South Carolina baseball: Brett Kerry to start game one in Columbia regional
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina baseball has named its opening day starter.
The Gamecocks will begin postseason play on Friday afternoon as they host the third-seeded Virginia Cavaliers. Looking to get off to a 1-0 start in regional action, South Carolina will turn to its best arm in hopes of avoiding an early appearance in the loser’s bracket.
On Wednesday, it was announced that right-hander Brett Kerry will get the nod on the bump. The junior, who began the season in the bullpen, has made starts in each of the Gamecocks’ last two SEC series. In those appearances, Kerry has tossed 16 innings, allowing just two earned runs, picking up two wins, and striking out 18 hitters.
For the year, Kerry boasts a 5-1 record with four saves and an ERA below 2.00. He’s posted an impressive 83/9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has surrendered just one free pass over his last 21 innings of work. That lone base on balls was intentional.
The Gamecocks need an opening round victory to ensure they don’t get behind the eight-ball early in regards to the pitching staff. Should South Carolina start things off in the loser’s bracket, they’d need to win four games in three days, a strenuous task for any rotation. It would also likely mean using Kerry for a second time, on just three days of rest.
South Carolina will have the unenviable task of facing Virginia starter Andrew Abbott, who’s anchored the Cavalier rotation all season long. The lefty has posted an 8-5 record, with an ERA of 2.63 and a strikeout rate of nearly 14 K’s per nine innings. While he’s not necessarily a power pitcher, he possesses a three-pitch arsenal that keeps opposing batters off balanced at the plate.
Expect a pitcher’s duel between these two team’s in the regional opener with both staffs boasting sub-4.00 ERAs, and both lineups struggling to produce offensively. South Carolina is hitting just .250 as a team, and is averaging 5.8 runs per game while striking out more than nine times per contest. Virginia has been a bit better at the plate, hitting .261 on the year, but they’ve scored just 5.7 runs per game while striking out seven times on average. The Gamecocks have doubled up the Cavs in homers, 78 to 35, but that may not be an approach to lean on when facing a projected second-round pick.
Game one will get underway at noon on Friday, and will be broadcast on ESPN2. The victor in this matchup will face off against the winner of the night game between Old Dominion and Jacksonville.