Gamecocks look to continue early-season success
After an impressive two-game sweep of Ball State, South Carolina will look to keep things rolling when they host Rider this weekend.
The Gamecocks outscored the Cardinals 24-4 over the course of the two games and also recorded 28 hits.
Coach Chad Holbrook said it was good to see his team come out focused after a big series last weekend with archrival Clemson. The first-year coach said he considered shaking up his lineup against Ball State, because he was worried his team might not come out with enough energy.
That didn’t turn out to be a problem for USC, as they did many of the same things they did against Clemson.
“We have a mature group,” Holbrook said. “We have some older guys, and even our sophomore guys have been around the block. They came ready to play, and it was good to see.”
This is the last nonconference weekend for the Gamecocks, as SEC play opens up next week at Missouri. Holbrook said Rider is a good team and had a lot of praise for their coach.
Rider has a 6-1 record on the season and has won five games in a row. Senior third baseman Adam Wayman leads the Broncos with a .444 batting average and has knocked in six RBIs this year. Junior outfielder Nick Crescenzo also has a team-high nine RBIs and a .304 average.
As a team, Rider only has two homers on the year, but Holbrook says his team must be focused this weekend.
Holbrook says he is pleased with his team so far, but his biggest concern is the lack of contact from some of the faster guys on the team.
“If you are fast, you have to make contact,” Holbrook said. “I’m not doing a good job of coaching those guys. That is the thing that is bothering me most right now.”
USC will also not have Jordan Montgomery this weekend due to a stress injury in his pitching arm.
In addition, there has been a revolving door at the designated hitter spot over the first 12 games, and Holbrook is looking for someone to take over the position.
Freshman infielder George Iskenderian impressed the first-year coach in his first start of the season Wednesday. Iskenderian went 2-5 with two runs scored and one RBI.
“George swings the bat like a DH should swing the bat,” Holbrook said. “The thing with George is he is an athletic kid who has bat speed and strength. On days that he isn’t swinging that well, he is a very good runner. He has got a bright future.”
Holbrook will hope to continue the clean play that his team has shown over the past few games, and says that if they do that, they will put themselves in a position to win a lot of games.
“When you pitch and play defense you are going to win your fair share and win a lot,” Holbrook said. “That is what we have done the last several years. Any time you throw a shutout it is a surprise, but our pitchers are throwing very well.”