B
Brian Shoemaker
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Gamecock Nation Today
- Tuesday, May 21, 2019 -
Good morning from Gamecock Central.
Today: The baseball team plays LSU in the SEC Tournament. The game will start around 9, depending on how long the day's other games go.
Reminder: We're 102 days away from the Gamecocks playing North Carolina.
Cam Tringali/Credit: Katie Dugan
1. ⚾ USC plays LSU
Who: South Carolina (28-27 8-22 SEC) vs. LSU (34-22, 17-13 SEC)
When: TBD (will start after the Auburn-Tennessee game, which begins at 5:30 p.m.)
Where: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (Hoover, Ala.)
Watch: SEC Network
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Probable starting pitchers:
USC: RHP Cam Tringali (2-4, 4.81 ERA)
LSU: RHP Cole Henry (4-2, 3.26 ERA)
South Carolina found a way into the conference tournament with a 10-8 win over Mississippi State Saturday and its path to a potential NCAA Tournament doesn’t get any easier.
The Gamecocks know they have to win the entire tournament to get into the field of 64 and, if it happens they’ll have to go through at least four other tournament teams on their side of the bracket (No. 1 Vanderbilt
LSU comes in as the No. 5 seed in the tournament and fresh off a series win over Auburn. The Tigers, though, won’t have much to play for since they’re a lock for the tournament and likely a regional host regardless of what they do in Hoover.
It will be a hostile atmosphere playing at night against a team that brings a ravenous fan base to the SEC Tournament annually.
Up next: If South Carolina wins, they’ll advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket to play Mississippi State Wednesday night in the final game of the day. A loss and they’re eliminated from the tournament and its season is over.
– Collyn Taylor
2. Opposing running backs
It’s been well documented that South Carolina’s 2019 football slate is extremely difficult – arguably the hardest schedule in the country. Throughout the course of the challenging season, the Gamecocks will face some of the best players in the country.
This series looks at the five best players USC will face in 2019, position-by-position. We continue with running backs, which we will list in alphabetical order.
• Travis Etienne, Clemson – There will be some Heisman buzz this season if Etienne turns in the kind of season that’s expected of him. He can make people miss, bounce off would-be tacklers, and hit the home run with his speed. A dangerous player.
• Najee Harris, Alabama – USC can be thankful it won’t have to face the three-headed monster of Harris, plus Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs, the latter two having moved on to the NFL. You can bet that the Crimson Tide will have others ready to go behind Harris, but he’ll take on a bigger role this season. He’s a 6-foot-2 back with a great skill set who averaged 6.7 yards per carry last season.
• Larry Rountree, Missouri – When folks think of Missouri, they typically think of a speedy passing attack and Drew Lock. That’s a mistake, and not just because Lock is now with the Denver Broncos. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, averaging 5.4 per carry, and has nearly 2,000 in his first two seasons as a Tiger – best in school history. Rountree’s a threat to move the chains and/or to score.
• D’Andre Swift, Georgia – This Philly product only actually started five of Georgia’s 15 games last season, but he still saw a lot of the football and led the Dawgs’ rushing attack in going over 1,000 yards. He went for 186 yards against Auburn, had an 83-yard scamper against Kentucky, and is a threat catching the ball out of the backfield. Swift’s talented and fast and will be running behind a big Georgia offensive line this season.
• Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt – This senior was explosive in 2018; he led all backs in the conference by averaging 7.9 yards a rush, and also was tops in the SEC with 10 rushes of 40 or more yards. Vanderbilt may not be thought of as one of the more difficult games on USC’s brutal 2019 slate, but Vaughn is a player who can cause some problems.
– Chris Clark
3. This, that, and the other
Football: South Carolina safety enters the transfer portal - South Carolina redshirt freshman safety Jonathan Gipson has entered the famed transfer portal and will transfer from the football team. (link)
Football: The matchup, North Carolina - Early preview of the South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Week 1 college football matchup. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Carolina Confidential - The latest on South Carolina targets Tavien Feaster, Jordan Burch, and more. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Texas QB with familiar namesake talks USC offer - Garett Nussmeier is familiar with the Gamecocks' program and likes plenty about the school. (subscription)
Men's Basketball Recruiting: Ten hoops prospects to watch in the 2020 class - Barring something drastic, it looks like the Gamecocks have officially finished their 2019 class last week after picking up grad transfer Micaiah Henry to fill the class's final remaining scholarship. That means South Carolina turns its full attention to its 2020 class and they're already getting a head start to two available scholarships. (subscription)
Baseball: Another honor for Brett Kerry - Brett Kerry's phenomenal freshman year continues. (link)
Baseball: The changes contributing to Andrew Eyster's recent success - Inside the tweaks contributing to his success. (link)
Men's Tennis: Jubb advances in NCAA singles - Junior Paul Jubb survived a hard-fought first set then dominated the second to advance to the second round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship. (link)
Women's Tennis: Carolina out of singles; ready for doubles - Seniors Ingrid Martins and Paige Cline dropped their matches on the opening day of competition in the NCAA Singles Championship on Monday at the USTA National Campus. (link)
Women's Basketball: Pair of Gamecocks set for international competition this summer - Incoming freshman Aliyah Boston and rising senior Tyasha Harris were selected to compete for the United States in international competition this summer. Boston will be part of the U.S. team traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, for the 2019 FIBA Women's U19 World Cup (July 20-18). Harris was selected as part of the team representing the U.S. at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru (Aug. 6-10). (link)
Women's Golf: Williams to added to coaching staff - Head coach Kalen Anderson has hired Kevin Williams as an assistant coach. Williams joins the staff after 17 seasons with the women's golf program at East Carolina. (link)
– Jackson Fields
4. This Date in Gamecock History
May 21, 1976 – Carolina opened the postseason by winning a wild 10-inning game over Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Regional at home.
