Newcomers shine in Game 3 of Garnet & Black World Series

South Carolina baseball coach Chad Holbrook has said several times he is excited about the newcomers the Gamecocks added this offseason. They offered a glimpse as to why Holbrook is eager to see what they can do this year with their play Sunday afternoon.

Black defeated Garnet 6-0 in Game 3 of the Garnet & Black World Series to take a 2-0 series lead. The teams tied in Game 1 before Black’s 3-0 win on Saturday.

All six runs scored by Black on Sunday were driven in by players who did not play for the Gamecocks last season. Freshman TJ Hopkins of Summerville provided the big blow with a two-run, opposite field home run over the right field wall. He also walked in the six-inning game.

“TJ’s a freak athlete. We’ve seen him do that in practice all the time, so it wasn’t a surprise,” Holbrook said. “It’s encouraging for the future of our team to see young players show the ability to do things like that.”

Hopkins earned first-team high school All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball last year after hitting .371 with two homers, 18 RBIs, 40 runs scored and 23 stolen bases as a senior at Summerville High. His on-base percentage was .517.

Holbrook admitted that Hopkins still has plenty to learn but said his natural ability is undeniable.

“He’s got great talent. He’s still trying to refine himself and figure out who he is. He’s a little bit raw in some spots and still learning how to play, but on some days he looks like an All-American,” Holbrook said. “You can’t hide the fact that he can hit the ball out of the park. He’s a 6.6 runner. He can play defense. He’s very athletic. The future’s bright for T.J.”

Black’s four other runs were driven in by redshirt freshman Everett Eynon and junior college transfers John Jones, Jonah Bride and Ross Grosvenor.

Bride had the best day at the plate, adding a walk and a sacrifice bunt in addition to his RBI double off the wall in left field.

“He’s been our most steady guy consistently all fall long,” Holbrook said.

While South Carolina had several offensive standouts on Sunday, Holbrook said so far this fall he has been most impressed by USC’s pitchers.

Holbrook mentioned Josh Reagan, Colie Bowers, Matt Vogel, Brandon Murray and Clarke Schmidt as guys who have pitched well but added that he has liked what he has seen from the entire pitching staff.

“They’ve surpassed my expectations up to this point. They’ve thrown remarkably well,” Holbrook said. “We’ve got some guys. We’ve got some depth, and those guys have gotten better. All in all our pitching staff has stood out to me, and it’s made me feel good as we go into January. And we’ve played pretty good defense as well.”

The Gamecocks already have several players out for the fall with injuries and got another scare on Sunday when left-hander Vince Fiori left the game with a sore left shoulder.

The senior led the Gamecocks in appearances last year with 25. Holbrook is hopeful that the injury will prove to be minor.

“He’s a little bit tender. I think he’s going to be OK. His shoulder’s bothering him a little bit, a little tight. We’ll let the doctors look at him tomorrow,” Holbrook said. “He hasn’t quite felt right, and we certainly didn’t want to push the envelope here in the fall. When he said he had a little bit of pain we felt it was best to get him out of the game.”

South Carolina continues the Garnet & Black World Series Thursday at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium. Admission is $5 and parking is $3. All proceeds from the game will go to the Salvation Army’s flood relief efforts.

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 7:21 PM with the headline "Newcomers shine in Game 3 of Garnet & Black World Series."