USC baseball builds momentum even with some spots unsettled
South Carolina baseball coach Chad Holbrook stated after Saturday’s doubleheader win over Northeastern that his team played just the way he envisioned that it could.
The Gamecocks played near-perfect baseball that day in all phases of the game and gave a strong glimpse what this team can be as it begins the third week of the regular season. They finished the series sweep Sunday for their sixth straight win since losing the season opener to the College of Charleston.
Having moved up one spot to No. 12 in this week’s Baseball America Top 25, USC has built real momentum as it prepares to play archrival Clemson in a three-game series this weekend.
Certainly, everything’s not perfect, as the team didn’t play nearly as well in the 6-4 win Sunday, when it allowed 15 hits, made a couple of errors as well as a bad base-running mistake, and stranded five runners in scoring position.
But the Gamecocks have played well enough to show why they’re in the Top 15 of all six national polls, even if they still appear to be in a state of flux as they approach SEC play in two weeks.
Holbrook still hasn’t settled on a left side of the infield, and he’s running through a variety of possibilities in the corner outfield spots. The catching situation also is shaping up as a platoon. Fourteen different players have started at least one game in the batting lineup. Eventually some players will emerge as the regulars, but for now Holbrook seems to be content to let them state their cases for more playing time.
First baseman Kyle Martin and second baseman Max Schrock anchor the left side of the infield, although Schrock did take a turn in left over the weekend. Schrock has not yet begun to swing the bat like he’s capable, but he has drawn a conference-leading 11 walks.
Gene Cone has locked down the job in center field with his steady play, and his hot bat in the leadoff spot is proving his big summer in the Coastal Plain League wasn't a fluke. Jordan Gore, who leads the team in RBIs, has definitely shown that he needs to play every day, whether it’s at shortstop or in left field.
A naturally gifted infielder on the defensive side, Gore’s part of a logjam that also includes Marcus Mooney, the returning starter at shortstop, and DC Arendas, the returnee at third base. Both of them also are standout defenders.
The outfield situation could continue to fluctuate, although Elliott Caldwell has gotten off to a very good start at the plate and three-year starter Connor Bright always provides steady play.
Perhaps the brightest spot in the everyday lineup to date is the bat of freshman designated hitter Alex Destino, whose impressive presence at the plate gives USC a much-needed true power hitter in the middle of the order.
The pitching staff is more settled, but Holbrook and pitching coach Jerry Meyers may move their chess pieces around a little. Sophomore right-hander Wil Crowe was pulled early in his Saturday start to limit his pitch count, which likely means he will be shifted into the Friday role for the big series with Clemson (4-2). That would put junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop, who also threw very well against Northeastern, into the Saturday spot he inhabited all of last season.
The Sunday starting role could change as well since left-hander Josh Reagan has not shown his sharpness of a year ago. Freshman right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who has allowed just one run in eight relief innings, could take over that spot. The bullpen looks solid so far, with right-hander Taylor Widener serving as the hard-throwing closer and left-hander Vince Fiori and right-hander Brandon Murray looking good in set-up roles.
This weekend series with Clemson should go a long way in determining just how ready the Gamecocks are for the long grind of conference play. Holbrook knows his team must play like it did Saturday to keep its success in recent years going against the Tigers.
This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 6:43 PM with the headline "USC baseball builds momentum even with some spots unsettled."