South Carolina’s pitching rotation takes shape for Opening Weekend
South Carolina baseball head coach Mark Kingston gave a first glimpse into who will be in the pitching rotation for the Gamecocks’ opening series this weekend against UNC Greensboro.
In a radio appearance on 107.5 The Game’s Halftime Show, Kingston said the Gamecocks will likely go with Will Sanders, James Hicks and Josiah Sightler on the mound this weekend.
The Gamecocks announced their finalized rotation on Wednesday, confirming Sanders, Hicks and Sightler for USC’s opening series.
Absent from this weekend’s plan is Julian Bosnic, one of USC’s go-to relief pitchers who started in four games last season. Bosnic is recovering from a flexor strain in his elbow, and Kingston said it’s unlikely he’ll play in the Gamecocks’ first series this weekend.
“(There is) a good chance you won’t see him opening weekend,” Kingston said. “It’s nothing major, but we’re gonna be safe because we need to make sure he’s ready for the end of the season much than on the front end.”
Bosnic finished his third season with the Gamecocks in 2021 with a 2.84 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 50.2 innings pitched before he was selected in the 16th round of the draft by the San Francisco Giants. He announced his return to the Gamecocks in July.
“You’re not going to take chances early in the season with guys that can help you win the biggest games at the end of the year,” Kingston said. “Other guys will have to step up until he’s back.”
Kingston mentioned Sanders first when discussing pitchers who would step up this weekend. Sanders, a sophomore right-handed pitcher who made 22 appearances with 10 starts as a freshman last season, finished 2021 with a 3.54 ERA, a save and 54 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.
Hicks is a junior college transfer from Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., where he played from 2020-21. The right-handed pitcher from Conway, Arkansas, pitched with a 4.28 ERA, 89 strikeouts and eight complete games in 90.1 innings last season.
Sightler made 51 starts last season and started the majority of time in the infield. He appeared in five games on the mound and made two starts, recording a 4.70 ERA weight eight strikeouts in 2021.
Kingston said Sightler has made “some nice progress” with new pitching coach Justin Parker in the offseason. Parker is in his first season with USC after spending the last three years as the pitching coach at Indiana.
South Carolina baseball opens Friday with a weekend series against UNC Greensboro at Founders Park. First pitch is at 4 p.m., and all three games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus. Saturday’s game starts at 12:30 p.m., with Sunday’s game beginning at 1:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 1:38 PM.
