B
Brian Shoemaker
Guest
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Gamecock Nation Today
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Good morning and Happy Wednesday! The official start of spring is today at 5:58 p.m. EDT.
There's a spring football practice today, the softball team hosts Duke and there's a Carolina Calls with Mark Kingston.
Do you have something exciting you'd like to have mentioned in this newsletter? Go here and tell us about it.
– Brian Shoemaker (email)
-------------------------------------
Mon Denson/Credit: Chris Gillespie
1. Four things we learned from running backs coach Thomas Brown
Speaking for the first time since he's had a chance to work with his players on the field, and for just the second time since arriving in Columbia, running backs coach Thomas Brown met with the media Tuesday to discuss the progress of his position group. Here's what we learned.
Mon Denson has probably been the most consistent back
– Wes Mitchell (email)
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Dylan Harley/Credit: Chris Gillespie
2. Baseball wins in Greenville
South Carolina traveled to Greenville to face Furman on Tuesday and left with a 12-7 victory.
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Bryson Allen-Williams/Credit: Katie Dugan
3. New and notes
Football: Former Gamecocks shine in new AAF – You’re ready for the next level, but the NFL doesn’t work out like you hoped it would. For some former Gamecocks, that's where the AAF steps in. (link)
Football Recruiting: Talented underclass DB enjoys look at USC – Virginia Beach, Va., defensive back Tony Grimes is one of the top overall prospects in the 2021 class, having drawn scholarship offers from around the country, and he recently got a closer look at the USC program. (subscription)
Football: Pro Timing Day set for Thursday – The football program will hold its annual Pro Timing Day on Thursday, and 13 draft-eligible former Gamecock players are slated to work out for NFL coaches and scouts. (link)
Baseball: Carolina Calls with Mark Kingston – Carolina Calls with baseball coach Mark Kingston begins tonight. There also will be shows on Thursday, March 28 and Wednesday, April 17. Shows air from 7-8 p.m. ET on 107.5 The Game and the Gamecock Sports Network. (link)
Baseball: Music is in his blood, but baseball is Berryhill's priority – Luke Berryhill is easy to recognize even when he's not wearing his South Carolina baseball uniform. Just look for the guy wearing the cowboy hat and carrying the guitar case. (link)
Softball: Gamecocks return home to face Duke – South Carolina is set to return home for five-straight games starting today against Duke. (link)
Swimming & Diving: Gamecocks head to women's NCAA Championships – USC will have a record 12 qualifiers - 11 swimmers and one diver - at this week's women's NCAA Championships, which run from Wednesday through Saturday at the University of Texas. (link)
Beach Volleyball: Gamecocks sweep Morehead State – USC capped a seven-match streak over the last seven days with a win on Tuesday, sweeping Morehead State. (link)
Men's Golf: Gamecocks take third at Valspar Collegiate Invitational– South Carolina finished third in a 15-team field at the 2019 Valspar Collegiate Invitational. (link)
Women's Tennis: Gamarra Martins and Horvit No. 1 in ITA doubles poll – The doubles team of senior Ingrid Gamarra Martins and junior Mia Horvit was named the No. 1 tandem in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Tuesday. (link)
Patricia Moore-Pastides reflects on 10 years as first lady – "I hope that when people remember me, they will remember me for promoting those positive lifestyles that contribute to good health." (link)
Football: The Insider Report – An Alabama commitment is visiting USC, the Gamecocks' draft prospects, team notes and much more. (subscription)
Latest on Kenion, C. Smith, T. Johnson – Wes Mitchell with the latest on a trio of Gamecock signees. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Alabama OT has Gamecocks among favorites, sets official – Rivals expert Chad Simmons breaks down the latest in the recruitment of offensive tackle Javion Cohen and what chances the Gamecocks have. (subscription)
