Softball winding down season with chance at SEC tournament
Coming towards the season’s final stretch, the South Carolina softball team will host a pair of non-conference games at Carolina Softball Stadium this week, with a Tuesday matchup against Georgia Southern followed by a Wednesday contest versus South Carolina State.
After suffering back-to-back losses on Saturday against LSU, coach Beverly Smith said she was happy with how the Gamecocks responded Sunday, shutting out the Tigers 8-0. Smith said the mental approach her team took on Sunday will be needed to help the Gamecocks (30-17, 9-12 SEC) fight off a surging Georgia Southern squad and an ambitious South Carolina State group.
Although both Georgia Southern (30-15) and S.C. State (10-21) are not in power conferences, Smith said South Carolina would treat both schools the same way it did when it faced LSU. Smith also praised the quality of Georgia Southern’s pitching. Smith discussed Eagles’ senior pitcher Sarah Purvis, who has a 1.94 ERA, and said she is talented enough to have played at a bigger school.
“She’s an equalizer,” Smith said. “She’s a kid that probably should be pitching in the SEC.”
Smith said that facing pitchers like Purvis will help keep South Carolina batters sharp and that the Gamecocks will need a smart approach at the plate to get runs. The Gamecocks’ head coach also said these final games are crucial in the team’s mentality to finish strong. Hoping to match Purvis is Gamecock freshman pitcher Nickie Blue, who has posted a 16-7 record thus far.
Ending the season strong will come through preparation, something junior catcher and first baseman Olivia Lawrence says requires the little things.
“We just really have to stay focused, and worry about one pitch at a time,” Lawrence said.
Smith talked about the Gamecocks’ focus, saying that having a home field advantage helps the team focus solely on softball and lessens distractions like traveling on the bus for hours. She said that playing at home really makes a difference.
“We get to be in front of our home field and our crowd,” Smith said. “I love the fact that we’re going to be here for the next three weeks to finish out our season at home in front our fans.”
With the Gamecocks having only seven games remaining, Smith and her team know how important these final games are in their quest to achieve the goal of getting to the SEC tournament and winning it in front of their fans at home. Having established their goals in the fall, Smith and her staff have continued to remind the team about what they’ve been playing and training for all season.
“Going to the postseason and Super Regional, those are the things we continue to talk about all season,” Smith said. “Our girls know the importance of these games and that they’re necessary to accomplish our goals.”
The Gamecocks can potentially pose as a threat if they get a bid in the SEC tournament because South Carolina will be hosting it. A 22-5 home record shows how being able to play at home would enhance the Gamecocks’ chances of making some noise in the conference tournament. Lawrence said that the tournament being played on their home field only adds pressure to her team to earn a spot in it.
“Not everyone’s in the SEC tournament this year,” she said. “The fact that we have the tournament at our place this year, it’s giving us a lot more pressure and we’re ready for it.”