Junior pitcher Ridge Chapman lead the Gamecocks to a 9-0 victory on Sunday, clinching the series over the VMI Keydets.
In the rubber match against the Keydets, Chapman had six strikeouts, walked four and gave up one hit to lead the Gamecocks to victory at Founders Park on Sunday afternoon.
“When I found out I was gonna be the Sunday guy, it was just really exciting for me,” Chapman said. “I was really anxious to get out there and compete. It was just great … it’s hard to explain.”
This was Chapman’s first game in garnet and black, as he is a junior college transfer. His first start surely did not disappoint, as he did not allow any runs, silencing the Keydet bats. His strong start provided a huge spark to South Carolina on way to the shutout.
Mark Kingston, who is now 2-1 as South Carolina's head coach, had high praise for Chapman after the game.
“Overall, I thought he was outstanding," Kingston said. "In the bullpen, he came in and threw some strikes, and had a really good day."
Kingston also praised Chapman for the improvements he made before the season started, as he was a player who had a lot of uncertainty in the offseason.
“He’s a guy I’m really proud of personally right now because halfway through the fall, we didn’t know if he was gonna make it,” Kingston said. “He had to make some big adjustments … and he has done that big time.”
Chapman was not the only Gamecock pitcher who had a solid day. The Gamecocks rotated through four different pitchers on Sunday and gave up just two hits in the shutout. Freshman TJ Shook was the only other pitcher to give up a hit, while Gage Hinson and Hunter Lomas pitched three hitless innings combined in relief.
South Carolina also did not give up any runs, resulting in the first shutout for the Gamecocks since a 10-0 win over Georgia on May 20, 2017.
“We played the kind of baseball that we want to be known for,” said Kingston. “Our pitchers challenged hitters … that’s the brand of baseball that we want to play. We just want to continue to get better at it.”
The Gamecocks hope to continue this brand of baseball on Tuesday, when they host North Florida at 4 p.m. at Founders Park.