McElroy:

"Greg is going to surprise a lot of guys this year because he's got a good offensive line in front of him, and that'll only make him better. It doesn't hurt to have Julio Jones to throw the ball to either. As a defense, we're going to push him in practice to make him better."

Georgia, last season's pre-season #1, followed with coach Mark Richt's team entering 2009 sufficiently under the radar enough to have some calling them sleepers in the always loaded SEC. Fans have pointed to the similarity between this season's starting QB, Joe Cox, and fellow fifth year senior DJ Shockley, who led the Dawgs to the 2005 SEC title in his only season as a starter. It remains to be seen if the media buy into that growing theory of the Dawgs springing a shock on the SEC, but they do tend to have more success when folks are busy talking about how ordinary they will be.

Besides breaking in a new (if a guy's been on campus since 2005, is he new?) well, inexperienced, quarterback, Georgia will also be without the services of everything running back, Knowshon Moreno. While I won't miss his playing against the Gamecocks, that "Tebow Wears Knowshon Moreno pajamas" sign I saw in Athens last year was the wittiest potshot at Mr. Perfect I saw last season. Returning to fill the void left by the New Jersey native are Caleb King and Richard Samuel, two highly sought after recruits in their own right. Their quest will be greatly helped by an offensive line projected to be perhaps 8-9 men deep.

Aside from the usual "coach speak" offered by most of the participants the last couple of days, Mark Richt offered praise to the Gamecocks when asked why they seem to always play the Bulldogs close. Calling Carolina "a good football team" he noted the "outstanding talent base" in South Carolina and the Gamecocks' recruiting success in the state of Georgia as well.

Expected starting quarterback, senior Joe Cox and senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens represented Georgia at the event as well.

Cox on the difference between his and last year's starter, Matthew Stafford's approach to leadership:

"We are different types of leaders. I'm more vocal that Matthew was. That's not a good thing or a bad thing. Matthew was a great leader, but the distinction is the team. I don't think he had enough help. This year a lot more guys have stepped us as leaders as well"

Owens on the lack of preseason hype compared to 2008:

"It's been a big difference this season. Before last season, it was, "Georgia this, Georgia that." Hype can get to you and that was a factor with last season."

The trendiest pick in the SEC West this season is without a doubt Houston Nutt's Ole Miss Rebels. Led by their second veteran staff, which includes the former Arkansas head man and former Carolina defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix, Ole Miss is hoping to ride the momentum of a 9-4 record in 2008 to even greater heights this season. No one in Oxford needs reminding that the Rebels are the only SEC West team to never reach the SEC title game since its inception in 1992. This season, fans are hoping the stellar recruiting hauls of former head coach Ed Oregeron and the seasoned hand of Houston Nutt will guide them to BCS contention.

The excitement of returning All-SEC caliber QB Jevan Snead and all-everything ball carrier Dexter McCluster is tempered, however, by the loss of All Americans Michael Oher and Peria Jerry on the offensive and defensive lines, respectively. Coach Nutt characterized the situation in trademark fashion, stating, "The problem that I have is about 600 pounds. I got 600 pounds, two first team All Americans we're missing. Michael Oher, the left tackle, was a first rounder, and Peria Jerry. Those guys were not only captains of our football team and leaders, but just played so hard. So we got to replace a very good group of seniors." Gamecock fans know full well the disappointment of having game changers at the skill positions left to fend with average lines on either side of the line. A key to the Rebels 2009 season will be how fast Orgeron's holdovers develop along with the occasional Nutt recruit who sees time playing on the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Snead and free safety Kendrick Lewis accompanied Nutt to Birmingham to address the media.

Snead on possibly being the first Ole Miss team to reach the SEC title game:

We really don't talk about being the first team to do it. We're thinking about our team now. We had a great year last year and we having a lot of people returning. I feel like we have a great opportunity this year to do some big things."

Lewis' thoughts on the Rebels' rising expectations:

"We need to be unsatisfied. Everyone knows us. To be humble. We know that we have a bull's-eye on our chest. Everyone knows us. We're going to get the publicity. We can't buy into it. To keep doing the things we do to be successful and continue working hard."

Florida's Urban Meyer took the stage next, and offered a small glimpse of hope to "hapless" SEC East foes, stating pretty nominal ambitions. "Well, I want to get through these next two weeks. We go real hard for a week, then they have a week off and we start camp. I don't look much past that." Comforting words for the Spurrier's Richt's and Kiffin's of the world, indeed. The Urbanator plans on winging it once Charleston Southern comes to Gainesville September 5th. Wanna bet there's a decent game plan in place once the Vols visit, even with former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen on the sidelines in Starkville? Yeah, I think so, too. That said, Meyer is confident despite some concern the Gators video game offense will continue to click at a high level, citing the fact "no one guy calls the plays at Florida." On can afford such confidence despite a major staff shakeup when he has the man born to play in his particular offensive scheme. The hubbub surrounding the departure disregards the fact that the player some are calling the greatest ever at the collegiate level returns to pilot the Gator attack for one more season.

Tim Tebow has gone from freshman season enigma to the first ever sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. A dog and pony show to the icon of college sports. Along the way, he's collected two SEC and national titles, and become only the second player to repeat as the Maxwell Award winner. Oh yeah, he's also an upstanding Christian who performs circumcisions in the Philippines and taunted LSU fans who go ahold of his cell phone number by pretending to make a phone call after a touchdown. Who are we kidding? Tebow's the biggest star of SEC Media days since fellow former Gator Heisman winner Steve Spurrier. Heck, he's the biggest personality in college football since the Head Ball Coach put the Mighty Gators on the map and gave Phil Fulmer spelling lessons (and a few more on the field) in the mid 1990's. The identity of the one head coach who didn't vote Tebow first team all conference has been the biggest subplot of the week, with each coach denying responsibility (Meyer is barred from voting for his own player, so there's no conspiracy that he's trying to motivate a guy who's mid-season speech following a loss to Ole Miss is commemorated on a plaque in Gainesville).

Tebow fielded several questions today. Here is a bit of what he had to say:

Q. We asked Coach Saban earlier about the fourth quarter, the last two drives. He gave you a lot of credit for that, said Florida outplayed his team. Talk about those two drives, plays that got you over the hump, and also the conversation you had on the sideline with Coach Meyer before you went on the field.
TIM TEBOW: That conversation was simply, It's in our hands, we go get it done. Then we talked to the offense, said we train for this, we train all year to finish strong. That's why we do everything, it's for these moments. You know what, it's in our hands right now. We're going to take advantage of it, believe in that, believe in each other, we're going to go get it done.

Linebacker Ryan Stamper joined Meyer and Tebow at the press conference.

"With the success we have had, two national championship teams, we know how to win and know that believing in the hype is not a way to win a national championship. We have to be focused on every team, every game and not be complacent. With the leadership returning this season, we know we can win."

Stay tuned to GB sports tomorrow as SEC Media Days concludes with Auburn, Carolina, LSU, and Tennessee's coaches and players previewing the 2009 season. Wide receiver Moe Brown and All SEC linebacker Eric Norwood will join coach Spurrier to address the media.

(Quotes courtesy of SECSPORTS.COM)

Introducing The SEC Network

2009-07-22T17:21:00.003-04:00

David Able
July 22, 2009

It is day one of the SEC Football Media Days in Birmingham. Brad will have a complete wrap-up of day one. But as a former journalism student I thought I'd break this news to you, and leave the x's and o's to Brad.

So at Media Days ESPN Regional Television, and the SEC announced a regionally syndicated college sports package that will air in more than 73 television markets, along with the branding of the syndication package as the SEC Network – all part of the groundbreaking 15-year agreement between ESPN, Inc., and the SEC.

Within the nine-state SEC footprint, the SEC Network will be delivered in markets by the local over-the-air carrier of SEC events. In markets outside the SEC footprint, the syndicated programming will air on either local, over-the-air television stations or regional sports cable networks.

Coverage will feature extensive football, men's and women's basketball telecasts, produced by ESPN Regional Television.

"As ESPN moves forward in this landmark agreement with the SEC, ESPN Regional Television is thrilled to provide our viewers with a consistent window for Southeastern Conference football and basketball," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president & general manager, ESPN Regional Television.

The SEC Network will feature an SEC football Game of the Week regionally for 13 consecutive Saturdays, beginning Sept. 5. Those telecasts will kick off at noon ET/11 a.m. CT with the live SEC Studio show, followed by the matchup, generally determined 12 to six days in advance. The new kickoff time for the Game of the Week will be 12:21 p.m. ET.

Longtime SEC announcer Dave Neal will call the weekly SEC Network game on Saturdays, along with analyst Andre Ware and reporter Cara Capuano.

The SEC Studio show will be produced by ESPN Regional Television at their headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., also the home of ESPNU. The SEC show will kick off Saturday coverage with host Rob Stone and analyst Matt Stinchcomb in the studio.

The regular-season SEC men's basketball package on the SEC Network beginning in January will consist of Wednesday and Saturday games, including doubleheaders. The SEC Network will also offer regional coverage of multiple rounds from the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament as well as SEC women's basketball games on Sundays, also beginning in January.

The SEC Network, through the efforts of ESPN, will be the largest college sports syndication television package in the country," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive . "The comprehensive market coverage in the nine-state SEC area combined with the out-of-market reach gives us significant additional exposure for our programs."

