With Kingston suspended, USC assistant Monte Lee leads Gamecocks to win over Winthrop
The sight might’ve been a peculiar one for longtime fans of college baseball in South Carolina.
Monte Lee, decked out in a No. 43 garnet Gamecocks jersey, was the man who delivered USC’s lineup card to the home-plate umpire Wednesday night against Winthrop. He was the coach at the end of the dugout, calling the shots for the Gamecocks. For the last seven years, Lee had been the head coach for bitter rival Clemson.
Wednesday’s oddity was only a one-game scenario, with USC head coach Mark Kingston suspended for a game after umpires ejected him from Sunday’s home contest against Auburn. Hired as Kingston’s top assistant after Clemson fired him last summer, Lee stepped into Kingston’s vacated head role Wednesday and led the No. 3 Gamecocks (36-8, 14-6 SEC) to a 6-1 victory over the Eagles.
“I honestly didn’t make very much of it,” Lee said. “I’ve done it for 14 years as a head coach, so I have plenty of experience. It’s just been a while. I would say the butterflies right before the game kind of crept in there .... but once the game started and you get into the flow of the game, it’s up to the kids at that point. It’s just the players.”
The win at the Winthrop Ballpark was much-needed for the Gamecocks after they scuffled through just their second series loss of the season last weekend, narrowly avoiding a sweep against the Tigers with a late rally in Sunday’s game.
Battling injuries to three-quarters of their starting infield, USC’s bats cooled off against the Tigers, and runs still came at a premium for much of Wednesday’s contest — with hitters for both teams staring straight into the setting sun.
Sophomore catcher Cole Messina, playing third base due to the rash of injuries, got the scoring started for the Gamecocks with his 15th home run of the year in the second inning, but the game quickly morphed into a pitcher’s duel.
Using a full-staff approach, USC pitchers Eli Jones and Eli Jerzembeck combined to retire the first 12 batters of the game before the Eagles rallied to tie the game in the fifth on an RBI single by shortstop Ramses Cordova.
An inning later, Winthrop nearly inched ahead on a two-out single, but USC left fielder Caleb Denny threw a strike to catcher Jonathan French, who laid down a perfect tag to get the would-be go-ahead runner out. That play might’ve been what USC needed to capture momentum.
French opened the next half inning with a leadoff home run — one of three seventh-inning homers for the Gamecocks that broke the game open. Freshman second baseman Will Tippett followed with his second career home run, and fellow freshman Ethan Petry clubbed his team-leading 21st to expand the lead to 5-1.
French’s starring role in the win is fitting considering the former Clemson catcher also played for Lee with the Tigers before transferring to USC. On Wednesday, French and his former head coach joined forces again to lead USC to victory.
“Obviously, he was my head coach at Clemson and we had a lot of good times,” French said. “I think just seeing the team kind of get behind him and make this kind of an easier game for him and kind of taking the weight off his shoulders a little bit kind of helped him.
“You can tell that he was still relaxed. He hadn’t lost the head coach poise. I’m proud of him for doing what he needed to do.”
Next four USC baseball games
Friday: at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Saturday: at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Sunday: at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
Tuesday: vs. North Florida, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 8:49 PM.
