Military flyover, Cooper first pitch mark ceremonies
"I enjoyed it. I really did," coach Ray Tanner said. "I thought it was outstanding."
In front of a sellout crowd and with a comfortable mid-70s temperature, the Gamecocks were introduced one-by-one and greeted by USC President Harris Pastides and athletic director Eric Hyman as they lined up on the first-base foul line.
The ceremony continued with a video recap of Carolina's victories in Omaha, followed by the raising of a "National Champions" flag in right-center field as hundreds of garnet and black balloons were released from either bullpen.
After the singing of the national anthem, the show was concluded with an Air Force fly-over and former pitcher Blake Cooper throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to former catcher Kyle Enders.
"It was really special," Tanner said. "I was standing under there thinking 'I'm kind of glad I don't have to play because this is a little difficult right now.'"
Newcomers shine in USC debuts: Carolina's opening weekend against Santa Clara saw many players make their first appearances as Gamecocks.
Playing the most of the new additions was shortstop Peter Mooney. A junior college transfer, Mooney started all three games and finished the weekend with a hit and two walks while making a number of big plays defensively.
"I thought Mooney did well," Tanner said. "He swung the bat a lot better than his numbers indicate. He had some good contact, didn't get a lot of hits, but played well in the field. He's probably disappointed in his offense, but I thought it was fine."
Also making his debut was fellow transfer Bryan Harper. In 1.2 innings of relief in Saturday's 2-1 win, Harper allowed three hits and no runs while posting two strikeouts.
"I thought Harper attacked the zone good," Tanner said. "That was encouraging to see."
Struggles on base paths: Following a spotless showing on opening day, Carolina saw three players caught stealing and one picked off Saturday afternoon, three of which came in the first two innings.
Junior Adam Matthews proved to be the first victim on a close call at second base in the first inning. In the second, Santa Clara caught sophomore Christian Walker in a rundown after a single, then followed by picking off senior Brady Thomas from first moments later.
In the eighth, senior Adrian Morales fell into the same trap as Walker, resulting in a put-out at second to end the inning.
"I think it was bad decisions," Tanner said. "Brady got nailed when he saw the ball in the dirt. We try to be aggressive. Our rule is we're going to advance balls that get away. But it didn't get away. He picked it clean. You're supposed to hold when the catcher picks it clean, and if he doesn't you're allowed to go."