The markets that will air the package represent more than 54 million television households, or 47 percent of the U.S. Before the first football game this season, as clearance work continues, the coverage area will be larger still. The 15-year agreement between ESPN and the SEC begins with the 2009-10 season and continues through 2023-24.

Check back later for a complete wrap-up of Day 1.

First Four Game Times Announced

2009-07-21T17:13:00.003-04:00

David Able
July 21, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina has announced that the home opener against Florida Atlantic University on Saturday, September 19, will kick off at 7 p.m. ET, and will be available throughout the Palmetto State on a pay-per-view basis.

With the FAU game time set that means game times have now been established for each of the Gamecocks’ first four regular season games.

The Gamecocks will open the season on Thursday, September 3 at NC State. That game will be televised nationally on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Then on Saturday, September 12th South Carolina will open Southeastern Conference play at Georgia. That contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with kick time set for 7 p.m. ET.

Following the FAU contest, the Gamecocks will host Ole Miss on Thursday, September 24 in another ESPN televised game, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Gamecocks appeared on ESPN or ESPN2 six times during the 2008 season.

NOTABLE DATES OF INTEREST:

Sunday, August 16 – Fan Appreciation Day
Thursday, August 20 – Fall Semester Begins
Thursday, September 3 – Season Opener at NC State, 7 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, September 12 – SEC Opener at Georgia, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, September 19 – Home Opener vs. Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m., PPV
Thursday, September 24 – SEC Home Opener vs. Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m, ESPN

Nike does not want you to see that dunk

2009-07-08T17:03:00.008-04:00

I know this has nothing to do with Carolina. But it's the middle of the summer, and there's nothing to blog about. Anyway I ran across CBSSports.com's college basketball columnist Gary Parrish blog and saw this story tha broke yesterday that is now getting picked up by various outlets.

Here is his original report from last night…

Hope you enjoy!!

By Gary Parrish CBS Sports.com

AKRON, Ohio -- You want to see video of Xavier's Jordan Crawford dunking on LeBron James?

If so, too bad.

Because you're not going to see it.

Thanks to Nike.

Turns out, there were at least two cameras rolling Monday night when Crawford dunked on James during a pick-up game here at the LeBron James Skills Academy. It was a two-handed jam, the kind that would've circulated quickly on YouTube. But Nike officials eliminated that possibility shortly after the dunk happened by allegedly confiscating tapes from various cameramen.

Freelance photographer Ryan Miller was one of the cameramen shooting the game.

He told CBSSports.com that Nike Basketball Senior Director Lynn Merritt took his tape.

"He just said, 'We have to take your tape,'" Miller said. "They took it from other guys, too."

Worth noting is that there is no policy against filming at the LeBron James Skills Academy, and Miller said he had been filming all day without incident. Nobody ever told him to stop. Nobody ever said there was a problem ... until after Crawford dunked on James.

"LeBron called Lynn over and told him something," Miller said. "That's how I knew his name was Lynn. LeBron said, 'Hey, Lynn. Come here.'"

Minutes later, Miller said Merritt demanded his tape.

"There's nothing I can think of besides LeBron just not wanting it online," Miller said. "It's a good story to tell people, I guess. But then again, I'm kind of pissed. I lost my tape."

Gamecock Baseball Continues Winning Ways With 12-2 Win Over ECU

2009-05-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

May 30, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Greenville, N.C. – Justin Dalles and Adam Matthews each homered twice including a grand slam home run from Dalles and starting pitcher Blake Cooper hurled his third complete game of the season as South Carolina defeated East Carolina 12-2 on Saturday evening at the Greenville Regional at Clark-LeClair Stadium. South Carolina improves to 40-21 on the year, the team’s 10th straight season with 40-plus victories under head coach Ray Tanner. East Carolina falls to 43-18 for the year. South Carolina will return to action on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. and will face the winner of tomorrow afternoon’s elimination game between East Carolina-Binghamton. Live audio broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com and on the Gamecock Radio Network.

Cooper has been stellar in the month of May as he picked up his fourth win in five starts for the month. He allowed two runs on 14 hits with six strikeouts and two walks. With the victory he is now 9-4 on the year. East Carolina starter Seth Maness took the loss and is now 9-2 for the season. Maness allowed six runs on 11 hits in 6.2 innings with three strikeouts and one walk.

“We are very fortunate to be able to win tonight,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “East Carolina has a very potent offense and they had runners everywhere early in the game. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a situation so many that times that early in the game where we were able to get off the hook. You’ve got to give Blake (Cooper) a tremendous amount of credit for pitching out of some pickles. He’s a cagey veteran and its hart to get off the hook like he did. We are very fortunate. We had some big hits and we played a very nice game against them.”

South Carolina busted out to a 2-0 lead in the first two innings. Whit Merrifield opened the game with a base hit and after stealing second base would score after consecutive ground outs by DeAngelo Mack and Jackie Bradley, Jr. to second base. Bradley’s ground out was Carolina’s first RBI of the game. That lead increased to 2-0 in the top of the second inning as Matthews delivered with a solo home run. Matthews drilled the first pitch he saw from ECU starter Seth Maness over the left centerfield wall to give the Gamecocks a two-run cushion.

Cooper then kept East Carolina at bay as he worked through several chances for the Pirates without allowing an ECU runner to score. The bases were loaded in the third when Cooper rolled Dustin Harrington into a double play to end the frame and they were full in the fourth and fifth with two outs but he was able to stop the momentum with fly ball outs against Stephen Batts and Jared Avchen to right fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr.

The Gamecocks scratched three more across in the top of the sixth to increase the advantage to 5-0. Bradley would start the frame with a base hit to right field. With one out and a 3-1 count to Justin Dalles, the game took a turn as the Gamecock catcher looked to signal for time against Maness. He did not get the time and stepped back into the batter box and grooved Maness’ pitch for a two-run homer to left center. The home run was Dalles’ 13th of the season. Carolina added a single run following Dalles’ blast as Matthews doubled and scored on a two-out RBI base hit by Bobby Haney.

With a 5-0 lead, South Carolina broke open the game with a single run in the seventh followed by a six spot in the eighth inning. Dalles drove in five of the seven runs with a RBI single in the sixth followed up by a grand slam homer in the seventh inning. Matthews also homered for a second time in the seventh and DeAngelo Mack tallied a
RBI double. East Carolina broke the shutout in the eighth inning on a pinch hit two-run homer to right field by Corey Thompson.

Dalles’ 4-for-5 game with seven RBI led the day at the plate for Carolina. Dalles’ seven RBI total is a season-high for a Gamecock player this year and the most since Justin Smoak tallied nine on April 15, 2008. He is now up to 14 home runs on the year as well. Matthews also was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. He is now up to five home runs for the season. The two-homer games by Dalles and Matthews is the first time a pair of Gamecocks have hit two or more homers in a game since May 10, 2006 when Andrew Crisp and Robbie Grinestaff tallied a pair of multi-homer games in a 15-6 win over Georgia in the NCAA Super Regional.

“This afternoon, the coaches and I met and we were trying to figure out who we were trying to match up with Maness as a DH,” said Tanner. “One scouting report told us to go with a right-handed hitter. Matthews can run. Adam is good and he can get around the bases a little so we decided to go with him and he had a big night for us.”

Eight of nine Gamecock starters had at least one hit with all nine starters reaching base. Mack, Bradley and Haney also had two hits apiece. Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 12 games. South Carolina finished with a 17-14 hit advantage over East Carolina. Trent Whitehead, Devin Harris, Drew Schieber and Jared Avchen all had two hits apiece for the Pirates.

“We’re in the best position, but by no means are comfortable or relaxing,” said Tanner. “We are playing in Greenville, North Carolina. We know we’ve got a lot of work to do ahead of us.”

Greenville Regional scoreboard

2009-05-30T21:45:00.004-04:00

Greenville Regional Scores

Saturday May 30
Session 2 East Carolina 11 vs. Binghamton 7
Session 3 George Mason 6 vs. Binghamton 11 (George Mason eliminated)
Session 4 South Carolina 12 vs. East Carolina 2

Sunday May 31
Session 5 East Carolina vs. Binghamton 2pm
Session 6 South Carolina vs. East Carolina/Binghamton 6pm

Monday June 1
Session 7 South Carolina vs. East Carolina/Binghamton 6pm (if necessary)

Gamecocks Advance to Regional Champoinship

2009-05-30T21:43:00.001-04:00

May 30, 2008

David Able

The Gamecocks drilled East Carolina 12-2 Saturday night to advance to the regional champoinship game. East Carolina will take on Binghamton at 2pm in a elimination game.

The Gamecocks will face the winner of the ECU/Binghamton game at 6pm

Please check back here later for a complete game recap.

Rain Washes Out Game 2 of Greenville Regional

2009-05-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

May 29, 2009
David Able

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Friday's Greenville Regional game between No.1 East Carolina and No.4 seed Binghamton has been postponed due to rain. The two teams will now play at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday morning.

After a 3 1/2-hour lightning and rain delay NCAA and Greenville Regional officals decided that it would be best to postpone the game until Saturday. That means that the Bearcats and Pirates will have to play two games Saturday.

Fans have been advised to hold onto their Session 2 ticket stub for admittance to the East Carolina vs. Binghamton game.

