The South Carolina baseball team’s road to Omaha and the College World Series runs through the SEC.
The No. 5 preseason-ranked Gamecocks (46-18, 20-9 SEC in 2016) will play 18 regular season games against teams that made the 2016 NCAA Tournament, including 12 against SEC opponents.
One of the Gamecocks’ toughest tests of the season will be a road series against No. 2 preseason-ranked Florida, beginning April 20. After a brief stint in Omaha last season, the Gators (52-16, 19-10 SEC) were picked to win the SEC Eastern Division with 10 first-place votes. South Carolina won the SEC East in 2016, but has been picked to finish second in 2017 with four first-place votes.
Just like the Gamecocks, Florida is bringing a loaded roster to the diamond this spring. Five Gators were named to the All-SEC preseason first team, including catcher Mike Rivera, shortstop Dalton Guthrie, third baseman Jonathan India, designated hitter JJ Schwarz and ace Alex Faedo. Reliever Tyler Johnson was the only Gamecock to make the All-SEC preseason first team. Last season, the Gamecocks and Gators split a three-game series in Columbia, with the third game cancelled due to bad weather.
Another tough road test awaits Chad Holbrook’s squad on May 5, when it faces the team projected to win the SEC Western Division: The LSU Tigers. LSU (45-21, 19-11 SEC) was two games away from a trip to Omaha in 2016, losing 2-0 to Coastal Carolina in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. The Tigers received 13 first-place votes to win the SEC Western Division.
As for notable home series, South Carolina will host Wright State the second weekend of the season, beginning Feb. 24. Last season, the Raiders (46-17, 23-6 Horizon League) won the Horizon League Championship, earning the third seed in the Louisville Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Coached by Jeff Mercer, the Raiders garnered two wins against Western Michigan and Ohio State in the tournament, but were eliminated by Louisville.
The Gamecocks host SEC rival and No. 6 preseason-ranked Vanderbilt April 6-8. The Gamecocks lost two out of three games at Vanderbilt (43-19, 18-12 SEC) in 2016 and will be looking to bounce back at home. The Commodores put up six runs against ace Clarke Schmidt in the first game and four against reliever Tyler Johnson in the third. After tallying 83 hits and 59 RBIs in 2016, All-American Jeren Kendall will return for his junior season with the Commodores.
Prior to their 30-game SEC slate which begins at Tennessee on March 17, the Gamecocks will take on in-state rival Clemson in a three-game series starting March 3. Dick Howser Trophy-winner Seth Beer will return for his sophomore season with the Tigers, along with senior All-American pitcher Pat Krall. The series will feature one game at each team’s home stadium and one at Fluor Field in Greenville.
The Gamecocks will face another ACC opponent on April 11 when they take on No. 12 preseason-ranked North Carolina at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, North Carolina. With UNC left-hander Hunter Williams pitching 6.1 scoreless innings and South Carolina walking a season-high 10 batters, Mike Fox’s Tar Heels handed the Gamecocks a 15-0 loss at the same site last season.
South Carolina’s first conference home series is slated for March 24 with the Gamecocks hosting Alabama. The following SEC home matchups include: Vanderbilt (April 6-8), Mississippi State (April 14-16), Kentucky (April 28-30) and Georgia (May 18-20).
The Gamecocks will open their season with a nine-game home stand beginning Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. against UNC Greensboro.