South Carolina Baseball: Gamecocks still projected in NCAA Tournament field

Things haven't been going well for the South Carolina team recently. The Gamecocks have lost six games in a row in two ugly sweeps at the hands of two rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers.

If the Gamecocks lose in the single-elimination round of the SEC Tournament against the Alabama Crimson Tide (the 'Tide took two of three games from the 'Cocks in a weekend series earlier this season), the 7-game losing streak will be the longest for the South Carolina baseball program since the 1960s (thanks to Rivals' Alan Cole for research).

Still, the Gamecocks are not out of the NCAA Tournament picture. In fact, when D1Baseball released their latest projections for the postseason on Monday, the Gamecocks were firmly in their mock 64-team field.

Slotting in as a 3-seed in the Clemson Regional, USC is matched up with the rival Clemson Tigers (6th overall seed), Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, and Army Black Knights. The Clemson Regional is paired with the Raleigh Regional where the NC State Wolfpack (11th overall seed), UC-Irvine Anteaters, UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, and the Grand Canyon Antelopes.

The Gamecocks likely would seal their spot in the tournament with a win over the Crimson Tide on Tuesday. USC head coach Mark Kingston has announced the Dylan Eskew will get the start on the mound for the game.

A loss, however, would put Carolina firmly on the tournament bubble, and if a few teams from smaller leagues "steal bids" during their conference tournaments, things could get uncomfortable for the Gamecocks on Monday, May 27th (Memorial Day) for the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

South Carolina baseball fans can tune into the SEC Network or the ESPN app to watch the Gamecocks on Tuesday around 2:00 PM EST. The matchup between the LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs begins at 10:30 AM EST, and Carolina-Bama will begin 30 minutes after the final out.