After a poor showing in Hoover at the SEC Baseball Tournament, the South Carolina baseball team was not selected as one of the eight national seeds for the NCAA tournament, despite winning the SEC East and finishing with a 20-9 record in conference play. However, the Gamecocks will play in Columbia for at least one more weekend. The team was selected as a regional host as the Gamecocks look to get back to Omaha for the first time since 2012.
Play at Founders Park begins Friday when third-seeded Duke takes on the UNC Wilmington, the No. 2 seed, at 1 p.m. The Gamecocks will open the regional at 7 p.m. Friday against the fourth-seeded Rhode Island Rams.
About South Carolina: The Gamecocks are clearly the most talented team in the regional, but they will need to execute to continue playing baseball this season. As long as South Carolina's pitchers perform the way they did all season, the Gamecocks have the potential to make some noise in the postseason. The two-headed dragon of Clarke Schmidt and Braden Webb posted a combined record of 19-8 while finishing atop the list of SEC pitchers in strikeouts, combining for 232. Freshman Adam Hill is no slouch either, putting together a 6-0 record while moving into a role as the Sunday starter. The Gamecocks also have a reliable bullpen, led by Josh Reagan and Tyler Johnson, each of whom hold opponents well below the Mendoza line at the plate. It isn't all about pitching for South Carolina, though. The Gamecock offense has cooled off lately, but Gene Cone, Alex Destino and Dom Thompson-Williams are as dangerous as ever at the top of the lineup. Cone leads the starters with a .468 on-base percentage, while Destino and Thompson-Williams claim slugging percentages of at least .500. The struggles of designated hitter John Jones have been well-documented, but the Gamecocks may need the powerful switch-hitter to return to his early-season form to advance to the super regionals.
About Rhode Island: The Rams are expected to send ace Tyler Wilson to the hill Friday in an effort to knock off the top-seeded Gamecocks. Wilson has a 12-1 record, and opponents are batting just .141 against him this season. The sophomore left-hander has struck out 111 batters in 95.1 innings while recording a 2.08 ERA. Rhode Island will most likely be taking on one of South Carolina's aces, so having Wilson on the mound might not be enough by itself. Offensively, the Rams will turn to sophomore Jordan Powell and junior Martin Figueroa. Powell leads the team with a .348 batting average and 13 stolen bases, while Figueroa boasts team-highs in slugging percentage (.536), home runs (seven) and RBI (41). Outside of that duo, the Rams hit at just a .235 clip, so expect runs to be at a premium Friday against one of the SEC's best arms.
About UNCW: The Seahawks received an at-large bid after running through the Colonial Athletic Association during the regular season but falling short in the CAA Tournament. Simply put, UNCW is all about offense. The club ranks eighth in the country with a .322 team batting average, with seven regular starters batting over .300. The Seahawks have the nation's second-most prolific offense, averaging 8.5 runs per game. The Diamond Hawks also average 1.46 home runs a game, so expect a few balls to leave the yard at Founders Park this weekend. UNCW isn't without an ace of its own, however, as 12-1 Ryan Foster is expected to get the start against Duke on Friday. Foster posted a 2.41 ERA this year on the way to being named the CAA Pitcher of the Year.
About Duke: The Blue Devils made it back into the field for the first time since 1961 by way of an at-large bid. Even though Duke had a losing record in ACC play this season, the Blue Devils hold series wins over national seed Clemson, regional host Florida State and Georgia Tech, the two seed in the Gainesville Regional. Justin Bellinger leads the offense with a .336 batting average while sitting second on the team with six homers and 31 RBI. Brian McAfee is projected to take get the ball to begin Duke's postseason run, having put together a strong campaign with a 7-4 record and 3.40 ERA. McAfee has a strong command of his pitches, evidenced by his 11 walks in 90 innings, but he will have his hands full with a dynamic UNCW offense.
Schedule
Friday, June 3
Game 1: Duke vs. UNCW, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Rhode Island vs. South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 4
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (elimination game), noon
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 5
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser (elimination game), noon
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 7
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner (if necessary), 6 p.m.