With abundance of left-handers, Gamecocks will give unique look
Tyler Webb had the opportunity to learn from two elite college pitchers last year during the Gamecocks’ national championship run.
“[Blake Cooper and Sam Dyson are] very competitive and gritty,” Webb said. “Hard-working. They didn’t always strike everyone out. They battled through some innings. They pitched through some adversity. I’m sure they didn’t feel good every game.”
Cooper finished last season with 13 wins and an ERA of 2.76. Dyson recorded an ERA of 4.28 en route to six wins.
Both of USC’s star starters are gone now, the former to the Arizona Diamondbacks as a 12th-round draft pick, the latter to the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round. Their absence leaves the Gamecocks with question marks as to their weekend starting rotation. In the weeks prior to opening day, the job was anyone’s to win.
“You had Cooper and Dyson, and in the three weeks prior to opening day [2010], it probably wasn’t going to change much, regardless of how they pitched,” coach Ray Tanner. “That’s not the case now. I think Webb and [Michael] Roth are out front based on what they’ve done in the past and in the fall. But it’s not by a great margin.”
Webb appeared in 17 games last year, including seven starts, and he ended the year with a 3.96 ERA. The sophomore said he didn’t work especially hard this offseason to win a starting job.
“I like to think I worked just as hard last year,” Webb said. “I got some innings in the summer, started some games, got back here and tried to throw as well as I could and work as hard as I could in the offseason and get ready for the [new] year.”
Webb’s fellow frontrunner, Roth, who has been slated as the opening day starter, appeared in 37 games in 2010, including two starts. But one of those came in the second game of the College World Series against UCLA, in which he threw five innings and gave up just one run to keep USC within striking distance. The junior had a stellar 1.34 ERA for the season.
Despite his relative lack of experience as a starter, Roth is comfortable with the new role he will be asked to step into, and like many of his teammates, he is not nervous about added expectations for him personally and for USC this year.
But besides experience, there is another noticeable difference between the starters of 2011 and their counterparts from last year: They will attack hitters from the opposite side of the mound. Cooper and Dyson are both right-handed, but Webb and Roth are among nine southpaws on the Gamecock staff this year.
Depending on the source one consults, only 10 to 15 percent of the population is left-handed. In the major leagues, lefties are at a premium, and on most SEC rosters they are far outnumbered by their right-handed counterparts.
Auburn’s roster currently includes just three left-handed pitchers. Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU have only four. Mississippi State is the only other team that sports nine southpaws. The Gamecocks’ unusual pitching staff will give them an advantage against lineups dominated by right-handed hitters.
Carolina’s other returning left-handers include juniors Steven Neff, Logan Munson, Bryan Harper, Will Casey and Alex Burrell. But the leader of the pack is Adam Westmoreland, who made an impression on the coaching staff with his workouts during the preseason and should start Sunday.
“[Westmoreland has] been outstanding,” Tanner said. “He’s in great shape. I think he’s the lightest he’s been in a long time. He’s worked out extremely hard, and his bullpens have been good. He does have a little bit of experience under his belt. That’s an advantage for him.”
One final important addition to the Gamecocks’ staff is Jerry Meyers, who returns to USC as assistant head coach after six years at Old Dominion. Meyers coached 10 All-American pitchers during his eight years at Carolina between 1997 and 2004.
“I think [Meyers] helps a tremendous amount with maturity, poise and composure with our guys. He leads by example, but he’s a teacher as well. He tends to bring out the best in guys.”
As the 2011 season begins, there is a lot of uncertainty as to who will be on the mound for the Gamecocks. Last year’s team ERA was a solid 3.45, and USC’s many left-handers will have to step up to achieve a similar mark. Webb and Roth have big shoes to fill, and they will need to perform consistently to hold onto their starting jobs.
But last season’s trip to Omaha, Neb., provided an invaluable learning experience for the team. For Webb, the championship will define his pitching as he aims to help USC repeat its success from 2010.
“The experience of last year is unmatched,” he said. “You can’t really get that anywhere else but from pitching.”