USC to face in-state Bulldogs
South Carolina will begin a five-game homestand at less than full strength.
The No. 3 Gamecocks will be without the services of outfielder Adam Matthews when they face in-state foe The Citadel on Wednesday. Matthews is out after suffering a hamstring injury in USC's 4-3 win over Florida on Sunday in Gainesville. It is unlikely Matthews will be ready to play in this weekend's SEC series against Kentucky as well.
Joining Matthews on the sidelines is junior left-hander Steven Neff with shoulder tendonitis. Neff was scratched from his start Saturday against the Gators. The Lancaster, S.C., native is also unlikely to be available this weekend.
The Bulldogs (9-14) had lost nine of their last 11 games entering Tuesday's meeting with Charleston Southern. That record is a bit deceiving, though. The Citadel has played 10 one-run games, tying it with William and Mary and Tulane for the most at the Division I level this season. The Bulldogs are 2-8 in one-run games.
USC (18-5) moved up a spot in the Baseball America rankings after taking two of three games from UF, which was at the time the top-ranked team in the nation. The Gamecock series win dropped the Gators to No. 4 and allowed Vanderbilt to jump to No. 1, giving the SEC Eastern Division three of the Top 4 teams.
Carolina boasts the best slugging percentage, .475, of all SEC teams. USC is hitting .296 as a team with a .393 on-base percentage. The Bulldogs are hitting .269 as a team.
USC owns a 120-46-1 advantage over The Citadel in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1900 and last met this past summer during the Columbia Regional at Carolina Stadium. USC beat the Bulldogs and their ace, Asher Wojciechowski, 9-4 en route to the Gamecocks' first national championship in school history.
Redshirt sophomore Adam Westmoreland (0-1, 5.12 ERA) will start for the Gamecocks.
First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Carolina Stadium.
-- From Staff Reports