The two contests slated for Saturday will still be played as scheduled. No. 3 seed George Mason will face the loser of the first game in an elimination contest at 2 p.m., while No. 2 seed South Carolina will face the winner of the 10 a.m. game in the winner's bracket game at 6 p.m.

Revised Greenville Regional Schedule
Session 2 (East Carolina vs. Binghamton): Rescheduled due to weather. Will resume at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 30.
Session 3 (George Mason vs. ECU/BU): Saturday, May 30 - Will begin as scheduled at 2 p.m.
Session 4 (South Carolina vs. ECU/BU): Saturday, May 30 - Will begin as scheduled at 6 p.m.

Gamecock Baseball Opens Up NCAA Play With 11-3 Win Over G. Mason

2009-05-29T19:45:00.000-04:00

May 29, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Greenville, N.C. – All nine South Carolina position starters recorded at least one hit and the Gamecocks scored eight runs in the middle innings on the way to an 11-3 victory over George Mason in the opening game of the 2009 NCAA Greenville Regional on Friday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium. Parker Bangs, Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Nick Ebert all homered in the Gamecock victory and starting pitcher Sam Dyson picked up his ninth win of the season with seven innings of work for Carolina. The Gamecocks are now 39-21 on the year while the loss drops George Mason to 42-13 for the season. South Carolina returns to action on Saturday night vs. the winner of the East Carolina-Binghamton game at 6 p.m. The game can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

South Carolina pounded out 17 hits on its way to the victory. Bangs, Bradley and Bobby Haney tallied three hits apiece to lead Carolina. Bangs and Haney both tied career-highs on the afternoon in hits. Justin Dalles and Whit Merrifield also tallied a pair of hits apiece for the Gamecocks. George Mason’s leading hitter was Mark Hill, who went 2-for-4.

Sam Dyson went seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits to improve to 9-4 on the year. He struck out five and walked four. George Mason starting pitcher Mike Modica went five innings and allowed six runs, four earned, on 10 hits with three walks and two strikeouts to suffer the loss. He is now 11-2 on the year. George Mason broke ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Chris Henderson drew a one-out walk and after a Scott Krieger single would score on Justin Bour’s RBI double down the left field line. However, that would be the only run for Mason in the inning as Dyson got out of a bases loaded jam with a 6-3 inning ending ground out double play off the bat of Shane Davis.

“I thought the first inning was huge but then (Dyson) settled down and gave us some quality innings,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “He battled for us. He hasn’t really pitched well on the road but he battled for us today.”

Carolina would get to Modica in the bottom of the fourth inning batting around to score four runs against the Patriots. Bradley led off with a single and with one out advanced to second base on a fielding error by shortstop Brent Weiss. On the play, Weiss threw wide of second base in an attempt to nab Bradley with the ball going into right field allowing Bradley to score and Andrew Crisp advancing to second base. On the scoreboard, Carolina took the lead with the next batter as Bangs launched a two-run homer to right field. Bangs knocked the 2-1 pitch from Modica for his fifth home run of the season. Carolina wasn’t done there though as Haney double and scored on a two-out RBI single from Merrifield to give Carolina a 4-1 lead.

The lead extended to 6-1 in the fifth inning as Carolina loaded the bases with Merrifield again coming through in the clutch with a two-out RBI single up the middle to score Justin Dalles and Bangs. South Carolina added two more in the top of the seventh inning as Bradley knocked a two-run homer to right field for his 10th home run of the season. Bradley is now the sixth Gamecock player this year to have reached double digit home runs.

“I was really proud of our guys for tacking on some runs in the middle innings,” said Tanner. “We had some two out runs. Those things end up being big for you during the course of the weekend.”

Dyson set down George Mason and did not allow a run from the second-sixth as Carolina built a seven-run lead. The Patriots would finally get back on the scoreboard in the seventh inning with two runs as Henderson drove in a pair with a double. With runners on first and second base and two outs, Dyson ended the threat with a strikeout on Ryan Soares in a 14-pitch at bat to close out the frame.

Nick Ebert put Carolina back out in front by five in the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run, his 23th of the year. Ebert’s blast was to left center and ties him for the second highest total in school history with Justin Smoak (2008) and Joe Datin (1985).

With a pair of runners on first and second and a 1-2 count, Andrew Crisp’s at-bat in the bottom of the seventh was delayed as lightning and rain entered the Greenville area. After a one hour and 18 minute delay, Crisp returned to the plate against George Mason reliever Ryan Brecko and grooved the next pitch he saw for a double to left center scoring both Bradley and Dalles and giving the Gamecocks the 11-3 edge.

Carolina reliever Curtis Johnson hurled two innings of relief to close out the victory.

South Carolina has now opened NCAA Regional action with 17 consecutive wins, a streak that started in 1984. The Gamecocks are set to start junior RHP Blake Cooper on Saturday.

Gamecocks Set to Open Greenville (N.C) Regional

2009-05-28T22:44:00.004-04:00

May 28, 2009
David Able

Greenville, N.C. – The South Carolina baseball team (38-21) made there way up to Greenville, N.C. and practiced on Thursday morning in preparation for their opening round game on Friday vs. George Mason (42-12) with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.

Live audio broadcast is available on the Gamecock Radio Network and GamecocksOnline.com with Derek Scott and Tommy Moody calling the action.

Also, East Carolina University and CBS College Sports Network have announced that every game in this weekend's NCAA Baseball Regional at Clark-LeClair Stadium will feature live online video streaming that will be available free of charge to all fans.

The official website of East Carolina athletics, ecupirates.com, will provide exclusive coverage of all of the games including free live statistics through Gametracker, as well as live online video streaming. The NCAA mandates that all video streaming of NCAA Championship events be offered free to fans, though users may need to register in order to begin watching. To access the streams and for complete coverage of the Greenville Regional, please visit the regional central.

The Gamecocks have history with two of the teams in the Greenville (N.C.) Regional. Carolina is 15-5 vs. East Carolina and 9-1 vs. George Mason. This will be Carolina’s first meeting against Binghamton. The Gamecocks have a little more history with the Pirates in the postseason. The Gamecocks are 5-0 all-time in postseason meetings with the Pirates.

Carolina first met the Pirates in 1974 in the postseason in Starkville, Miss. with the Gamecocks coming out on top 5-1. South Carolina also defeated East Carolina 4-1 in the Atlantic Region Tournament in 1977 in Columbia, a tournament that the Gamecocks won on its way to the squad’s second trip to the College World Series.

25 years later the two schools met again in the postseason, this time in Atlanta when the Gamecocks opened up the 2003 Atlanta Regional with a 4-0 win over the Pirates. South Carolina also faced off vs. East Carolina in the 2004 Columbia Super Regional that saw the Gamecocks sweep the Pirates to advance to the College World Series.

Probable Starting Lineup

Pos.	Player	09 Stats (Avg-HR-RBI)	Notes
C	Justin Dalles (Jr.)	.295-12-37	Earned second team All-SEC honors
1B	Nick Ebert (Jr.)	.332-22-71	Earned second team All-SEC honors
2B	Scott Wingo (So.)	.204-4-15	Tallied five hits in three games at SEC Tournament
SS	Bobby Haney (Jr.)	.273-4-28	Earned 2nd team All-SEC/Defensive Team honors
3B	Andrew Crisp (Sr.)	.317-10-48	Leads SEC with 21 doubles, 5 short of school record
LF	DeAngelo Mack (Jr.)	.366-14-59	Earned second team All-SEC honors
CF	Whit Merrifield (So.)	337-11-45	Earned SEC All-Defensive Team honors
RF	Jackie Bradley, Jr. (Fr.)	.338-9-41	Earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors
DH	Parker Bangs (So.)	.313-4-33	Also a reliever with 39 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched

(note probable starting lineup comes from SID)

FRIDAY PITCHING MATCH-UP
SC: Sam Dyson (RHP, So.) - 8-4, 5.31 ERA, 95.0 IP, 84 H, 61 R, 56 ER, 33 BB, 89 K

GM: Mike Modica (LHP, Sr.) - 11-1, 4.17 ERA, 82.0 IP, 71 H, 45 R, 38 ER, 32 BB, 73 K

Gamecocks Are Headed To Greenville (N.C.) Regional

2009-05-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

May 25, 2009
David Able

Columbia, S.C. – On Sunday the South Carolina baseball team found out that they won't be hosting a regional at their brand new Carolina Stadum. But today they learned that they made the 64-team field of the 2009 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Carolina Gamecocks will be making its 10th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the11th under head coach Ray Tanner.

The Gamecocks are the No. 2 seed in the Greenville (NC) regional and will face George Mason (42-12) on Friday, May 29 with with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.. The other two teams in the Gamecocks’ regional bracket are top seeded East Carolina (42-17) and fourth seeded Binghamton (29-20). This is Carolina’s 25th overall appearance in the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. South Carolina has reached eight College World Series as well as seven NCAA Super Regionals.

The Gamecocks are one of eight teams from the SEC to play in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. South Carolina’s 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Baseball Tournament (2000-2009) is the longest current streak of all 12 SEC schools. Carolina is one of only eight schools in the nation that has reached the NCAA Regional in the last 10 consecutive years.

