South Carolina reshuffles rotation ahead of NCAA tournament opener

South Carolina baseball's staff ace will kick things off for the Gamecocks in their NCAA tournament opener on Friday, as the team announced junior right-hander Adam Hill will start against Ohio State in Greenville, North Carolina.

Though Hill is widely acknowledged to be USC's top pitcher and is second in the SEC opponent's batting average, he has not led off a series or tournament for coach Mark Kingston's club in nearly two months, as freshman Logan Chapman took over that role April 12 against Arkansas and has held it ever since, with the exception of the SEC tourney, where freshman Carmen Mlodzinski did.

Ohio State will counter with its own ace, junior lefty Connor Curlis, who has a 7-4 record and 3.81 ERA. Hill has a 7-5 record with a 4.08 ERA.

According to the Charleston Post and Courier, regional host East Carolina will also go with its ace for Game 1, throwing junior right-hander Chris Holba, who has a 9-1 record to go with a 2.45 ERA, against UNC-Wilmington. The Seahawks' starter has not yet been announced.

Kingston said Tuesday that USC has four starters it can consider for the regional — Hill, Chapman, Mlodzinski and sophomore Cody Morris. Depending on how the regional plays out, the Gamecocks could theoretically have to use all of them.

Friday schedule

Game 1: South Carolina (33-24) vs. Ohio State (36-22), 2 p.m. (ESPN2)

Game 2: East Carolina (43-16) vs. UNC Wilmington (37-21), 7 p.m. (WatchESPN)

Ticket info: All-session ticket books are available for $90, $72 and $60 depending on seat locations, while tickets for single sessions (games) — priced at $15, $12 and $10 — will go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. Tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone by calling (800) DIAL-ECU or (252) 737-4500 during normal business hours through Thursday.

This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 1:02 PM with the headline "South Carolina reshuffles rotation ahead of NCAA tournament opener."