– Jackson Fields (email)
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Bryan McClendon/Credit: Katie Dugan
4. Plan your schedule accordingly ⚾
Wednesday, March 20
• Morning – Football spring practice; offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon speaks with the media after practice
• 6 pm – Softball hosts Duke, SECN+
• 6 pm – Women's Swimming & Diving, NCAA Championships (Austin)
• 7 pm – Carolina Calls featuring Mark Kingston
Thursday, March 21
• All day – Women's Swimming & Diving, NCAA Championships (Austin)
• Morning – Football Pro Timing Day; Will Muschamp speaks with the media
• 4 pm – Men's Tennis hosts Kentucky, YouTube
Friday, March 22
• All day – Women's Swimming & Diving, NCAA Championships (Austin)
• All day – Will Muschamp Football Coaches Clinic
• Morning – Football spring practice; tight ends coach Bobby Bentley speaks with the media after practice
• 1:45 – Women's Basketball vs Belmont, NCAA Tournament, (Charlotte), ESPN2
• 4:30 pm – Women's Tennis at Vanderbilt, video
• 6:30 pm – Baseball at Tennessee, SECN+
NCAA Tournament, Columbia
• Game 1: 12:40 pm – Ole Miss vs Oklahoma
• Game 2: 30 minutes after Game 1 – Virginia vs Gardner-Webb
• Game 3: 7:10 pm – Duke vs. NC Central/North Dakota St
• Game 4: 30 minutes after Game 3 – VCU vs UCF
– Jackson Fields (email)
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5. This Date in Gamecock History
March 20, 1988 – South Carolina swept Ohio State in a doubleheader, winning by scores of 9-3 and 8-7. Gamecock first baseman Adrian Adkins hit two home runs in the opener and added a third in the second game. First-game starter Joe Cardwell improved to 3-0 with the win while reliever Brian Beatson (2-0) got the win in the nightcap. USC's record stood at 13-6 on the year following the sweep.
– John Parker (gamecockarchives.com)
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6. Key Dates (Countdown) ⌚
• March 21 – Football: Pro Timing Day (1 day)
• March 22 – Muschamp Coaches Clinic (2)
• April 6 – Football: Spring game (17)
• April 25 – NFL Draft begins (36)
• May 8 – SEC Softball Tourney (49)
• May 21 – SEC Baseball Tourney (62)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days begins (117)
• July 20 – Muschamp Ladies Football Clinic (122)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (164)
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7. Birthdays and Celebrations!
Gamecock Central birthdays
• @creek cock. (Member since 1999)
• @brianlafe (2010)
• @gamecocks1291 (2016)
• @J-Man92 (2018)
If you have a Gamecock Central account - free or subscription - you can add your birthday here.
Gamecock Nation birthdays
• Kaiwan Lewis – Lewis committed to South Carolina in July before his senior season at St. Joseph's High School. He played largely on special teams as a true freshman, seeing time in 11 games. Lewis took over as the starting middle linebacker in 2013, starting 10 games and making 54 tackles, including four for losses. He would start just one game as a junior, finishing with 20 tackles in eight games. Lewis transferred to Rutgers for his final season and started all 12 games for the Scarlet Knights, totalling 69 tackles and two interceptions. He is now a coach at St. Joseph's.
• Dean Kennedy (baseball/outfielder, 1990-91)
– John Parker (gamecockarchives.com)
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8. Around Gamecock Nation
• March 27 – Greenville, President's Reception (link)
• April 10 – Give 4 Garnet (link)
• April 23 – Augusta, Spurs Up Tour
• April 24 – Midlands, Spurs Up Tour
• April 29 – Lancaster, Spurs Up Tour
• April 30 – Greenville, Spurs Up Tour
• May 2 – York, Spurs Up Tour
• May 7 – Sumter, Spurs Up Tour
• May 8 – Myrtle Beach, Spurs Up Tour
• May 9 – Atlanta, Spurs Up Tour
• May 14 – Charleston, Spurs Up Tour
Note: Will Muschamp is scheduled to appear at all of the Spurs Up Tour events. More information, including specific locations and ticket prices, will be announced as it becomes available.
