USC baseball team trying to rebuild confidence against Vandy

The South Carolina baseball team’s veterans understand the gravity of their situation.

The Gamecocks have lost 12 of their past 18 games, including nine of 12 in SEC play, and the window is closing on their chances to have a strong season.

After giving up 38 runs in three blowout losses to Florida last weekend and dropping a midweek game to Presbyterian, the Gamecocks (23-15) must find a way to get this season turned around.

No. 5 Vanderbilt (28-10), the defending national champs, comes to Carolina Stadium for a three-game series that begins Thursday. Junior second baseman Max Schrock (.317, 27 RBIs) believes it’s a matter of rediscovering the bounce in their step that led to a 17-3 record to start the year.

“We’re not too deflated. All those guys in that locker room still want to go out there and win ballgames. There’s no giving up,” Schrock said. “We’re still going to play every game as hard as we can. It’s been frustrating, but a few guys just need a few knocks to fall here or there to build some confidence back up.

“Everyone’s confidence right now is pretty low because we’ve been losing, but we can turn it around real quick.”

USC learned this week that top starter Wil Crowe will miss the rest of the season with a torn elbow ligament that will require surgery. That’s going to further stretch the rest of a pitching staff that has struggled in recent weeks.

Junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop (4-4, 3.20 ERA) said USC can recover from the extended slump.

“We need to start playing our best baseball at this point in the season and try to get some momentum going and ride that on through the rest of the year,” Wynkoop said. “Everybody is going to play loose and have fun and just enjoy the game. We’re so lucky to be here playing for the Gamecocks. It’s a great program. We’re going to do everything we can to turn this around.”

USC’s inconsistency each game – propelled in large part by an unsettled lineup due to players underachieving – has created a tight team that now doubts itself.

“Are they a little bit taken aback with what’s occurred? I think so,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said. “They’re human beings and they’re kids. I also think that with each baseball game comes great opportunity. That’s the way we have to look at it. I hope their attitude is let’s go play a great game.”

The Commodores, who lead the SEC East with an 11-4 mark, have lost four of their past five games, including a pair of midweek contests. But they still have one of the nation’s top pitchers, right-hander Carson Fulmer (6-1, 1.89 ERA), taking the mound for the first game.

“Somebody has got to step up and get the big hit or make the big play,” Holbrook said. “I can’t do that part for them.”

Senior outfielder Elliott Caldwell (.375, 24 RBIs) said the Gamecocks can win the five SEC series remaining despite the difficulty of the schedule. He sees no quit in his teammates at a program that has made 15 straight NCAA tournament appearances.

“We can’t give up. We’ve got to keep fighting,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got to keep plugging away no matter what the circumstances are.”

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Holbrook is not ready to write this season off.

“I believe we’re still good enough to put ourselves in a good enough position to win,” he said. “It’s going to take as good of baseball as we’ve played.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 9:24 PM with the headline "USC baseball team trying to rebuild confidence against Vandy."