5. Birthdays!
Fred Hambright - Hambright took over as a starting halfback as a sophomore and earned all-state honors from the Associated Press and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the state’s top blocker. In 1932, he excelled on defense. It was his interception of Villanova’s Bill Cavanaugh that gave USC the ball at the VU 23 to set up the winning score in a 7-6 Gamecock victory. Hambright performed an identical feat earlier in the year, when his interception against Sewanee set up the game’s only touchdown as USC won 7-2. In 1933, his 25-yard reception for a touchdown would be the only score of the game as USC beat Clemson. He was also a three-year starter in baseball for USC, hitting .327 as a junior with a pair of home runs and .263 for his career. He went on to play professionally with the New York Yankees of the American Football League and the New York Giants of the NFL before working as an assistant coach at Newberry. He was named to the USC Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and to the USC Pre-World War II All-Time Team in 1992. Hambright was elected to the York County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Spencer Lanning (football/punter, 2006-10)
Jacob Olson (baseball/OF-3B, 2017-19)
Corey Robinson (football/offensive tackle, 2010-14)
Gerrick Taylor (football/linebacker, 1994-97)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
6. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• June 3 – MLB Draft begins (13)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days begins (55)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (60)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (102)
DID YOU KNOW? You can receive this report (Gamecock Nation Today) early each morning in your email inbox. Sign up here.
------------------------
Gamecock Nation Today
- Tuesday, May 21, 2019 -
Good morning from Gamecock Central.
Today: The baseball team plays LSU in the SEC Tournament. The game will start around 9, depending on how long the day's other games go.
Reminder: We're 102 days away from the Gamecocks playing North Carolina.
Cam Tringali/Credit: Katie Dugan
1. ⚾ USC plays LSU
Who: South Carolina (28-27 8-22 SEC) vs. LSU (34-22, 17-13 SEC)
When: TBD (will start after the Auburn-Tennessee game, which begins at 5:30 p.m.)
Where: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (Hoover, Ala.)
Watch: SEC Network
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Probable starting pitchers:
USC: RHP Cam Tringali (2-4, 4.81 ERA)
LSU: RHP Cole Henry (4-2, 3.26 ERA)
South Carolina found a way into the conference tournament with a 10-8 win over Mississippi State Saturday and its path to a potential NCAA Tournament doesn’t get any easier.
The Gamecocks know they have to win the entire tournament to get into the field of 64 and, if it happens they’ll have to go through at least four other tournament teams on their side of the bracket (No. 1 Vanderbilt
LSU comes in as the No. 5 seed in the tournament and fresh off a series win over Auburn. The Tigers, though, won’t have much to play for since they’re a lock for the tournament and likely a regional host regardless of what they do in Hoover.
It will be a hostile atmosphere playing at night against a team that brings a ravenous fan base to the SEC Tournament annually.
Up next: If South Carolina wins, they’ll advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket to play Mississippi State Wednesday night in the final game of the day. A loss and they’re eliminated from the tournament and its season is over.
– Collyn Taylor
2. Opposing running backs
It’s been well documented that South Carolina’s 2019 football slate is extremely difficult – arguably the hardest schedule in the country. Throughout the course of the challenging season, the Gamecocks will face some of the best players in the country.
This series looks at the five best players USC will face in 2019, position-by-position. We continue with running backs, which we will list in alphabetical order.
• Travis Etienne, Clemson – There will be some Heisman buzz this season if Etienne turns in the kind of season that’s expected of him. He can make people miss, bounce off would-be tacklers, and hit the home run with his speed. A dangerous player.
• Najee Harris, Alabama – USC can be thankful it won’t have to face the three-headed monster of Harris, plus Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs, the latter two having moved on to the NFL. You can bet that the Crimson Tide will have others ready to go behind Harris, but he’ll take on a bigger role this season. He’s a 6-foot-2 back with a great skill set who averaged 6.7 yards per carry last season.
• Larry Rountree, Missouri – When folks think of Missouri, they typically think of a speedy passing attack and Drew Lock. That’s a mistake, and not just because Lock is now with the Denver Broncos. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, averaging 5.4 per carry, and has nearly 2,000 in his first two seasons as a Tiger – best in school history. Rountree’s a threat to move the chains and/or to score.
