How South Carolina’s pitching plan could play out for rest of super regional
South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston didn’t tip his hand about the team’s pitching plans before the Gainesville Super Regional. With the Gamecocks dropping Friday’s game to host Florida 5-4, those plans have come into clearer focus.
A silver lining to USC’s Friday loss is that the Gamecocks only used three pitchers, giving them a plethora of options for Saturday’s do-or-die elimination game in the NCAA Tournament.
Junior right-hander Jack Mahoney will get the ball to start, Kingston confirmed Friday night, and the move makes all the sense in the world given Mahoney’s propensity to deliver in key moments. After missing last season due to Tommy John surgery, Mahoney established himself as USC’s de facto ace and most consistent starter this season.
Featuring a fastball that touches 96 mph and a swing-and-miss slider and changeup, Mahoney is 7-3 with a 4.05 ERA this season, striking out 80 and walking 25 in 80 innings. When USC was going through its late-season rut and dropped four straight SEC series, Mahoney was the team’s stopper. He threw gems in series losses at Arkansas and against Tennessee to avoid sweeps, helping keep USC afloat in the hosting race.
Now, Mahoney is tasked with trying to save the Gamecocks’ season. The winner of the best-of-three super regional goes to the College World Series.
“Jack’s a very good pitcher,” Kingston said of his rationale for starting Mahoney. “He’s very competitive. He’s a guy that this team loves playing behind.”
Given what’s at stake, expect plenty of action in the bullpen if Mahoney runs into trouble. The only pitchers who likely won’t be available for the Gamecocks on Saturday are Hicks and former ace Will Sanders, who threw 46 pitches in relief of Hicks on Friday.
The length of Sanders’ appearance on Friday was somewhat of a surprise, with speculation that he could start Game 3 — should the Gamecocks make it there. Sanders missed the last four weeks of the season with a lower-body injury and was eased back into action with two bullpen appearances in the Columbia Regional. Kingston said that using Sanders in Game 1 was by design. He should be available to pitch out of the bullpen again in Game 3, if it’s played.
“The game was in the balance, and we said, ‘If the game would be in a balance, Will will be used,’ ” Kingston said. “This gives us the ability to use him twice. And that’s probably what we will do.”
Reliever Nick Proctor was the only other pitcher to appear and threw just 17 pitches, keeping him fresh for the weekend. In crunch time on Saturday, the Gamecocks could turn to closer Chris Veach, long man Eli Jones or late-inning reliever Cade Austin — all of whom have pitched in key roles for USC throughout the season.
If the Gamecocks are able to advance to the next game, left-hander Matthew Becker would make sense as a third starter. He started the third game in both the SEC Tournament and Columbia Regional.
Gainesville Super Regional
Friday
Game 1: Florida 5, South Carolina 4
Saturday
Game 2: South Carolina vs. Florida, 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday
Game 3: South Carolina vs. Florida, if necessary (Game time and channel TBA)
NCAA Baseball Tournament schedule, scores
— Virginia vs. Duke, at Charlottesville —
- Game 1: Duke 5, Virginia 4
- Game 2: noon Saturday (ESPN2)
- Game 3: TBD Sunday/if necessary (TV TBD)
— Oregon vs. Oral Roberts, at Eugene —
- Game 1: Oregon 9, Oral Roberts 8
- Game 2: 9 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU)
- Game 3: TBD Sunday/if necessary (TV TBD)
— TCU vs. Indiana State, at Fort Worth —
- Game 1: TCU 4, Indiana State 1
- Game 2: 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU)
- Game 3: TBD Sunday/if necessary (TV TBD)
— Wake Forest vs. Alabama, at Winston-Salem —
- Game 1: noon Saturday (ESPN)
- Game 2: TBD Sunday (TV TBD)
- Game 3: TBD Monday/if necessary (TV TBD)
— Stanford vs. Texas, at Stanford —
- Game 1: 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2)
- Game 2: TBD Sunday (TV TBD)
- Game 3: TBD Monday/if necessary (TV TBD)
— LSU vs. Kentucky, at Baton Rouge —
- Game 1: 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
- Game 2: TBD Sunday (TV TBD)
- Game 3: TBD Monday/if necessary (TV TBD)
— Southern Miss vs. Tennessee, at Hattiesburg —
- Game 1: 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU)
- Game 2: TBD Sunday (TV TBD)
- Game 3: TBD Monday/if necessary (TV TBD)
This story was originally published June 10, 2023 at 7:11 AM.
