Returning home after losing a road series weekend, No. 13 South Carolina will take on Appalachian State University.
The Gamecocks were only able to win one of three games in their past weekend series against Mississippi State with their win final score of 13-7 on Saturday. The current record for home games is 17-5 for the Gamecocks with their overall record being 21-11. After the weekend losses, their conference record is now tied 6-6.
On Saturday's game against Mississippi State, South Carolina managed to make a .262 batting average. They had a season high of 13 runs and tied their other season high of 15 hits in this game. Rookie freshman right-handed pitcher Brandon Murray showed a promising game on Saturday by finishing with a win and a 1.71 ERA for the season so far.
A key player to look out for in the upcoming game is senior Elliott Caldwell. This outfielder has been outperforming on both the offense and defense ends of the games.
Caldwell’s batting average for the season is .380 with a 19 runs score and 21 RBI. He had two triples over the weekend and is now tied for the third highest in the conference with four overall this season. Caldwell also owns the record high of 14 multi-hit games for the team.
Hits are important to win the game, but the overall performance is mostly based on what the pitcher can bring to the mound.
The usual starting pitchers include junior Jack Wynkoop and sophomore Wil Crowe for the Gamecocks.
Wynkoop is currently 4-3 for the season pitching 53.1 innings with a 2.19 ERA. He ranks fourth in innings pitched in the SEC and 12th for strikeouts with his season high of 45.
Right-hander Crowe, though younger than Wynkoop, brings a different variety for the opponents to take on in games. He has a total of 56 strikeouts in 47.0 innings, which leaves him tied for fourth highest in the SEC conference. Crowe is current 4-4 for the season and has a 4.02 ERA total this far in the season.
The likely starting pitcher against Appalachian State will be sophomore Reed Scott. Scott has a 2.67 ERA for the season and a total of 17 strikeouts overall. The entire team's combined pitching roster of the Gamecocks has a season average 3.06 ERA, a total of 119 walks and 272 strikeouts.
The most recent matchup for the Mountaineers was against Troy in Boone, North Carolina, where they lost the series 2-1.
Going up against Appalachian State (10-23), South Carolina should tighten their play thanks to the home field advantage at the Carolina Stadium on Tuesday at 7 p.m.