Outfielder continues to shine, maintains starting position
Getting into Ray Tanner’s lineup can be tough, especially when South Carolina’s 15-year coach has as many quality hitters in his dugout as he does this season. Accordingly, when a player gets a start, he’d be wise to produce and earn more at-bats.
Jake Williams appears to understand this fact. The junior transfer from Wofford got his third consecutive start on Tuesday against Furman. His hot streak with the bat followed. Williams, who served as USC’s designated hitter before moving to left field in the eighth inning, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs on the night.
“It’s kind of good to get my feet in there [on] a consistent basis,” Williams said.
Williams said he was happy to get another start, but he doesn’t see being in the lineup every day as something he has to achieve.
“If I’m starting or if I’m not starting, I’m still going to try and produce — do as well as I possibly can,” Williams said. “Starting, it’s a little better feeling, coming in and knowing you’re going to be in rather than waiting until the game to see if you’re going to be in.”
The night wasn’t without its adventures for Williams. At the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, after four straight USC batters had walked, Williams thought he himself had received ball four. Flipping his bat, Williams started to trot to first base only to be told the pitch was a strike and he had to return to the plate.
Wanting to calm Williams down, Tanner called time and came out to talk to him.
“He just kind of took me aside and said, ‘Obviously that was not a strike,’” Williams said. “Just take a second, take a breath, regain your composure.”
Williams then proceeded to hit a two-run single to left, capping the Gamecocks’ nine-run inning.
In the eighth inning, Williams moved to left field. When a fly ball was lofted to him, Williams slipped and fell, only to pick himself off the ground and recover to make the out.
“There was some dew on the ground and — my first step — I just slipped straight out from under me,” Williams said. “Luckily there was enough time to get back underneath the ball.”
Holmes throws well: The lingering aftereffects of strep throat made Colby Holmes unavailable in all three games of the season-opening series against Santa Clara. When the sophomore made his debut against Southern Illinois this past Friday, things went disastrously — three runs allowed on five hits in 0.2 innings of work.
“He missed three or four days of practice that [first] week, so it kind of kept him from getting an opportunity to get his feet wet, and then he wasn’t very effective,” Tanner said.
However, the righty bounced backed against Furman. Holmes threw three innings in relief of starter Steven Neff, giving up two hits and striking out three. The Paladins pushed their only run of the night with Holmes on the mound, but it was unearned.
“We need for him to pitch well,” Tanner said. “There’s a lot of games, a lot of opportunities. Whether he’s in the starting role or in relief, we need for him to contribute. That was pretty good tonight. That’s encouraging for future opportunities for Colby.”
New threads: USC debuted new home uniforms on Tuesday. The Gamecocks wore solid white jerseys with a garnet “Carolina” across the front, along with their traditional garnet cap with the interlocking “SC.”
Attendance and time: The announced paid attendance at Carolina Stadium was 6,162, while the game took two hours and 32 minutes.
Solid start: With the win, Carolina improved to 7-0 on the season — its best start since 2009, when the Gamecocks started 8-0.