Each of the 16 regionals feature four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, May 29, to Monday, June 1 (if necessary). Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on NCAA.com, Monday, June 1 at approximately 11 p.m. (ET).

The 63rd Men’s College World Series begins play Saturday, June 13, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.

LSU Eliminates Gamecocks From SEC Tournament

2009-05-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

May 22, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Hoover, Ala. – Louis Coleman hurled eight-plus innings and allowed just one run and closer Matty Ott came on to close and escaped a bases loaded jam with no outs as LSU defeated South Carolina 4-1 in an elimination game on Friday night at Regions Park. LSU improves to 43-16 on the year while the loss drops the Gamecocks to 38-21 for the season. The Gamecocks now await word on the selection of the 64-team field for the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The 16 regional site selections will be announced at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 24 at www.ncaa.com and on the Bottom Line of the ESPN Networks. The field of 64 will then be announced on Monday, May 25 at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN and at www.ncaa.com.

Carolina made things interesting vs. Coleman in the late innings as pinch hitter Brady Thomas knocked a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that was followed by the first three batters reaching base in the bottom of the ninth to bring the potential go ahead run to the plate. Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom half of the ninth, Whit Merrifield had a leadoff single that was followed by a base hit by DeAngelo Mack and Jackie Bradley, Jr. walked to load the bases for Carolina. LSU went to the bullpen for freshman right-hander Matty Ott. The SEC Co-Freshman of the Year showed why he led the league in saves as he first struck out Gamecock cleanup hitter Nick Ebert and then would get the second out on a Jeffery Jones line out to second base. With the bags still full, Ott closed out the game with a strikeout against pinch hitter Michael Roth to give the Tigers the victory.

Coleman, the SEC Pitcher of the Year, was strong the entire night as he hurled eight-plus innings and allowed just one run on seven hits with six strikeouts to improve to 11-2 on the year. Ott retired all three batters he faced to pick up his 14th save of the season. Carolina starting pitcher Nolan Belcher was tough on the mound despite the loss for the Gamecocks. The freshman left-hander battled and yielded just two runs on five hits in six innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

It was a pitcher’s duel through five innings as both Coleman and Belcher kept both teams of the scoreboard. Both pitchers allowed just two hits through five innings of work.

The Tigers broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning. Blake Dean roped a one-out single to left center and scored on Micah Gibbs RBI double that found the gap in right center. After a wild pitch advanced Gibbs to third base, Mike Mahtook tallied his third hit of the game with a RBI single up the middle to put LSU ahead 2-0.

LSU added some insurance with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning. DJ LeMahieu reached base on a fielding error by Andrew Crisp at third base and after walks by reliever Adam Westmoreland to Ryan Schimpf and Blake Dean loaded the bases, LeMahieu would score on a wild pitch by Westmoreland. He would recover to get the next two outs on a strikeout and a fielder’s choice out at home plate. LSU however struck for an additional run as Sean Ochinko drove a two-out RBI single to right field scoring Dean.

It would remain 4-0 until the top of the eighth when Thomas launched his first career home run in a Gamecock uniform on a blast to right centerfield. South Carolina now has a total of 99 home runs on the season. Carolina has reached the century mark in six of the last nine seasons including last year when the team finished with 110 home runs.

For the second straight day, Carolina finished with more hits than its opponent in a loss. South Carolina’s seven-hit day included 2-for-4 games by Merrifield and Mack. Mikie Mahtook was 3-for-4 with a RBI to pace LSU’s six-hit day at the plate.

Carolina Falls 5-4 To Vanderbilt At SEC Tournament

2009-05-22T08:52:00.000-04:00

May 22, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Hoover, Ala. - A two-out bases loaded walk to Jonathan White in the top of the ninth inning scored Riley Reynolds to lift Vanderbilt to a 5-4 victory over South Carolina on Thursday evening in SEC Baseball Tournament action. Vanderbilt improves to 33-24 for the season while the loss drops Carolina to 38-20 on the year. South Carolina returns to action on Friday in an elimination game vs. LSU with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Regions Park. The game will be televised live on FSN South and can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

Tied at 4-4 in the ninth inning, Vanderbilt made their push to regain a lead that South Carolina had twice rallied back from. With one out and Reynolds on first base, the Commodores caught a break as Jason Esposito reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Andrew Crisp. Pinch hitter Joe Loftus then loaded the bases for Vanderbilt with a bloop single to left center. Carolina fought back though as reliever Michael Roth struck out Brian Harris swinging for the second out to keep the game knotted up. That brought White to the plate. In a nine-pitch at-bat that saw White follow off several two-strike pitches, the Vanderbilt center fielder was able to draw a walk scoring Reynolds and giving Vandy a one-run cushion.

Carolina wasn't done there though and looked to mount a rally as Scott Wingo led off with an infield single that was followed up by a base hit by Whit Merrifield. With one out and runners still on first and second base, Jackie Bradley, Jr. drew a walk to load the bases for Carolina. Vanderbilt went to the bullpen for right-hander Chase Reid against the Gamecocks' cleanup hitter Nick Ebert. Reid won the battle as he was able to induce Ebert into an infield fly out at second base for the second out of the inning. With the bags still full, Reid closed out the game as he struck out Justin Dalles swinging to end the Carolina threat.

Vanderbilt reliever Richie Goodenow picked up the win and is now 1-1 on the year with Reid earning his first save this season. Roth went two innings and allowed one run, unearned, on two hits with a strikeout and a walk to suffer the loss. He is 1-1 on the year.

Carolina would get on the scoreboard first and took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Bobby Haney got things started with a leadoff single to left center. Wingo then gave the Gamecocks a pair of runners as he placed a perfect bunt in between first and second to reach on a base hit. After a sacrifice bunt by Merrifield advanced the runners up a base, DeAngelo Mack drove in Haney with a RBI ground out to first base.

Vanderbilt pushed across two runs in the top half of the fourth to go ahead 2-1 on Carolina. White reached base to lead off with his second hit of the game a single to left center with Seven Liddle following with a double to deep left center that gave the Commodores runners on second and third. With one out, Aaron Westlake drove in a run on a RBI ground out to shortstop. Andrew Giobbi then gave Vandy a one-run lead with a two-out RBI double down the left field line scoring Liddle.

South Carolina answered in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game with a single run against Gray. With two outs and runners on second and third base, Haney drove a base hit up the middle to score Ebert. Carolina looked to score the go ahead run on the play as Andrew Crisp rounded third and headed for home. Vanderbilt shortstop Brian Harris kept the ball in the infield on a diving stop and threw home to nab Crisp to keep the game knotted up a two apiece.

The Commodores regained control in the sixth inning on back-to-back homers from Aaron Westlake and Andrew Giobbi. Westlake launched a 1-2 pitch from Carolina starter Sam Dyson off the scoreboard in right center and Giobbi followed with a drive to left center on a 0-1 pitch to give Vanderbilt the 4-2 lead.

It remained that way until the eighth inning when Carolina tied it up at 4-4. A leadoff walk to Bradley followed by a double down the left field line by Ebert put a pair of runners on base for Carolina. Andrew Crisp would drive in a run with a RBI groundout and pinch hitter Parker Bangs would come through in the clutch with a two-out RBI double down the left field line to score Ebert and knotting the game up before the dramatic ninth inning.

Giobbi was 4-for-4 with a pair of RBI and White went 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI to account for seven of Vanderbilt's 10 hits. Merrifield, Ebert, Haney and Wingo all tallied two hits for Carolina. The Gamecocks finished with 11 on the night.

South Carolina starter Sam Dyson allowed four runs on eight hits in seven innings of work with eight strikeouts and one walk. Vanderbilt starter Sonny Gray also worked seven innings and allowed four runs on eight hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks.

Gamecocks Lose to Vandy

2009-05-22T02:30:00.000-04:00

David Able
May 22, 2009

Ok it's after 2am tonight but this writter is not very happy. The Gamecocks dropped a heartbreaker to Vandy 5-4. Luckily for all of the Gamecock fans this game didn't go into extra innings.

That loss means that the Gamecocks move into the losers bracket and they will face LSU. With the win Vandy joins Georgia in the winners bracket, and both get the bye into the semis.

Here's the scoreboard and upcoming game schedule.

Thursday, May 21
Game 5 10:00 a.m. #2 Florida 12 vs. #3 Ole Miss 2
Game 6 1:30 p.m. #1 LSU 9 vs. #4 Alabama 6
Game 7 5:00 p.m. #7 Arkansas 1 vs. #6 Georgia 2
Game 8 8:30 p.m. #8 Vanderbilt 5 vs. #5 South Carolina 4

Friday, May 22
Game 9 3:00 p.m. #2 Florida vs. #7 Arkansas [FSN] (XM 199)
Game 10 6:30 p.m. #1 LSU vs. #5 South Carolina [FSN] (XM 199)

Check back later for a complete recap of the USC/Vandy game.

Gamecocks Win SEC Tournament Opener 9-5 Over Alabama In 11 Inn.

