3 new starters to fill in for 2011 veterans
Freshman shortstop Joey Pankake has been given a nickname used by the Gamecock coaches before ever playing an inning for South Carolina — ‘Pancocky.’
And while Gamecock fans have yet to become familiar with Pankake and much of the infield that surrounds him, on Opening Day they’ll be introduced to an noticeably different infield, but one that has the same amount of confidence as the veterans from last season’s national championship squad.
Second baseman Scott Wingo and shortstop Peter Mooney won’t be turning double plays, and Adrian Morales won’t be making diving stops at third base. The Gamecocks will not be able to rely on the clutch hitting provided by the trio that got them a second-straight College World Series title. Together the three players accounted for nearly one-third of the team’s home runs and RBIs last season, and all three were drafted last summer into the MLB. The only remaining player from the infield is All-American first baseman Christian Walker, who will be anchoring the infield as the lone veteran.
If the Gamecocks are to make it three national championships in a row, they will have to rely on a couple of freshmen and junior college transfers. Joining Pankake will be second baseman Chase Vergason and third baseman L.B. Dantzler, as well as Walker at first.
“It’s going to be a little different,” Walker said. “As far as the chemistry goes, it is still there. It is a great group of guys coming in. (Junior college transfers), freshman — they’re all there mentally. You can’t ask much more out of them.”
For coach Ray Tanner, the new infield has looked good in practice, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to playing in front of a sold out crowd on Opening Day.
“I think sometimes that they’re a little too confident about themselves,” Tanner said. “It’s better to be that way than not. It’s my job to tone that down a little bit and keep it in perspective, but they are a talented group. They’re going to get some opportunities and I believe they’ll be successful because they’re comfortable.”
Dantzler, from Winter Haven, Fla., transferred from the State College of Florida, where he was named to the Florida Collegiate Summer League All-Star team last year. He has shown good power so far this spring, particularly in the first three scrimmages, where he hit several home runs off a star-studded pitching staff including Michael Roth and Matt Price.
“His preseason has been better than we wanted it to be,” Tanner said. “He’s just had a great run and it is impossible to continue the way he’s swinging the bat. Sometimes guys like that start the season and then they can’t buy a hit, but he’s done a good job. He’s worked hard. He is a much better defender than I anticipated coming into the program.”
Dantzler said that he’s earned the reputation of being an average infielder because he switched from outfield to third base in his senior year of high school. He also played at third base in junior college, but he said that the transition from the outfield took a while. Having veterans at practice like Wingo, Mooney and Jackie Bradley Jr. helped him feel more comfortable at USC.
“That’s been huge,” Dantzler said. “To see them messing around and just how they work in the weight room; it’s not everyday you get see Jackie and Wingo in the weight room. Obviously, they’re doing their own thing, but it’s great to have them around.”
As for Pankake, he hasn’t been as prolific at the plate through scrimmage as Dantzler, but in his mind, it’s just a matter of time.
“The way I look at it, I’ve hit enough right at people that it’s time for them to start falling,” Pankake said.
The biggest shoes to fill are at second base, where Vergason will have the task of replacing Wingo, the 2011 CWS Most Outstanding Player. Naturally, the competition between Vergason and T.J. Costen was one of the tightest for a role that had been occupied by Wingo for four years. Tanner said Vergason will get the nod, but Costen will also see playing time.
“Vergason has had the edge all along and he continues to have the edge,” Tanner said. “He’s done some really good things. He might not be quite as athletic as Costen, but he’s played the game the way you’re supposed to play it. He’s moved the ball around, he makes all the routine plays, he knows how to handle the defense as far as where the outfielders need to be and what they’re doing. So, he’s done a good job. T.J. is going to get an opportunity to play as well.”
There may be a new look for the infield this season, but the team is hoping for the same ending it has enjoyed in the past two — one that ends on the field in Omaha.