Yet, watch, UK will be a higher seed in the dance. Living on the name.

I realize the real tests are coming up but, it's Springtime and it just feels good, to feel good, again.

Time for the Big Boys! Why not us?

Like Jack Palance used to say .... "Confidence is very sexy1"

Updated story from today with quotes from Mark Kingston, Jack Mahoney and Caleb Denny. I will have more quotes and breakdown of the weekend in a subscriber story later as the team goes into SEC play.

Live updates from the press box at Founders Park as South Carolina baseball finishes its last series of non-conference play today with a doubleheader. Two games today:

- First game at 1 p.m.
- 45 minutes between the two games
- The 10-run rule will be used
- Noah Hall and Jack Mahoney are the scheduled South Carolina starters

Homeplate ump is taking the strike zone to the extreme....

Reminds me a little of Mark "The Bird" Fydrich....

Here's the story from the first game tonight on the bottom of the lineup, a perfect relay and another huge game from the offense. Back with a doubleheader tomorrow.

Also this quote didn't make the cut, but Mark Kingston had an interesting one about Will Sanders I wanted to share:

"I thought he was pretty good, again. You want to see him dominate. You have such high standards for Will Sanders that I think it's hard for him to ever live up to our standards for him because we just think so much of him. But again three earned runs in six innings, eight strikeouts, one walk, it's very workmanlike I would call it. But I still think he has another level."

Hello from Founders Park, where the final series of non-conference play will start tonight. South Carolina is hosting Bethune-Cookman for three games, with the last two coming in a daoubleheader tomorrow to beat the rain on Sunday.

Will Sanders has the ball, looking to bounce back from a shaky outing last week at Clemson. Caleb Denny retains his place as the lead-off hitter.

First pitch coming up at 7 p.m.

With heavy rain in the forecast all day Sunday, South Carolina baseball is getting out ahead of things and scheduling the three-game weekend series against Bethune-Cookman as one game tonight and a dobuleheader on Friday.

Saturday will now start at 1 p.m. instead of the original 4 p.m. with two nine-inning games and a 45-minute break between them. Friday's game is still scheduled for 7 p.m.

Probable pitching matchups:
Friday:
Will Sanders vs. Louis Lipthratt

Saturday
Noah Hall vs. Nolan Santos
Jack Mahoney vs. Daniel Gaviria

More info on tickets/parking:

Williams will be on campus this month; he previews the visit with Rivals:

For anyone that has been watching conference tournaments, I'm hoping someone can answer this question. Did my eyes deceive me or did I see Darrin Horn as N. Kentucky head basketball coach?

As a Gators fan, for the future three permanent games I want Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn. I like geography and tradition. Those are the three closest SEC schools to Gainesville. Georgia and Auburn are historical rivals. We played Auburn for like 75 or so years straight before the 2012 conference rescheduling. South Carolina is regionally, geographically, culturally, topographically, politically, and climate similar to Northeast Florida. Plus I live in SC so being able to catch the Gators up here every other year is fine for me.

Who do you guys want for your permanent three?

It's made by the Palmetto Sauce Co.

I'd like to find a good bottled mustard BBQ sauce for quick weekday grilling. Any suggestions?

Not out at Fluor Field tonight, but I do have live updates for you on the second midweek game in as many nights.

Matthew Becker will make his first start of the season on the mound, and Carson Hornung is back in the lineup.

Need Jackson to have a big night this evening. He did not play too many minutes the last time South Carolina played Mississippi.

.

Live updates as the Gamecocks attempt to keep their season alive against the Rebels, who they split a 2-game regular season series with.

I ALWAYS order the large fries.

WHOA!!! To me, it's the punch in the face, early, that will decide our overall record. I NEVER support injuries as an excuse. This season just might change my way of thinking.

Exclusive locker room quotes from the SEC champs:

Kamilla Cardoso:

"It feels great. I'm so proud of every single one of these girls. I think we played our asses off. I think we did a great job, we shared the ball, our defense was incredible and I just think we did what we have to do."

<Talaysia Cooper interrupts my next question to say "Kamilla is the GOAT" while patting her on the shoulders>

On putting the game away:
"I think we just stayed locked in. We stayed poised. We were just playing possession by possession."

Aliyah Boston:
On cutting the nets, which she had a little bit of trouble with:
"I always try to get a bigger piece. I'm just not good at cutting," she said while laughing pretty hard

On the game:
"I think we played well. I think we all stepped up and we competed for 40 minutes. Tennessee continued to come back and hit big shots, Rickea and Jordan did that. We just fought."

On her start:
"That was my goal. I wanted to be aggressive, and it worked out that I started like that."

