South Carolina baseball is battling for postseason positioning.
Prior to a midweek matchup with rival Clemson, D1 Baseball unveiled its latest projections for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks, who just two weeks earlier were considered a regional host, have fallen to the two-seed line after dropping six of their last eight contests. The two wins came in come-from-behind fashion, with the team overcoming late deficits to win one-run games versus North Florida and Mississippi State.
D1 Baseball sees the Gamecocks as the No. 2 seed in the East Carolina regional, meaning they’d travel to Greenville, NC for the opening round of postseason action. The Pirates are ranked as the field’s 13th overall seed, meaning the regional winner would then head to the home of the 4th overall seed, Mississippi State, for the round of super regionals.
South Carolina has been trending in the wrong direction ever since a mid April meeting with Arkansas. The Gamecocks have dropped seven of their last nine SEC contests, granted they have come against the nation’s No. 1, No. 3, and No. 18 teams. Still, those were statement opportunities that were missed, and these are the types of teams the Gamecocks will face should they hope to go far in postseason play.
With the late season skid, South Carolina’s regional hosting chances are slim. The Gamecocks have two more conference series left to play, starting with a trip to Kentucky this weekend (No. 52 RPI). The team will then end the season with a midweek matchup versus Appalachian State before hosting No. 4 Tennessee in a three-game set.