Opening Day: Lots of options, plenty of questions in USC outfield

South Carolina’s depth and talent in the infield is viewed as a team strength entering the 2015 season. The outfield, however, doesn’t have quite the same track record.

But USC coach Chad Holbrook believes a handful of pieces are there to help him complete the puzzle. He’s just going to need time to figure it out. On Opening Day, sophomore Gene Cone will start in center field and senior Connor Bright will start in right field.

Three candidates remain in the mix for left field. If shortstop Marcus Mooney is healthy enough to play, sophomore Jordan Gore will play left. If Mooney can’t play, Gore would play short and Patrick Harrington or Elliott Caldwell would take over in left.

“I feel good about putting any of those three out there. There’s probably another one or two I could put out there and feel good about it as well,” Holbrook said.

The right-handed-hitting Bright, who has 113 starts in three seasons, batted .311 with 11 doubles, both second on the team, to go with 24 RBIs a year ago despite back issues.

“I try to stay as consistent as I can,” Bright said. “That’s what I pride myself on – just staying in the game, keep swinging the bat well and being solid in the outfield.”

The left-handed-hitting Cone delivered key hits this past season in 30 starts to produce 18 RBIs, even though his average was .221. His 26 walks boosted his on-base percentage to .371, and he had a standout summer as the Coastal Plain League Hitter of the Year.

Cone believes the outfielders can step up and make an impact this season.

“We have to make all the plays we need to make and don’t try to do too much,” Cone said. “We need to help out as much as we can hitting-wise.”

Bright said he likes how Caldwell (.254, 14 RBIs) and Harrington (.172, 9 RBIs), a pair of right-handed hitters, worked so hard to win the left-field job. Left-handed-hitting freshman Clark Scolamiero also figures to play.

“We have a lot of guys out here who had great falls and great springs (in preseason),” Bright said. “It’s a good problem to have, honestly, to have a bunch of guys who can contend for the left-field spot.”

The outfield group didn’t flash much power last season, combining to hit no homers in 445 at-bats. And while they might not have the pro potential of recent outfielders such as Whit Merrifield, Jackie Bradley, Evan Marzilli and Tanner English, who were all drafted in the first 11 rounds, Holbrook likes their approach to the game as he tries to figure out the best combinations.

“I’m evaluating things as we go. I’ll evaluate practice (Thursday),” he said. “I feel comfortable with a number of guys.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 8:26 PM.