– Brian Shoemaker (email)
-------------------------------------
Customize: You get to choose which breaking news alerts and newsletters to receive from Gamecock Central.
Celebrating 20 years! Established in 1998, Gamecock Central provides in-depth and insider coverage of Gamecock sports and recruiting, and is home to The Insiders Forum. Not a member of Gamecock Central? Subscribe here. Read what our members think about Gamecock Central.
NEED HELP? If you have a Gamecock Central account (free or pay) and cannot remember your password, please go to this link and enter your email address. If you don't receive an email from Rivals within five minutes, please alert me at shoe@gamecockcentral.com. The password needs to be at least nine characters, including at least one number.
DID YOU KNOW? You can receive this report (Gamecock Nation Today) early each morning in your email inbox. Sign up here.
------------------------
Gamecock Nation Today
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Good morning and Happy Wednesday! The official start of spring is today at 5:58 p.m. EDT.
There's a spring football practice today, the softball team hosts Duke and there's a Carolina Calls with Mark Kingston.
Do you have something exciting you'd like to have mentioned in this newsletter? Go here and tell us about it.
– Brian Shoemaker (email)
-------------------------------------
Mon Denson/Credit: Chris Gillespie
1. Four things we learned from running backs coach Thomas Brown
Speaking for the first time since he's had a chance to work with his players on the field, and for just the second time since arriving in Columbia, running backs coach Thomas Brown met with the media Tuesday to discuss the progress of his position group. Here's what we learned.
Mon Denson has probably been the most consistent back
- With Rico Dowdle banged up and A.J. Turner spending the first couple of weeks on defense, senior Mon Denson is the elder statesman of the running back room. That's shown through the first six practices as Brown singled out Denson as probably his most consistent performer so far.
- Brown said: "He's a tough guy, man. He's a versatile player, plays a bunch on special teams for us as well. Mon does a really good job of having a really good attitude, for the most part, every day and competing."
- As expected, the senior who spent the first five practices of the spring with the defensive backs, is back working with the running backs, the position he has played for most of his career.
- Brown said: "He's a hard-working guy, very explosive, has some maneuverability in the open field and also has some good ball skills out of the backfield. Looking forward to seeing him do more and compete more and also add more leadership to the room, which we need."
- Senior running back Rico Dowdle has spent the first part of the spring continuing to rehab a groin injury he suffered last season. But Brown says Dowdle is back this week on a limited basis doing some individual practice work and even some team drills.
- Brown said: "I thought Rico did a really good job of winning sometimes one-on-one (last season). He did a really good job of playing behind his pads, at times. Struggled at times out of the backfield from a receiving standpoint, but he's a really good all-around player."
- Asked for one particular coaching point he's hammering home with his guys this spring, the first-year Carolina assistant says that he wants for them to play with better, or lower, pad level.
- Brown said: "I think they all played too high at times, which obviously affects the way you can make guys miss in one-on-ones, but also breaking tackles in the open field or running through contact at the line of scrimmage by having good pad level."
– Wes Mitchell (email)
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Dylan Harley/Credit: Chris Gillespie
2. Baseball wins in Greenville
South Carolina traveled to Greenville to face Furman on Tuesday and left with a 12-7 victory.
- T.J. Hopkins hit two home runs and drove in four runs.
- Hopkins and Brady Allen combined to drive in eight of USC's 12 runs, going 5-for-8 with a double, two home runs and a stolen base.
- Daniel Lloyd, in his second straight midweek start, got South Carolina off to a good start. Throwing on a pitch count, he lasted 2.1 innings and gave up one run on one hit while striking out two. He only walked one batter.
- Dylan Harley came in and picked up the win, pitching 3.2 innings and giving up one run, a solo homer in the sixth, on four hits while striking out four. It was Harley's first career win.
