Gamecocks focused on what they can control entering Alabama series

South Carolina is well aware of its place in the SEC race entering this season’s final series at Alabama, but the 10th-ranked Gamecocks also know they can’t pay too much attention to what’s happening around the league.

USC (39-13, 17-9) has a chance to win the conference with a strong showing against the Crimson Tide, and some help. It could also finish as low as eighth place and miss a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament, where byes are awarded to the top four teams in the conference.

The Gamecocks are a game back of Florida, and a half-game behind Mississippi State and Texas A&M entering this weekend’s series at Alabama. Ole Miss, LSU, Vanderbilt and the Crimson Tide still have a chance to pass USC, depending on what happens in the next three days.

“We’re just going to worry about ourselves and try to play the best that we can and put ourselves in the best position to win the first game Thursday night,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said. “We’ll worry about all of that other stuff Saturday afternoon and see where we stand.”

South Carolina doesn’t control its own destiny in the SEC or SEC East, but it can clinch a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament by sweeping Alabama (31-21, 15-12), regardless of what happens in other series.

A bye allows USC’s pitching staff to rest because the Gamecocks wouldn’t have to play in Hoover, Ala. until Wednesday.

“If you finish in the top four in the league, it’s a great accomplishment. If you finish in the middle of the league, you can still win a national championship,” Holbrook said. “I think Arkansas last year finished in the middle of the pack, and they were in the College World Series.”

The Gamecocks are feeling better about their chances now than they were after Saturday night’s loss to Texas A&M. USC was 3-for-40 with runners in scoring position and had struggled to score runs in five straight games entering the series finale with the Aggies on Sunday, before scoring double digit runs on double digit hits in back-to-back wins over Texas A&M and The Citadel.

“It’s been encouraging for everybody because we’ve gotten contributions from a number of people,” said DC Arendas, who hit a grand slam Tuesday. “We’ve got to continue to stack quality at-bat on top of quality at-bat this weekend.”

South Carolina had lost four straight conference games prior to a 10-7 win over Texas A&M on Sunday. Holbrook said he’s hopeful after scoring 26 runs in the past two games, his offense is out of its slump.

“As a group, as a team, I think our guys have taken a deep breath and a sigh of relief and feel good about the important games ahead,” he said. “The psychology of this sport is so important, so hopefully our guys are in a good place.”