• D’Andre Swift, Georgia – This Philly product only actually started five of Georgia’s 15 games last season, but he still saw a lot of the football and led the Dawgs’ rushing attack in going over 1,000 yards. He went for 186 yards against Auburn, had an 83-yard scamper against Kentucky, and is a threat catching the ball out of the backfield. Swift’s talented and fast and will be running behind a big Georgia offensive line this season.
• Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt – This senior was explosive in 2018; he led all backs in the conference by averaging 7.9 yards a rush, and also was tops in the SEC with 10 rushes of 40 or more yards. Vanderbilt may not be thought of as one of the more difficult games on USC’s brutal 2019 slate, but Vaughn is a player who can cause some problems.
– Chris Clark
3. This, that, and the other
Football: South Carolina safety enters the transfer portal - South Carolina redshirt freshman safety Jonathan Gipson has entered the famed transfer portal and will transfer from the football team. (link)
Football: The matchup, North Carolina - Early preview of the South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Week 1 college football matchup. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Carolina Confidential - The latest on South Carolina targets Tavien Feaster, Jordan Burch, and more. (subscription)
Football Recruiting: Texas QB with familiar namesake talks USC offer - Garett Nussmeier is familiar with the Gamecocks' program and likes plenty about the school. (subscription)
Men's Basketball Recruiting: Ten hoops prospects to watch in the 2020 class - Barring something drastic, it looks like the Gamecocks have officially finished their 2019 class last week after picking up grad transfer Micaiah Henry to fill the class's final remaining scholarship. That means South Carolina turns its full attention to its 2020 class and they're already getting a head start to two available scholarships. (subscription)
Baseball: Another honor for Brett Kerry - Brett Kerry's phenomenal freshman year continues. (link)
Baseball: The changes contributing to Andrew Eyster's recent success - Inside the tweaks contributing to his success. (link)
Men's Tennis: Jubb advances in NCAA singles - Junior Paul Jubb survived a hard-fought first set then dominated the second to advance to the second round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship. (link)
Women's Tennis: Carolina out of singles; ready for doubles - Seniors Ingrid Martins and Paige Cline dropped their matches on the opening day of competition in the NCAA Singles Championship on Monday at the USTA National Campus. (link)
Women's Basketball: Pair of Gamecocks set for international competition this summer - Incoming freshman Aliyah Boston and rising senior Tyasha Harris were selected to compete for the United States in international competition this summer. Boston will be part of the U.S. team traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, for the 2019 FIBA Women's U19 World Cup (July 20-18). Harris was selected as part of the team representing the U.S. at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru (Aug. 6-10). (link)
Women's Golf: Williams to added to coaching staff - Head coach Kalen Anderson has hired Kevin Williams as an assistant coach. Williams joins the staff after 17 seasons with the women's golf program at East Carolina. (link)
– Jackson Fields
4. This Date in Gamecock History
May 21, 1976 – Carolina opened the postseason by winning a wild 10-inning game over Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Regional at home.
- The Hokies got out to a 3-1 lead early, but USC catcher Greg Keatley smashed a two-run homer in the fifth that put the Gamecocks on top 4-3.
- Keatley would later add a solo home run in the eighth.
- USC pitcher Ed Lynch faltered in the ninth, giving up a game-tying triple to VT DH Paul Adams.
- Lynch held Tech scoreless in the 10th, then USC 2B Mark Van Bever led off the bottom of the inning with a single and moved to second on a passed ball.
- Jeff Grantz bunted him over to third and Van Bever scored the winning run when VT's Wayne Shelton attempted to pick him off third but threw the ball into the outfield.
- The win set up a winner's bracket between USC and Clemson.
5. Birthdays!
Fred Hambright - Hambright took over as a starting halfback as a sophomore and earned all-state honors from the Associated Press and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the state’s top blocker. In 1932, he excelled on defense. It was his interception of Villanova’s Bill Cavanaugh that gave USC the ball at the VU 23 to set up the winning score in a 7-6 Gamecock victory. Hambright performed an identical feat earlier in the year, when his interception against Sewanee set up the game’s only touchdown as USC won 7-2. In 1933, his 25-yard reception for a touchdown would be the only score of the game as USC beat Clemson. He was also a three-year starter in baseball for USC, hitting .327 as a junior with a pair of home runs and .263 for his career. He went on to play professionally with the New York Yankees of the American Football League and the New York Giants of the NFL before working as an assistant coach at Newberry. He was named to the USC Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and to the USC Pre-World War II All-Time Team in 1992. Hambright was elected to the York County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Spencer Lanning (football/punter, 2006-10)
Jacob Olson (baseball/OF-3B, 2017-19)
Corey Robinson (football/offensive tackle, 2010-14)
Gerrick Taylor (football/linebacker, 1994-97)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
6. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• June 3 – MLB Draft begins (13)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days begins (55)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (60)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (102)