2009-05-21T09:19:00.000-04:00

May 21, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Hoover, Ala. - South Carolina scored four runs in the top of the 11th inning on its way to a 9-5 extra inning victory over Alabama on the first day of the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Ala. Bobby Haney scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch with Nick Ebert drawing a RBI bases loaded walk and Justin Dalles driving home a pair of runs on a two-out double as the Gamecocks broke a 5-5 tie to earn the victory. The Gamecocks are now 38-19 on the year and have won 11 of its last 12 games played. Alabama suffers the loss and is now 37-18 on the year. Carolina returns to action vs. No. 8 seed Vanderbilt with first pitch scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET at Regions Park. The game can be heard live on GamecocksOnline.com and on the Gamecock Radio Network.

The three hour and 57 minute game had several moments of truth before the Gamecocks broke the deadlock in the 11th inning. Haney jumpstarted the inning with a one-out double over the head of left fielder Kyle Moore and a bloop single by Scott Wingo and a hit by pitch against Whit Merrifield loaded the bases for Carolina. The go-ahead run would score then as reliever Jimmy Nelson threw low and past catcher Vin DeFazio allowing Haney to score. The Tide would then intentionally walk Carolina's batter, DeAngelo Mack, to load the bases for a second time for Nick Ebert . On a 3-2 pitch, Nelson threw low of the strike zone to walk Ebert and give Carolina a two-run cushion. With two outs and the bases still jammed, Justin Dalles gave Carolina some insurance with a two-run double off the left field wall putting Carolina ahead by four.

Alabama made things interesting in the bottom half of the frame, loading the bases with two outs and bringing the potential tying run to the plate in Jake Smith. On a 2-2 pitch from Gamecock reliever Alex Farotto, Smith hit a sharp laced ball off the glove of the Gamecocks' left-hander. Farotto was able to move quickly to retrieve the ball and threw to first base to record the out and seal the Gamecock victory. Farotto's throw just beat Smith to first base, who showed tremendous hustle and was hurt trying to keep the inning alive for the Crimson Tide.

Farotto earned the win after 1.1 scoreless innings of work out of the pen. He is now 4-2 on the year. Alabama reliever Nathan Kilcrease was tough in relief for Alabama despite the loss. He did not allow run from the sixth-10th before finally being touched in the 11th inning. His line finished at five innings, three runs on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk. He is now 4-4 on the year.

"We just hung in there," said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner "They had some opportunities and we had some opportunities. We mixed and matched in the bullpen. It was anybody's game and we were just very fortunate to win.

The Crimson Tide held the advantage early and broke ahead 3-0 on Carolina starting pitcher Blake Cooper in the first inning. Alabama caught a couple of breaks as Josh Rutledge and Kent Matthes both hit infield singles sandwiched in between by another base hit by Ross Wilson that loaded the bases. Designated hitter Brandon May then put Alabama on the scoreboard with a two-run double to right center scoring both Rutledge and Wilson. The Tide would score their third run on a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of Jake Smith.

Alabama added a single run in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to 4-0. Alex Kubal led off with a double to left field and after advancing to third on a fly ball would score on Josh Rutledge's RBI ground out to shortstop.

Carolina cut Alabama's lead in half with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. The Gamecocks put together a couple key two-out hits as Whit Merrifield doubled to advance Scott Wingo to third base and both would then score as DeAngelo Mack ripped a base hit to left center to cut the deficit to 4-2. The single extended Mack's hitting streak to 18 games.

The Gamecocks chased Alabama starter Del Howell in the sixth inning and went ahead 5-4 on the back of a three-run homer by Adam Matthews . Jackie Bradley, Jr. got things started with a leadoff single and advanced to third on Andrew Crisp's one-out base hit to right field. That set the stage for Matthews, who crushed a 1-1 pitch from Howell over the left centerfield wall to put the Gamecocks ahead for the first time on the evening. Matthews' home run was his third of the year.

It remained 5-4 until Kent Matthes knocked a one-out solo home run to center field to tie the game. Matthes' homer was his league-leading 28th home run of the season.

"We were able to get on the board and then Adam Matthews hit a big home run," said Tanner. "It looked like he got a change up and it is hard to hit one out of here but he got every bit of it. Then Kent Matthes tied it up with a monster mash."

Both starting pitchers, Cooper and Howell, allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out seven batters with two walks. Cooper went 6.2 innings with Howell finishing the night with 5.1 innings of work.

South Carolina totaled 11 this to Alabama's eight on the night. Bradley was 3-for-6 to lead the Gamecocks at the plate. Wingo also had two hits. Matthews' three RBI were a career-high.

With Carolina's victory, all four lower seeds won on Opening Day at the SEC Tournament (No. 5 South Carolina, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Arkansas & No. 8 Vanderbilt).

"With the lower seeds all winning, that really is the SEC," said Tanner. "In this conference, there is not much difference from the top to the bottom and that was evident today with all the lower seeds getting the win."

South Carolina has now gone 10 straight years with winning at least one game at the SEC Tournament (2000-09)

Gamecocks Roll the Tide

2009-05-21T03:08:00.004-04:00

May 21, 2009
David Able

As you can tell it's after 3am and what I'm I doing up? Well I was up watching/listening to the SEC Baseball tourney game #4 USC vs. BAMA.

The gamecock scored 4 runs in the 11th to take the lead, and Alex Faratto came on to secure the win.

Garnet & Black Sports will have a full report later on today. If you missed it here are the scores from Wednesday's games, and the day 2 schedule.

Wednesday, May 20
Game 1 10:00 a.m. #7 Arkansas 8 vs. #2 Florida 5
Game 2 1:30 p.m. #6 Georgia 6 vs. #3 Ole Miss 3
Game 3 5:00 p.m. #8 Vanderbilt 4 vs. #1 LSU 1
Game 4 8:30 p.m. #5 South Carolina 9 vs. #4 Alabama 5 (11 inn.)

Thursday, May 21
Game 5 10:00 a.m. #2 Florida vs. #3 Ole Miss [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 6 1:30 p.m. #1 LSU vs. #4 Alabama [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 7 5:00 p.m. #7 Arkansas vs. #6 Georgia [CSS HD] (XM 199)
Game 8 8:30 p.m. #8 Vanderbilt vs. #5 South Carolina [CSS HD] (XM 199)

Nick Ebert Named a Louisville Slugger Player of the Week

2009-05-18T17:13:00.000-04:00

David Able
May 18, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina Junior Nick Ebert brought home the second weekly award for the Gamecocks today, as Collegiate Baseball named him one of its five Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week.

Ebert went 5-for-8 in the three-game sweep of then #15 Georgia. Four of those hits against the Bulldogs were homers, while he also drove in 10 runs. He also had RBI's in both of the wins over USC Upstate and carries a five-game streak of driving in runs into the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

South Carolina begins the 2009 SEC Tournament at Regions Park on Wednesday taking on fourth-seeded Alabama at 9:30 p.m. EDT.

Gamecocks Sweep Georgia With 6-1 Win In Regular Season Finale

2009-05-16T18:45:00.000-04:00

May 16, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Columbia, S.C. – Nick Ebert homered for the third consecutive day and South Carolina broke open a close game with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on its way to a 6-1 victory over Georgia to sweep a three-game SEC baseball series. Carolina improves to 37-19 and finished second in the SEC Eastern Division with a 17-13 conference record. Carolina has won 10 of the last 11 games. South Carolina is seeded fifth for next week’s SEC Tournament and will face fourth seeded Alabama, scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 20.

Ebert went on a tear in the final conference weekend of the season as he finished the series batting 5-for-7 with four HR and 10 RBI. He also walked three times and was hit by pitch twice to reach base 10 times on the weekend. His RBI single in the bottom of the first gave Carolina a one-run lead and his solo home run in the bottom of the fourth gave Carolina a two-run cushion.

“Nick Ebert, as a baseball player and a student athlete, you have to like him,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “He shows up, he does things the right way. He never makes an excuse. He works extremely hard. He’s a joy to coach. He wasn’t performing (when he got here) and he had a dismal fall. He just wasn’t in the mix. He didn’t perform well enough to really get any consideration for playing time. In the preseason he was not very good. We recruited him to hit. We knew he wasn’t going to be a base stealer. Playing third base was probably a push. Right before the season started, we moved him to first and it seemed like when we moved him, a couple weeks prior to our opener, he became more comfortable offensively. After a few games we gave him a chance and the rest is history. You give the young man credit. He’s very physical. He works extremely hard. He’s a tough kid. If you don’t throw him strikes, he’ll walk. He’ll fight you at the plate. If he has a bad game or a bad at bat, he has the maturity to deal with it. He just responds. I’ve never seen him sulk and I’ve never seen him get down. He’s a very level player, which is very important.”

After Georgia plated home a run in the top of the eighth, the Gamecocks were able to distance themselves from the Bulldogs with a four spot in the bottom half of the eighth. With two outs and runners on second and third base, Bobby Haney laced a double down the left field line that scored both Ebert and Andrew Crisp. Scott Wingo capped off the inning with a two-run blast to right field for his fourth home run of the year and put Carolina in the driver’s seat with a 6-1 advantage.

“I’m extremely proud of our team and the way we finished the regular season,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “From where were there weeks ago to where we are today has been a dramatic turn for us. I can’t say enough good things about the pitching staff, the hitters, defense has been good. We’ve been able to play our best baseball when it’s the most critical time of the year. I’m ecstatic. We won this series. (We allowed) two runs, four runs and one run in the three games. We had great pitching performances against a team that’s very good, very physical. (They were) No. 1 earlier in the year.”

