South Carolina baseball: Mark Kingston values health over wins in Hoover

South Carolina baseball looked unprepared in the SEC Tournament.

The South Carolina baseball team opened up its SEC Tournament slate against tenth-seeded Alabama on Tuesday, and the results were… underwhelming. The team didn’t appear prepared to compete despite having an opportunity to improve its NCAA resume and earn a chance to host a regional in Columbia this Summer. The lackluster performance ends South Carolina’s hopes of a top 16 national seed, meaning they’ll likely be travelling when the regional round rolls around in June.

The Gamecocks found themselves down by six runs after two and a half innings, and that deficit would balloon to 8-0 in the top of the fourth frame. In between innings, head coach Mark Kingston was interviewed by the SEC Network crew, and he might’ve given some insight to his team’s poor showing.

His opening statement essentially said that he was more worried about getting healthy, as opposed to getting wins in Hoover. His demeanor seemed as though he was ready to get back on the bus home, rather than competing for a chance at an SEC tournament title. And the decision making from his coaching staff reflected it.

CJ Weins made the start on the mound for the Gamecocks, which isn’t out of the norm. The righty has made midweek appearances all season long, and had allowed just a single hit in five showings. Unfortunately, he’s also struggled with command, walking nine batters in 9.1 total innings. That command, again, was shoddy on Tuesday, but the staff refused to make a change until after the starter had set an SEC Tournament record with five wild pitches in just 2.2 innings of work.

When the change did finally come, with the Gamecocks trailing 1-0 and the bases being loaded for Alabama, Kingston inserted John Gilreath in relief rather than one of his top arms. The results were less than ideal. Weins and Gilreath combined to allow eight runs in 3.1 innings, and the game was essentially over before it began.

In another head scratching move, Kingston and Co. then opted to pitch maybe its best bullpen arm in Julian Bosnic with the Crimson Tide having two on and no one out in the sixth, and the Gamecocks being down by six runs. While the lefty pitched well in relief, it didn’t seem like the smartest move with the game being well out of reach, especially after you say health is the top concern for the team heading into postseason play.

Alabama, on the other hand, came in looking like a team with something to play for. The Crimson Tide started their ace, and the bats came out aggressive. They’ll move on to face Tennessee tomorrow, while the Gamecocks pack their bags after another short stay in Hoover.

Hopefully the game management is better in the NCAA Tournament, and the South Carolina baseball team can make a postseason run. Heck, maybe the team will even benefit from having rested the weekend rotation and cruise through the regional round. Time will tell, and the Gamecocks will now sit back and await their fate from the selection committee.