Start almost identical to that of last spring's
College baseball lacks the urgency of college football on a game-to-game basis because there are so many.
You get 12 shots to prove your postseason worth in football. In baseball, you've got 56 games to make your case. Accordingly, teams focus on milestone points to evaluate where they stand.
South Carolina, for all intents and purposes, hit two of those milestones Sunday. USC's win over Kentucky brought the Gamecocks to the one-third point of the SEC schedule (nine of 30 league games are complete) and the halfway point of the regular season (USC has played 27 games, with its lone rain-out against Davidson yet to be rescheduled).
The results — USC is 22-5 overall, 7-2 in league play and tied for first place in both the SEC and its Eastern Division.
If you think those numbers look familiar, they are. The Gamecocks started 22-6 overall, 7-2 in the SEC, in sole possession of first in the East and tied for first in the league last season, which ended with USC winning the national championship.
USC isn't celebrating the almost-identical start — when informed, third baseman Christian Walker and coach Ray Tanner both said they didn't know that was the case; shortstop Peter Mooney said he "wasn't paying attention" to where the Gamecocks are in the standings — but it's an accomplishment that can't be overlooked.
"You've got to try to win enough," Tanner said. "Every game's important. You've got to grind it out. They all add up at the end of the year. Our guys have done a good job to this point, but there's certainly a long way to go. There will be some difficult circumstances ahead, but in this league being able to win the first three series is very important."
Just like last season, they have done that.
"I guess we're off to a good start," Walker said. "I definitely feel good about it and hopefully our pitchers can do what they're doing."
Just like last season, they should do that. USC's remaining SEC schedule is also almost identical to what it was last spring. The Gamecocks' seven remaining league foes are a combined 139-60 (.698 winning percentage) with a 30-33 record in SEC games, compared to last season's 133-65 (.671) and 31-32.
Furthermore, the Gamecocks already have Florida out of the way (and won that series this year) and get Vanderbilt at home in two weeks. Win that series, and USC slides into the East driver's seat with the season-ending series against West-leading Alabama in Tuscaloosa likely to decide the league regular season title.
Lose, and there's still over a month left to try and play catch-up, rather than handle the harsh do-or-die circumstances of last year's final weekend against the Gators, which cost USC both the East and league titles, as well as the poor showing at the SEC Tournament the following week.
The series loss to UF and "two and barbecue" showing at the league tournament in Hoover, Ala., knocked the Gamecocks out of consideration for a national seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would've ensured USC the ability to stay at Carolina Stadium all the way to Omaha. Instead, USC had to win its regional and then travel to the beach for the Super Regional against Coastal Carolina.
Right up until Walker's eighth inning three-run home run in Game 2 of the Supers, many thought the inability to nail down a national seed would haunt USC. Things worked out for the Gamecocks, but it wasn't easy.
USC would prefer to avoid having the same circumstance this coming postseason. Judging by the way the Gamecocks are playing and who they have left to play, they probably don't have much to worry about. Given their start and what lies ahead, if the bats keep up, injuries hold off and the pitching staff continues to throw well, one of those seeds, and a guaranteed home field advantage, should belong to USC.
Accomplish that, and the road back home to Omaha is that much clearer.