Carolina went with a predetermined split in Saturday’s game. Right-handed Blake Cooper hurled two scoreless innings in the start to pick up a win. He is 8-4 on the year. His start was followed up by a strong relief effort by senior right-hander Jay Brown. Brown kept the Bulldogs at bay with six innings of work allowing just one run on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Senior right-hander Curtis Johnson closed the game out with one scoreless inning of work in the ninth to preserve Carolina’s victory. Georgia starting pitcher Justin Grimm lasted only 3.2 innings and yielded a pair of runs on four hits to suffer the loss. He is 2-4 for the season.

The Gamecock pitching staff finished with a 2.00 ERA in this weekend’s series and allowed just seven runs, six earned, on 16 hits with 34 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched against Georgia.

For the third consecutive day, the Gamecocks out-hit the Bulldogs. The eight-hit day included two hits from both Ebert and Wingo. DeAngelo Mack extended his hitting streak to 17 games. Ebert’s 22nd home run of the season ties him with Justin Smoak (2007) and Tripp Kelly (2000) for the fourth highest single-season home run total in school history. Andrew Crisp also hit his 21st double on the year that ties him for the ninth highest single-season mark in Gamecock history.

Gamecocks Take Series Vs. Georgia With 7-4 Win

2009-05-15T23:37:00.000-04:00

May 15, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Columbia, S.C. – Freshman left-handed pitcher Nolan Belcher did not allow an earned run in 6.1 innings of work and struck out a career-high 11 batters and home runs by Nick Ebert and Justin Dalles for the second straight day helped lift South Carolina to a 7-4 victory over Georgia in game two of a three-game SEC baseball series. The Gamecocks and Bulldogs will close out the series on Saturday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. with the game televised live on SportSouth and also available on the Gamecock Radio Network.

South Carolina has now won nine of its last 10 games played and is now in sole possession of second place in the SEC Eastern Division. In addition, a loss this evening by Arkansas coupled with the Gamecocks’ win, secures Carolina the fifth seed in next week’s SEC Tournament.

Belcher worked into the seventh inning and allowed just one unearned run on three hits and three walks to pick up the win. He is now 4-3 on the year. Belcher’s 11 strikeouts bested his previous career-high that he set on April 4 vs. Arkansas. Georgia starter Alex McRee worked three-plus innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks to suffer the loss. He is 4-3 on the year.

“Nolan Belcher gave us a great start tonight,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “I really felt like that was the key to the game. He was very good; his fastball had better legs than maybe he’s had the last couple of weeks. He had a tough start at Tennessee. (Parker) Bangs gave us a quality inning. We came up with some runs early and Georgia put some pressure on us at the end. We were able to hang in there. We had good enough pitching to win, that was the key.”

The Gamecocks broke ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run homer by Nick Ebert. The Gamecock first baseman, who homered twice on Thursday, followed up a hit by pitch to DeAngelo Mack with a two-run blast to left center. The home run was Ebert’s 21st of the season.

That lead extended to 3-0 in the second inning as Whit Merrifield reached base on a two-out infield single that drove home Parker Bangs. After Georgia scored a single run in the top of the third, Carolina would put three more runs across in the bottom of the third on a three-run homer by Justin Dalles, his 12th of the season. A walk to Ebert and a hit by pitch against Jackie Bradley, Jr. set the stage for Dalles who launched a 1-0 pitch from McRee over the left field wall.

Carolina extended the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the fourth as DeAngelo Mack reached base on a leadoff triple and scored on a RBI single by Bradley.

The Bulldogs closed the gap with two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth inning. Colby May drove in a pair of runs with a RBI double in the eighth and Bryce Massanari added a RBI single in the last frame. Carolina closer Alex Farotto was able to secure a win for the Gamecocks with a ground out by Joey Lewis to end the game and preserve a Carolina victory.

Carolina out-hit Georgia 9-7. DeAngelo Mack extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a 2-for-4 game with two runs scored. Parker Bangs also had two hits. May was 2-for-4 to lead Georgia.

USC AD to Honor Sarge Frye at Carolina Stadium

2009-05-15T14:23:00.002-04:00

David Able
May 15, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – Before the game tonight Gamecock fans are invited to attend a special presentation and ceremony on Friday in the center field plaza at 6 p.m. located near the main entrance to Carolina Stadium. The Athletics department will unveil a plaque honoring Sarge Frye and his contributions to Carolina Athletics.

Also Carolina Baseball will honor the senior class before tonight's game. Senior Day ceremonies will begin at 6:45 p.m on the field.

Ebert & Dyson Help Gamecocks Earn 7-2 Win Over Georgia

2009-05-14T23:21:00.000-04:00

May 14, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Columbia, S.C. – Sam Dyson set a career-high with 13 strikeouts and hurled his second career game and Nick Ebert tallied two homers including a grand slam as South Carolina upended Georgia 7-2 in game one of three-game SEC baseball series on Thursday night at Carolina Stadium. Ebert’s two homers increase his season total to 20 on the year. It is the 10th time in school history that a Carolina player has totaled 20-plus home runs. The win improves Carolina to 35-19 and 15-13 in the SEC with the loss dropping Georgia to 35-18 and 15-13 in conference play. The same two teams meet on Friday night with first pitch set for 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on SportSouth and can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

Dyson was solid all night as he limited the Bulldogs to just two runs on two solo homers. He allowed just four hits on the evening. His 13 strikeouts are also the most by a Gamecock pitcher in a game this year. He walked just one. Dyson is now 8-4 on the year. Georgia starter Trevor Holder allowed six runs, three earned, on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 innings of work. He is now 7-4 on the year.

Carolina led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning when Carolina made its move to give Dyson a little insurance. Bobby Haney drew a leadoff walk that was followed by a sacrifice bunt by Scott Wingo. On the bunt, third baseman Colby May could not come up with the ball and was charged with an error. With one out and runners still on first and second base, DeAngelo Mack hit a high chopper over the pitcher that also took a bad hop with second baseman Michael Demperio unable to make the play loading the bases for Carolina. With two outs and the bags still full, Ebert grooved a 2-1 pitch from Georgia reliever Will Harvil over the left centerfield wall for a grand slam to push Carolina ahead 7-2. The home run was Ebert’s second of the game and his second grand slam on the season.

“We got a great pitching performance from Sam Dyson tonight,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “He’s been a lot better at home than on the road. I thought (Trevor) Holder pitched well for Georgia. All the runs were via the long ball and Sam gave up a couple but he was pretty good with 13 strikeouts. Both pitchers I thought were very effective. Obviously the grand slam Nick Ebert had separated us a little but it was a great game. Not a lot of hitting, some home runs but not a lot of hitting.

Ebert finished 2-for-3 with six RBI, also a season-high total. He was the only player on both teams to tally a multi- hit game.

It is hard to (hit 20 home runs), especially when you’re a guy in the middle of the order,” said Coach Tanner. “The other team knows you’re one of the guys in the middle of the order. They know that you’re a tough out. The first home run he had tonight was a great pitch from (Trevor) Holder; I don’t know how he got it. He was able to get the barrel to it. The last one, it was a breaking pitch that he crunched pretty well with two strikes. He’s put in quality at bats this year.

Georgia broke ahead first in the game, 1-0, in the top of the first inning as Matt Cerione led off the game with a solo home run to left center. Cerione’s blast was his ninth home run of the season and gave the Bulldogs a one-run cushion. The Bulldogs looked to put more on the board but Dyson was able to work out of a two-out bases loaded jam with a strikeout against Zach Cone.

The Gamecocks would answer in the bottom of the second with a solo home run by Justin Dalles to tie the game at 1-1. Dalles roped a 3-2 pitch from Holder over the left centerfield wall. It increased Dalles’ home run total to 11 on the year.

It remained tied until the bottom of the third when Carolina jumped ahead 3-1 on a two-run homer by Ebert. With one out, Jackie Bradley, Jr. drew a one-out walk that set the stage for Ebert. On a 2-2 pitch from Holder, Ebert knocked a two-run blast to left field for his 19th home run of the year. Georgia would cut Carolina’s lead in half in the top of the fourth on a solo home run by Lyle Allen, his fifth of the season.

Gamecocks Sweep Doubleheader Vs. USC Upstate With 9-2 Win

2009-05-12T22:45:00.001-04:00

May 12, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Columbia, S.C. – Andrew Crisp tied his career-high with four RBI on a pair of doubles and starting pitcher Adam Westmoreland allowed just two runs in 5.1 innings of work as South Carolina defeated USC Upstate 9-2 in game two of a doubleheader to sweep the twin bill on Tuesday evening at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks also earned a 6-3 win earlier in the day over the Spartans. Both games were seven inning contests. Carolina is now 34-19 on the year while the loss drops USC Upstate to 14-37 for the season. The Gamecocks close out the regular season with a three-game SEC series vs. Georgia beginning on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Carolina Stadium.

Westmoreland worked into the sixth inning and yielded just two runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking one to pick up the win. He is now 4-2 on the year. USC Upstate starter Phillip Myers lasted only one inning and allowed three runs on three hits to suffer the loss. He is now 1-4 on the year.