- Pitchers hit a rough patch in the ninth with three relievers combining to give up four runs in the inning before Cam Tringali came in and recorded the final out.
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Bryson Allen-Williams/Credit: Katie Dugan
3. New and notes
Football: Former Gamecocks shine in new AAF – You’re ready for the next level, but the NFL doesn’t work out like you hoped it would. For some former Gamecocks, that's where the AAF steps in. (link)
Football Recruiting: Talented underclass DB enjoys look at USC – Virginia Beach, Va., defensive back Tony Grimes is one of the top overall prospects in the 2021 class, having drawn scholarship offers from around the country, and he recently got a closer look at the USC program. (subscription)
Football: Pro Timing Day set for Thursday – The football program will hold its annual Pro Timing Day on Thursday, and 13 draft-eligible former Gamecock players are slated to work out for NFL coaches and scouts. (link)
Baseball: Carolina Calls with Mark Kingston – Carolina Calls with baseball coach Mark Kingston begins tonight. There also will be shows on Thursday, March 28 and Wednesday, April 17. Shows air from 7-8 p.m. ET on 107.5 The Game and the Gamecock Sports Network. (link)
Baseball: Music is in his blood, but baseball is Berryhill's priority – Luke Berryhill is easy to recognize even when he's not wearing his South Carolina baseball uniform. Just look for the guy wearing the cowboy hat and carrying the guitar case. (link)
Softball: Gamecocks return home to face Duke – South Carolina is set to return home for five-straight games starting today against Duke. (link)
Swimming & Diving: Gamecocks head to women's NCAA Championships – USC will have a record 12 qualifiers - 11 swimmers and one diver - at this week's women's NCAA Championships, which run from Wednesday through Saturday at the University of Texas. (link)
Beach Volleyball: Gamecocks sweep Morehead State – USC capped a seven-match streak over the last seven days with a win on Tuesday, sweeping Morehead State. (link)
Men's Golf: Gamecocks take third at Valspar Collegiate Invitational– South Carolina finished third in a 15-team field at the 2019 Valspar Collegiate Invitational. (link)
Women's Tennis: Gamarra Martins and Horvit No. 1 in ITA doubles poll – The doubles team of senior Ingrid Gamarra Martins and junior Mia Horvit was named the No. 1 tandem in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Tuesday. (link)
Patricia Moore-Pastides reflects on 10 years as first lady – "I hope that when people remember me, they will remember me for promoting those positive lifestyles that contribute to good health." (link)
Football: The Insider Report – An Alabama commitment is visiting USC, the Gamecocks' draft prospects, team notes and much more. (subscription)
Latest on Kenion, C. Smith, T. Johnson – Wes Mitchell with the latest on a trio of Gamecock signees. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Alabama OT has Gamecocks among favorites, sets official – Rivals expert Chad Simmons breaks down the latest in the recruitment of offensive tackle Javion Cohen and what chances the Gamecocks have. (subscription)
– Jackson Fields (email)
-------------------------------------
Bryan McClendon/Credit: Katie Dugan
4. Plan your schedule accordingly ⚾
Wednesday, March 20
• Morning – Football spring practice; offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon speaks with the media after practice
• 6 pm – Softball hosts Duke, SECN+
• 6 pm – Women's Swimming & Diving, NCAA Championships (Austin)
• 7 pm – Carolina Calls featuring Mark Kingston
Thursday, March 21
• All day – Women's Swimming & Diving, NCAA Championships (Austin)
• Morning – Football Pro Timing Day; Will Muschamp speaks with the media
• 4 pm – Men's Tennis hosts Kentucky, YouTube
Friday, March 22
• All day – Women's Swimming & Diving, NCAA Championships (Austin)
• All day – Will Muschamp Football Coaches Clinic
• Morning – Football spring practice; tight ends coach Bobby Bentley speaks with the media after practice
• 1:45 – Women's Basketball vs Belmont, NCAA Tournament, (Charlotte), ESPN2
• 4:30 pm – Women's Tennis at Vanderbilt, video
• 6:30 pm – Baseball at Tennessee, SECN+
NCAA Tournament, Columbia
• Game 1: 12:40 pm – Ole Miss vs Oklahoma
• Game 2: 30 minutes after Game 1 – Virginia vs Gardner-Webb
• Game 3: 7:10 pm – Duke vs. NC Central/North Dakota St
• Game 4: 30 minutes after Game 3 – VCU vs UCF
– Jackson Fields (email)
-------------------------------------
5. This Date in Gamecock History
March 20, 1988 – South Carolina swept Ohio State in a doubleheader, winning by scores of 9-3 and 8-7. Gamecock first baseman Adrian Adkins hit two home runs in the opener and added a third in the second game. First-game starter Joe Cardwell improved to 3-0 with the win while reliever Brian Beatson (2-0) got the win in the nightcap. USC's record stood at 13-6 on the year following the sweep.
