Schrock earns start at shortstop, continues offensive surge with 2 hits in South Carolina’s win
Sophomore shortstop Joey Pankake did not play Tuesday after leaving the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader with a hip flexor strain. Freshman Max Schrock, who started the first six games at second base, was the starting shortstop, and freshman Connor Bright was the starting second baseman.
In the top of the fifth inning, DC Arendas replaced Bright in the lineup and took over at shortstop, allowing Schrock to slide back to his usual position. Schrock committed a throwing error at short in the third inning, which he attributed to a lack of practice at the position.
“I feel like I can play just as well at shortstop as I can second base,” Schrock said. “I struggled with a few throws today. I haven’t been taking many throws in practice, but I feel like if I take some more, I will be all right.”
Coach Chad Holbrook said he struggled with the decision to leave Pankake out of the game but said he fully expects the shortstop to play against Clemson this weekend.
“I was this close to playing him,” Holbrook said in his postgame press conference, holding his fingers an inch apart. “If this was an SEC game or a regional game, he’d about talk me into it.”
Schrock’s relaxed approach: After struggling at the plate in South Carolina’s opening weekend, Schrock had two hits against Furman on Tuesday. He said he has started to feel more comfortable at the plate as he accumulates at-bats.
“When my swing is relaxed, it feels a lot better,” Schrock said. “It’s a lot quicker. I might have been gripping the bat a little too hard earlier on, and today I told myself to loosen up (and) throw my hands at the ball and it worked out well.”
Holbrook said the team has collectively put together quality at-bats, pointing out that the Gamecocks have more walks than strikeouts for the season. He added USC could easily have scored more than five runs Tuesday.
“It’s only natural for a baseball player to feel anxiety to get off to a good start,” Holbrook said. “They will relax as they get at-bats and games under their belt.”
Bullpen flexibility: Sophomore Evan Beal was dominant in relief on Tuesday, pitching 2.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts. Asked after the game whether he believes he is competing for the closer’s role, Beal said the best role for him is pitching multiple innings to set up for senior Tyler Webb, who earned his third save of the season against Furman.
“[Webb] is a veteran guy, and he has really good experience,” Beal said. “I don’t feel like I’m really competing for it. We’re just going out there and showing Coach how versatile we are ... Versatility is one thing that we strive for on the pitching staff.”
Holbrook said Beal’s performance gives him confidence in his pitchers.
“It makes me feel even better about our bullpen, which I already felt pretty good about,” Holbrook said.