“Obviously it was a very productive night for us to pick up a couple wins, against a team that has been playing very well,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “We tried to prepare our team for USC Upstate and they have played really well in the past couple weeks. We had some really good at bats tonight. I think the turning point in the first game was (Parker) Bangs getting out of the jam and he kept the game in check. (Adam) Westmoreland did a nice job as well. He gave up some hits but only walked one guy. It was a good day for us. We made a couple mistakes but I was happy with our guys for getting two wins.”

South Carolina broke ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Whit Merrifield led off with a single and scored on DeAngelo Mack’s RBI double down the left field line. The double extended Mack’s hitting streak to 14 games. Nick Ebert followed with a walk and both Ebert and Mack would score on Parker Bangs’ RBI double down the left field line.

Upstate would put two runs on the board in the top of the third inning. Keith Bisgounis doubled with one out and scored on Eric Guillen’s two-out RBI double down the right field line. After a single by Ryan Wilkins, the Spartans would score their second run on a RBI infield single by Jimmy Tanner.

The Gamecocks answered with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the third as Crisp drove in Jackie Bradley, Jr. and pinch runner Adam Matthews on a RBI double to left centerfield.

It would remain 5-2 until the sixth inning when Carolina piled four more runs on the board. Crisp tallied his second two-run double of the night with Ebert also recording a RBI on a bases loaded walk and Bradley registering a sacrifice fly to drive in a run.

Carolina out-hit USC Upstate 10-8 in the nightcap. Merrifield, Mack and Crisp all had two hits. Bangs drove in two runs. Eric Guillen was 2-for-4 for USC Upstate.

Gamecocks Take Game One Of DH 6-3 Over USC Upstate

2009-05-12T19:30:00.001-04:00

May 12, 2009
Courtesy GamecocksOnline

Columbia, S.C. – Andrew Crisp hit a three-run homer and reliever Parker Bangs did not allow an earned run in 4.2 innings of work as South Carolina defeated USC Upstate 6-3 in game one of a doubleheader at Carolina Stadium. Game two of the doubleheader is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Carolina Stadium. The second contest will also last seven innings.

Bangs picked up the win and allowed just one run, unearned, on two hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He is 3- 2 on the year. USC Upstate reliever Austin Moyer suffered the loss and is 3-7 on the year. He allowed six runs on eight hits with a strikeout and four walks.

South Carolina broke ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. The top four hitters in the lineup all reached base on hits with Nick Ebert driving in Whit Merrifield with a RBI single and Jackie Bradley, Jr. tallying a RBI single to score DeAngelo Mack.

USC Upstate would get on the scoreboard with a single run in the top of the second inning. Tommy Shovlin drew a one-out walk and after a sacrifice bunt scored on Blake Green’s RBI single to left field. Upstate would tie it in the top of the third inning as Eric Guillen and Jimmy Tanner each singled to open the frame with Phillip Morgan driving home Guillen on a RBI base hit.

Tied at 2-2, the Gamecocks stormed ahead in the bottom of the third to score four runs and take a 6-2 lead. Bradley tallied his second hit of the game with two outs, a triple to deep left center that scored Mack and after a walk to Justin Dalles, the Gamecocks pushed ahead by four on the back of a three-run homer by Andrew Crisp. The homer to right center was Crisp’s 10th of the season and makes him the fifth Gamecock player to record double-digit home runs this year.

USC Upstate would scratch across an unearned run in the top of the fifth inning. With one out and runners on first and third base, Gamecock reliever Parker Bangs struck out Tommy Shovlin. On the play, catcher Justin Dalles threw down to second base in attempt to nab Ryan Wilkins, who was going for a stolen base. On the play, the throw was low and got by second baseman Scott Wingo allowing Jimmy Tanner to score from third base.

Carolina finished with a 9-8 advantage in hits with Bradley 3-for-3 with two RBI. Jimmy Tanner was also 3-for-3 for USC Upstate.

Jackie Bradley, Jr. Named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week

2009-05-06T18:16:00.001-04:00

David Able
May 6, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – Ok Gamecock fans I know this news was released Tuesday, but I've been a little busy. So here's some more good news for the Carolina baseball team.

The Southeastern Conference has named South Carolina outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. Bradley Jr. received this honor after his performance in the Gamecocks’ weekend sweep vs. Vanderbilt. Bradley, Jr. was awesome at the plate as he hit .643 (9-for-14) in the series with five runs scored, a homer and four RBI's. He recorded three hits apiece in all three Carolina victories over the Commodores.

Bradley, Jr. is hitting .338 (67-for-198) on the year, third best on the squad, with eight homers and 33 RBI's. He is also batting .347 (34- for-98) in SEC games with five home runs and 17 RBI's as well. In SEC games, Bradley, Jr. is fifth in runs scored (26) as well as ninth in hits (34).

Bradley, Jr. was also named the 2008-09 South Carolina Male New Student-Athlete of the Year at last weeks Gamecock Gala.

South Carolina-Wofford Baseball Game Canceled

2009-05-06T17:44:00.001-04:00

David Able
May 6, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina-Wofford baseball game scheduled for Wednesday night at Russell C. King Field in Spartanburg. According to USC Media the game was canceled due to inclement weather.

The game will not be made up. South Carolina will attempt to reschedule the missed game with a new opponent. The Gamecocks returns to action this weekend with a three-game series at Tennessee beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. All three games can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com.

Gamecocks Sweep Commodores With 11-3 Victory

2009-05-03T18:51:00.002-04:00

Courtesy of Gamecocksonline
May 3, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina belted out 16 hits including home runs from Parker Bangs, Nick Ebert and DeAngelo Mack and behind a complete game performance by junior right-hander Blake Cooper defeated Vanderbilt 11-3 on Sunday afternoon to sweep a three-game series against the Commodores. The win improves Carolina to 30- 18 and 12-12 in the SEC while the loss drops Vanderbilt to 27-20 and 10-13 in league play. South Carolina sits in sole possession of third place in the SEC Eastern Division and seventh place overall. Carolina will return to action on Wednesday night at Wofford with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Carolina offense was impressive the entire weekend with a combined 42 hits and 33 runs scored in three games vs. Vanderbilt as well as 10 home runs. Sunday’s game saw six Gamecock starters register multi-hit games. Freshman Jackie Bradley, Jr. was 3-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI. Whit Merrifield, Mack, Ebert, Justin Dalles and Andrew Crisp also tallied two hits apiece as well for the Gamecocks. Mack drove in three runs as did Bangs, who recorded a three-run homer.

Carolina’s series sweep of Vanderbilt is the squad’s first SEC series sweep of the season and the first sweep for Carolina against Vanderbilt since the 2003 season. Bradley, Jr. was 9-for-14 (.643) for the series. Mack finished 7- for-12 (.583) against the Commodores and Ebert was also 6-for-11 with eight RBI.

Steven Liddle paced Vandy with four hits and Curt Casali and Aaron Westlake added two apiece as Vanderbilt finished with 12 on the afternoon.

Cooper went the distance for the second time this season and registered his third career complete game. Cooper scattered 12 hits but allowed just three runs and struck out six batters to earn the victory. He is now 6-4 on the year. Vanderbilt starter Caleb Cotham lasted only two-plus innings and allowed three runs on five hits to suffer the loss. He is 5-5 on the year.

“It was a great weekend for us,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. We had some adversity (after last week) but we made it through. You have to play it like there is no tomorrow. We were solid on the mound and we gave up some hits and some runs but we had a solid offense to stay in the game.”

For the third consecutive day, Vanderbilt grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Liddle opened the game with a base hit and after advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt would score on Curt Casali’s RBI single up the middle.

Carolina would get to Cotham in the third inning with three runs as Bradley, Jr. drove in Mack with a RBI double that was followed by a two-run homer by Ebert. Ebert had three home runs in the series and now has 18 on the year. That home run chased Cotham from the game.

Carolina added a single run in the fourth inning as Mack drove in his first run with a two-out RBI double to score Merrifield all the way from first base. The Gamecocks tagged Vanderbilt reliever Sonny Gray for three more runs in the sixth inning as Merrifield registered a two-out RBI base hit that was followed by a two-run blast from Mack, his 14th home run of the season. Carolina chased Gray in the seventh inning with four more runs. A three-run
pinch-hit homer by Bangs was the highlight of the frame as well as a RBI single by Dalles as Carolina built an 11-1 lead.

Vanderbilt finished the scoring in the eighth inning with two runs as Andrew Giobbi collected a two-run single for the Commodores.

Gamecocks Earn 14-5 Win Over Vanderbilt

2009-05-02T23:41:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Gamecocksonline
May 2, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – DeAngelo Mack tallied his second two-homer game of the season on his way to a career-high four hits as South Carolina belted its way to a 14-5 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday evening at Carolina Stadium. The win is Carolina’s second straight over Vanderbilt and improves the Gamecocks to 29-18 and 11-12 in the SEC. The loss drops Vanderbilt to 27-19 and 10-12 in conference play. The teams close out the series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch at 1:35 p.m. The game will be televised live on SportSouth and can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network. The clinched series for Carolina marks the first time since 2004 that Carolina has a won a series over the Commodores.

