South Carolina baseball: Gamecocks travel to Lexington for three-game set

South Carolina baseball gears up its for next SEC series.

The South Carolina baseball team travels to Lexington this weekend as they prepare for a three-game series with SEC foe Kentucky. The Wildcats sit just one game back of the Gamecocks in the SEC standings, meaning this matchup could have some postseason implications. The winner of the set will get a leg up in positioning for the conference tournament, as well as with national seeding as the NCAA tournament upcoming.

South Carolina (28-18, 12-12) enters the weekend heading in a downward trajectory. The Gamecocks, losers of six of their last eight games, are trying to end a three-series losing skid that started nearly a month ago. Over that time, Mark Kingston’s bunch has gone just 2-7 in league play, and seen their hopes of hosting a regional all but disappear.

The Gamecocks are struggling at the plate, hitting just .217 as a team in league action. That mark ranks dead last in the SEC, and has steadily declined over the second half of the year. The team has also struck out 246 times in 24 conference matchups, the 13th worst mark in the league.

Kentucky (27-17, 11-13), on the other hand, is hitting .285 as a team, with a .264 mark in SEC play. They’ve dropped back-to-back series versus Tennessee and Florida, but are looking to right the ship as they battle for postseason positioning. The Wildcats were listed as a No. 3 seed in the latest NCAA tournament projections, but a strong finish to the season could help them slide up to the No. 2 line.

While Kentucky’s hitting has been above average, the pitching staff has been a letdown in SEC play. The team’s ERA sits at 5.68 in league action, and Kentucky arms have struck out an SEC-low 183 batters over 24 conference matchups, while allowing a .283 batting average to opposing hitters. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Gamecocks can break out of their current hitting funk against the Wildcats.

Series Info

The Gamecocks lead the all-time series 54-42, and took the last series meeting in 2019.

• Friday probables: Brannon Jordan (4-4, 3.52 ERA) v. Cole Stupp (4-4, 4.31 ERA)
• Saturday probables: Brett Kerry (3-1, 2.25 ERA) v. Sean Harney (3-0, 3.72 ERA)
• Sunday probables: Thomas Farr (2-5, 3.72 ERA) v. TBD

Keys to the series

Win game one

The Gamecocks have to get off to a good start. The team has not won an SEC opener since March, having fallen in their last six tries. It will come down to hitting, as South Carolina has struggled mightily against the league’s aces.

Winning game one relieves some of the pressure when it comes to winning the series. While the Gamecocks have overcome a series opening defeat on three occasions, it’s much easier to win the set once the first victory is out of the way. South Carolina pitching typically keeps the team in the game. It will be a matter of scoring runs, which has been the Achilles’ heel of the Gamecock squad all season long.

Solid pitching

The Gamecocks are tinkering with the pitching staff, once again, in an attempt to spark the team. Last week, we saw ace Thomas Farr move back to the Sunday slot. This week, closer Brett Kerry will enter the rotation, and he’s set to make his first start of the season.

The Gamecocks boast the SEC’s third best ERA, and have struck out the second most batters in league action. With the team continuing to struggle at the plate, pitching will be all the more important.

Timely hitting

South Carolina has to find a way to scratch a few runs on the board, and that means getting some timely hitting from a lineup that’s been largely unproductive. Look no further than Tuesday’s midweek matchup against Clemson. The Gamecocks stranded seven runners over the first three innings, and 13 throughout the game. The offense had at least two runners on in each of the first three frames, but failed to score. The result ended up being a 7-2 loss, with the Gamecocks’ only runs coming on solo shots. The Gamecocks were 0-9 with runners in scoring position, which has been a theme all season long.

South Carolina’s all-or-nothing approach needs to stop, and they need to find a way to string together some hits. The Gamecocks don’t have to be the 1927 Yankees, but they need to make opposing pitchers pay when runners get on base.

Key Players

Brett Kerry

Kerry will be making his first start of the season after beginning the year in the bullpen. He’s been dominant in that role, striking out 65 batters in just 36 innings of work. Kerry is typically used when the Gamecocks need him most, having made appearances as a closer and in long relief. South Carolina is hoping he can get them a win on Saturday.

Austin Shultz

The Kentucky leadoff man is hitting .333, tallying 11 doubles, a pair of triples, and four homers on the year. He’s also been a menace on the basepaths, nabbing 20 steals in his 22 attempts. He’ll look to set the table for the Wildcats this weekend and extend his current five-game hitting streak.