On the seniors:
"We just stayed levelheaded no matter what throughout the entire game. We just knew that we had to take control of the game or at least try to at least early because Tennessee is a great team. They came back from being down, so it's not like 'oh we have a lead, they're not capable of coming back." We know that they are."

On Horston and Jackson:
"Tough players make great plays and that's just who they are. They are great players, they're tough players and they were determined to get to their spots. I think they were able to do that. As the game we went on we tried to make it more difficult. If they hit a shot, they hit a shot and we just take the ball out and go down. It's not like we can stop them, because they're great."

Brea Beal:

On the 4th quarter defense:
"I think it just comes to a point where whether it's halftime or in timeouts, we're able to adjust. We're able to talk to each other and tell each other what we can do better, especially when you have great coaches like our coaching staff. We have very knowledgable players that are willing to listen, learn and repeat what they hear."

On defending Horston in the second half:
"I think for me personally it was just really trying to avoid foul trouble and not being as physical and aggressive. In the fourth quarter I was able to gamble a little bit. If I get a foul, I get a foul. It was really just that aspect and locking in and showing her different coverages."

On winning another title:
It's a surreal feeling. I"m sure when we all have gradauted and we have left, we're going to thank everyone for putting us in these positions and thank God for allowing us to be here.

On savoring the moments:
I think freshman and sophomore years when you're winning it's like, 'okay we won, congrats let's go home.' But when when it's getting close to the end of the road, time slows down and you look around. You're not so much on your phone recording, you're just kind of seeing the confetti fall and watching people cut down nets because it's probably the last time we will see it.

Laeticia Amihere:

On cutting down the net:
"Honestly it just reminds me of great times. It reminds me of last year's championship, it reminds me of the Final Four, it was just a great moment to be up there."

On Horston:
"She's talented, of course. She's going to be in the league. We just had to make sure that we executed our defense."

On the mindset going into the tournament:
"First, get some rest. I think that's crucial. And then get back to work. We know how it feels to get in that stretch, so we know what we have to do."

Raven Johnson (who had a fistful of confetti inside her hat that she was wearing):

On cutting down the net:
"We did it, but we're not done. We have six more games. We haven't won the big game that we want to win, which is the National Championship. This just gave us confidence to go into the next six games disciplined and do what we have to do."

On her conversations with Kierra:
"Kierra, my hat goes off to her. She was in my ear giving me confidence that I could go out there and run the team and trust my instincts."

She also said this was the most minutes she's played in a game since high school.

"The way we are right now, I don't think anybody can beat us honestly. We are all as one. Coach Staley has created a dynasty here, and our FAMs bring us so much energy. When them being in the stands cheering us on, we're definitely going to have a great shot."

Zia Cooke:
"I was definitely excited we were able to get the win, but I know that we're not finished. It feels good to win. It's something we want to do, and we don't expect anything less from our team."

On savoring moments:
"I'm taking it in for sure. Winning is the only thing that we want to do, and we're not done yet."


Victaria Saxton:
"Tennessee is a physical team, they're really, really good. They're great on the boards as well, so we knew that would be a challenge for us."

On the title:
"We got it back. We were just locked in on today."

Bree Hall:

On her 3-pointer:
"I had sat out the previous 3-pointers, and just coming in there I thought I have to be as confident as I can. Coach was in my ear telling me to be ready, and I think I was."

On Horston and Jackson:
"Horston and Jackson were amazing. They played very, very well. They're two amazing, very talented players and I think we just played good defense. I think our defense is really, really good."

On the 4th quarter:
"I think our defense is really just the big thing. We play so many defenses and different things are so huge, our guards are so athletic, so I think it's really hard for other teams to score on us.


Chloe Kitts:
"It's crazy. I never thought it would be like this, especially coming in halfway through the year. I knew we were good, but when I got here I didn't know we were this good."

On Zia flipping the switch:
I have no idea (how she does it). I hope I'm going to be like that when it's my time. I don't know how she does that, but she's really good. We all look up to her.


Olivia Thompson:
"I'm just really, really proud of this group. Not just my class, but the whole team. We had some really standout performances this tournament. Raven the starting point guard in the championship game was just amazing, and I think Laeticia's enteire tournament was domiannt. Even though she didn't score as many points as she did the first two games, we really felt her presence. I think that's what really separates us from a lot of teams, our depth."

On Zia getting going:
Once Zia hits one, I mean, she's going to keep hitting them from there. I'm just super proud of her and her hard work and just keeping those head up. When she missed those (first) four shots she doesn't get down on herself. She just keeps going on to the next shot mentality, and that's really major.