Mack was 4-for-5 with the two homers to lead the Gamecocks. He now has 13 on the year. Nick Ebert also hit his team-leading 17th home run and Whit Merrifield hit his ninth of the season. South Carolina finished with 16 hits on the evening. Jackie Bradley, Jr. went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and Merrifield and Ebert had two this apiece to lead Carolina. Eight of nine Gamecock starters drove in runs. Ebert had four RBI, with Mack, Andrew Crisp and Jeffery Jones driving in two apiece. The top part of the order for Carolina (Mack, Merrifield, Bradley, Jr. & Ebert), went 11-for-15 with eight RBI and 11 runs scored.

Aaron Westlake was 3-for-3 and Steven Liddle was 2-for-4 to lead Vanderbilt at the plate.

Carolina starting pitcher Nolan Belcher picked up the win after 7.1 innings of work. He allowed five runs on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks. He is now 3-3 on the year. Vanderbilt starter Drew Hayes suffered the loss and is now 4-3 on the year. He went three-plus innings and yielded nine runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

With the score deadlocked 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning, South Carolina knocked Hayes around for six hits and scored six runs to take a 7-1 lead. With one out and runners on first and third base, Jackie Bradley, Jr. got things started with a RBI single scoring Scott Wingo. Nick Ebert followed with a RBI single of his own to score DeAngelo Mack. After a walk to Justin Dalles loaded the bases, the Gamecocks scored the third run of the inning with Andrew Crisp tallying a RBI ground out. With two outs, Carolina wasn’t done as Jeffery Jones drove in a pair with a RBI single and eventually scored on a RBI double by Bobby Haney.

After Belcher got through the top of the fourth unscathed, the Gamecock offense continued to pose problems for the Commodores as they scored four more to increase the advantage to 11-1. It started with the Gamecocks chasing Hayes from the game with back-to-back homers courtesy of Whit Merrifield and DeAngelo Mack. Merrifield launched the first pitch he saw over the left centerfield wall and Mack drove a 1-1 pitch from Hayes over the right field wall. With reliever Grayson Garvin into the game, Carolina scored twice more as Andrew Crisp recorded a RBI single and Parker Bangs drove in a run with a double.

Vanderbilt put two runs on the board in the top of the fifth on a two-run homer by Jonathan White. Carolina answered in the bottom half with a run as Ebert drove in Merrifield with a sacrifice fly. Vanderbilt followed in the sixth with a solo homer by Westlake. Carolina scored its final two runs of the game in the seventh inning as Ebert followed a Bradley, Jr. single with a two-run homer to left field. Vanderbilt’s final run came in the eighth inning with Liddle’s ninth home run of the season.

Gamecocks Homer Three Times In 8-5 Win Over Vanderbilt

2009-05-01T22:28:00.003-04:00

Courtesy Gamecocksonline
May 1, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina tallied three home runs in the first three innings and behind 8.2 innings of work by starting pitcher Sam Dyson defeated Vanderbilt 8-5 on Friday evening in game one of a three-game SEC baseball series at Carolina Stadium. The win improves Carolina to 28-18 and 10-12 in the SEC while the loss drops Vanderbilt to 27-18 and 10-11 in conference play. The two teams meet again on Saturday with first pitch at 7 p.m.; the game will be televised live on SportSouth and can also be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network.

Dyson was effective in 8.2 innings as he allowed five runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. He is now 7-3 on the year with win. Vanderbilt starting pitcher Mike Minor allowed seven runs on nine hits with four walks and a strikeout to suffer the loss. He is 4-4 for the year. Carolina reliever Alex Farotto came on to get the final out for Carolina with a strikeout to pick up his sixth save of the season.

Carolina's 10 hits featured three home runs from Jackie Bradley, Jr., Nick Ebert and Justin Dalles. Bradley, Jr. hit a two-run blast in the first with Dalles adding a solo shot in the second and Ebert blasting a solo home run in the third. Bradley, Jr. finished 3-for-5 with two RBI with Ebert 2-for-4 with two RBI as well. Vanderbilt first baseman Curt Casali was 2-for-4 with two RBI with Steven Liddle going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Jonathan White also had three hits for the Commodores, who finished with nine on the night.

"(Vanderbilt starter) Mike Minor is (a) good pitcher," said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. "I know that if you look at the line you don't think too much about his outing, but he's really good. He's a special pitcher. We had some great at bats against him and runs were still hard to come by. We were trying to just get a run to stay in good position. (Sam) Dyson pitched out of trouble a little bit. He hit one guy and he walked a couple and then he'd get a good pitch and get some guys out. Sam (Dyson) had to make some pitches to get us the win."

Liddle gave Vanderbilt the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a solo home run. Liddle launched a 1-1 pitch from Dyson over the right field wall for his eighth home run of the season.

South Carolina answered with a home run of its own in the bottom half as Jackie Bradley, Jr. launched a two-run homer to right center. Bradley, Jr. roped a 1-1 pitch from Minor for his ninth home run of the year as Carolina took a 2-1 lead.

Carolina added three more in the second inning to increase its lead to 5-1. Dalles got things started with his solo homer, his ninth of the year. Parker Bangs followed with a walk and after Andrew Crisp's sacrifice bunt scored on a RBI triple by Scott Wingo. Wingo would score the third run of the frame then as Whit Merrifield layed down the sacrifice squeeze bunt perfectly to score the run.

Vanderbilt and South Carolina traded runs in the third inning. Casali drove in Liddle with a two-out RBI base hit. Ebert opened up the bottom of the third with his 16th home run of the season to answer for the Gamecocks. He would also drive in a run in the fourth with a bases loaded walk against Minor. Carolina's final run came in the seventh inning with an unearned run as Vanderbilt left fielder Joe Loftus misplayed a fly ball allowing pinch runner Casey Rihn to score from second base.

Vanderbilt tried to mount a rally with a run in the eighth inning on a two-out RBI hit from Riley Reynolds. They also scored two runs in the ninth with a RBI single by Casali and a RBI groundout by Andrew Giobbi. With a runner on third base and two outs, Carolina went to the bullpen and Farotto ended the game with a strikeout against Vanderbilt designated hitter Aaron Westlake.

South Carolina Baseball Recap

2009-04-28T23:05:00.000-04:00

David Able
April 28, 2009

Columbia, SC - Last week the South Carolina baseball team went 1-4 on the week with a win vs. USC Upstate followed up by a midweek loss to Clemson and three losses in a weekend series at Florida.

The Gamecocks are now 27-18 on the year and 9-12 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are fourth in the SEC East and eighth place overall.

This week Carolina hosts Vanderbilt in a three-game series this weekend. All three games will be televised live by SportSouth. Friday and Saturday’s games are 7 p.m. with the series finale set for Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Record: 27-18
SEC: 9-12
Home: 18-9
Away: 9-9

Last Week: 1-4
4/21/09 – at USC Upstate (W, 14-6)
4/22/09 – vs. Clemson (L, 12-2)
4/24/09 – at Florida (L, 9-4)
4/25/09 – at Florida (L, 8-3)
4/26/09 – at Florida (L, 9-5)

Carolina Repeats at Chick-fil-A Classic

2009-04-28T22:56:00.003-04:00

April 28, 2009

GREENSBORO, GA. – The University of South Carolina team represented by head coach Steve Spurrier and Sterling Sharpe carded a 12-under-par 60 and then outlasted Virginia Tech in a playoff to win the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament and the $120,000 first-place scholarship donation. This is team South Carolina’s second straight championship in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge.

“It was a fun day today. Sterling made a bunch of crucial putts down the stretch and I pitched in a little,” Spurrier said after the victory. “I think this was the first playoff I’ve ever won, and I’ve been in a few.”

In regulation play, Sharpe holed a dramatic 10-foot putt on 18 to force the playoff with Frank Beamer and Dell Curry from Virginia Tech. After repeating the 18th hole, the teams were still tied and a four-shot closest-to-the-pin competition decide the championship. From 150 yards, Beamer’s approach finished 23’ from the cup. Sharpe then stroked his approach to 18’ to win by five feet.

Team Alabama and team Georgia Tech tied for third with a 10-under-par 62 at the third annual event hosted at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.

“This was just an incredible day on the golf course,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “Everywhere you looked there was great golf action. These teams really delivered the level of play we’ve come to expect in this tournament. To cap everything off with a playoff victory put the perfect finishing touch on a fantastic three-day event.”

The complete order of finish with scholarship winnings follows:
TEAM: SCORE: WINNINGS:

South Carolina (Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe) -12 (playoff) $120,000
Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer / Dell Curry) -12 $60,000
Alabama (Nick Saban / Johnny Musso) -10 $37,500
Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson / Jon Barry) -10 $37,500
Minnesota (Tubby Smith / Jim Petersen) -9 $25,000
Ole Miss (Houston Nutt / Kris Mangum) -8 $17,500
Wake Forest (Jim Grobe / Billy Packer) -8 $17,500
Kentucky (Rich Brooks / Jared Lorenzen) -4 $15,000
Vanderbilt (Bobby Johnson / Will Perdue) -2 $10,000
Maryland (Ralph Friedgen / Neil O’Donnell) -1 $10,000

A total scholarship purse of $350,000 was awarded to the teams by the Chick-fil-A Bowl and an additional $150,000 was raised for other charities bringing the total charitable purse to $500,000. The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge is a significant contributor to the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s annual charitable giving platform. The Bowl will contribute approximately $1.3 million to organizations in need this year.

Last year’s tournament was won by the University of South Carolina team (-12) and the 2007 event saw the Virginia Tech take home first-place honors.