Baseball puts unbeaten record on line against in-state rival
No matter what sport the two schools are playing, South Carolina and Clemson continue to prove that garnet and orange don’t mix. And when they renew their series on the baseball diamond this weekend, the stakes will be higher than ever, with both the Gamecocks and the Tigers in the top-15.
“It’s Clemson and South Carolina. Whether we’re 7-0 or 0-7, it’s a rivalry that our kids get excited to be a part of,” head coach Chad Holbrook said. “It’s one of the reasons that kids want to come play at South Carolina.”
The Gamecocks are an unbeaten 7-0 so far this year, and the Tigers have taken just one loss on the year, putting them at 5-1.
But with South Carolina’s wins coming against the likes of Bucknell, Presbyterian and Eastern Kentucky, the competition looks to get much steeper when the three-game set begins on Friday.
The No. 6 Gamecocks’ record isn’t the only streak they’ll be putting on the line against the Tigers, as South Carolina has gone a school-record five games without giving up a run.
“It gives us a lot of momentum going into next weekend,” junior Connor Bright said. “The team’s playing great, the pitching staff is unbelievable and we look to take it into [this] weekend.”
While the Gamecock pitchers have been unflappable during the 51 innings since South Carolina has last allowed a run, Bright and the offense have been arguably just as productive. During the streak, the Gamecocks have outscored their opponents by a combined 36-0, and Bright has brought in more runs on the season than any of his teammates.
The everyday right fielder leads South Carolina in RBIs, with 11, and his .444 average is good for second-best on the team.
The Gamecocks have been dominant in all facets in their 7-0 start, but Holbrook knows that his team shouldn’t expect a No. 11 Clemson team to roll over so easily.
“We’re not going to sit out here and plan to shut these guys out,” Holbrook said. “They’re too good for that. They’re going to score their fair share of runs.”
Clemson’s sole loss came in the season opener when the Tigers slipped up against Eastern Michigan and fell by a single run.
The ace of Clemson’s pitching staff is Daniel Gossett, who leads the team with a 1.50 ERA and has a 1-0 record on the year. Within the context of the rivalry between the Gamecocks and the Tigers, Gossett and South Carolina’s ace, junior Jordan Montgomery, have maintained a personal battle since their high school days.
“They’re going to try to match each other pitch-for-pitch,” Holbrook said. “I think that little rivalry between Jordan and Daniel goes back to high school. They’re two great kids and great competitors and got great futures in front of them.”
The two pitchers are both likely starters for the their respective teams when South Carolina and Clemson get the series underway Friday in Columbia.
After the opener, the teams will travel to neutral-field battle at Flour Field in Greenville on Saturday, and the series will conclude in Clemson on Sunday for the Tigers’ turn at home.
The emergence of the South Carolina and Clemson football teams as perennial top-10 programs has shined a national spotlight on a rivalry that has been a blood-feud in the Palmetto State for as long as most fans can remember. But, with the consummate success of both school’s baseball teams, the rivalry is perhaps best encapsulated on the diamond.
And being around the coaching profession since 1994 and the sport of college baseball even longer than that, Holbrook says the rivalry that will play out this weekend ranks among the best in the country.
“It’s South Carolina and Clemson. It’s one of the greatest rivalries in college sports,” Holbrook said. “And I think, from a baseball perspective, you put it on par with any other rivalry — Duke/North Carolina or Ohio State/Michigan. I mean it’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”