Mark Kingston on the one trait that powered South Carolina to a crucial SEC sweep
In the span of six days last week, South Carolina baseball went from being swept to busting out the brooms itself, rebounding from a dispiriting series against Georgia to post a dominant effort against Tennessee.
In between, coach Mark Kingston's Gamecocks also took down Davidson, completing a perfect 4-0 week that elevated them from the bottom of the SEC East standings into a tie for fourth place.
"A week ago at this time, we were at a low point, but we rallied together — coaches, players — we rallied together," Kingston said. "We've had more injuries than maybe I've ever seen a team have, and guys are stepping up and guys are helping us win in all kinds of ways. Just really proud."
USC did so without four starters, all of whom have been sidelined by injury — center fielder TJ Hopkins, designated hitter Noah Campbell, shortstop Madison Stokes and second baseman Justin Row. As a result, Kingston has been forced to juggle his defensive assignments, at one point moving outfielder Jacob Olson to second base, shifting backups Kyle Jacobsen and Danny Blair into starting spots,
In another game, he shifted regular third baseman Jonah Bride to second and moved catcher Chris Cullen to third, a position he has never played at the collegiate level. But their willingness to switch positions and do what it takes is exactly what powered the team to its sweep of the Volunteers, Kingston said.
"We have a catcher playing third, a third baseman playing second, (LT Tolbert) has been playing all over the field, and I think that speaks to the unselfishness of this team right now," Kingston said. "To me, that's a very important trait for a program to have, to have players who are unselfish. (Pitcher Eddy Demurias) is another example. Eddy has started for us this year, he's been a middle guy, and now, he's currently our closer. We have a lot of guys right now who are selling out for the team, who are willing to do whatever is needed for this team, and that's why we had a great week."
That commitment will be tested this week as the Gamecocks' schedule gets significantly more difficult with a neutral-site midweek game against North Carolina on Tuesday, then a road weekend series with No. 7/9 Kentucky.
In particular, Tuesday's game in Charlotte against the Tar Heels will bring back plenty of memories of last year's 20-5 drubbing at the hands of UNC, and that's tempering some of the team's exuberance from this past weekend.
"It's really important to feel good on this one, taste that sweetness, but at the same time stay even-keeled, look forward," Olson said after Saturday's win.
"We got plenty more in front of us," Cullen added.
News on the injury front was a mixed bag after Saturday — Stokes pinch hit for one at-bat and looked solid, while Row's MRI came back negative, but Kingston said his injured players are "still injured" and did not offer a timeline for any of their returns.
Still, Kingston said he is not accepting any excuses for subpar play.
"If you have Carolina across your chest, you should expect to play well no matter what your last name is," he said. "If you're a Gamecock, you should expect to go out there and help us win the game. That's our mindset."
NEXT
What: South Carolina vs. North Carolina
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte
Probable pitchers: USC — Fr. RHP Logan Chapman (2-0, 3.60 ERA); UNC — Jr. RHP Rodney Hutchinson (3-1 4.66 ERA)
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: 107.5 FM
This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Mark Kingston on the one trait that powered South Carolina to a crucial SEC sweep."