– John Parker (gamecockarchives.com)
-------------------------------------
6. Key Dates (Countdown) ⌚
• March 21 – Football: Pro Timing Day (1 day)
• March 22 – Muschamp Coaches Clinic (2)
• April 6 – Football: Spring game (17)
• April 25 – NFL Draft begins (36)
• May 8 – SEC Softball Tourney (49)
• May 21 – SEC Baseball Tourney (62)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days begins (117)
• July 20 – Muschamp Ladies Football Clinic (122)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (164)
-------------------------------------
7. Birthdays and Celebrations!
Gamecock Central birthdays
• @creek cock. (Member since 1999)
• @brianlafe (2010)
• @gamecocks1291 (2016)
• @J-Man92 (2018)
If you have a Gamecock Central account - free or subscription - you can add your birthday here.
Gamecock Nation birthdays
• Kaiwan Lewis – Lewis committed to South Carolina in July before his senior season at St. Joseph's High School. He played largely on special teams as a true freshman, seeing time in 11 games. Lewis took over as the starting middle linebacker in 2013, starting 10 games and making 54 tackles, including four for losses. He would start just one game as a junior, finishing with 20 tackles in eight games. Lewis transferred to Rutgers for his final season and started all 12 games for the Scarlet Knights, totalling 69 tackles and two interceptions. He is now a coach at St. Joseph's.
• Dean Kennedy (baseball/outfielder, 1990-91)
– John Parker (gamecockarchives.com)
-------------------------------------
8. Around Gamecock Nation
• March 27 – Greenville, President's Reception (link)
• April 10 – Give 4 Garnet (link)
• April 23 – Augusta, Spurs Up Tour
• April 24 – Midlands, Spurs Up Tour
• April 29 – Lancaster, Spurs Up Tour
• April 30 – Greenville, Spurs Up Tour
• May 2 – York, Spurs Up Tour
• May 7 – Sumter, Spurs Up Tour
• May 8 – Myrtle Beach, Spurs Up Tour
• May 9 – Atlanta, Spurs Up Tour
• May 14 – Charleston, Spurs Up Tour
Note: Will Muschamp is scheduled to appear at all of the Spurs Up Tour events. More information, including specific locations and ticket prices, will be announced as it becomes available.
– Brian Shoemaker (email)
-------------------------------------
Customize: You get to choose which breaking news alerts and newsletters to receive from Gamecock Central.
Celebrating 20 years! Established in 1998, Gamecock Central provides in-depth and insider coverage of Gamecock sports and recruiting, and is home to The Insiders Forum. Not a member of Gamecock Central? Subscribe here. Read what our members think about Gamecock Central.
NEED HELP? If you have a Gamecock Central account (free or pay) and cannot remember your password, please go to this link and enter your email address. If you don't receive an email from Rivals within five minutes, please alert me at shoe@gamecockcentral.com. The password needs to be at least nine characters, including at least one number.
