B
Brian Shoemaker
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Gamecock Nation Today
- Friday, May 17, 2019 -
Good morning from Gamecock Central.
Yesterday: The baseball team lost, 24-7, to Mississippi State.
Today: The softball team plays South Florida (NCAA Regional) at noon, the women's tennis team plays Duke (NCAA Regional) at 7 and the baseball team plays Mississippi State at 7:30. See Section 4 for viewing information.
Reminder: The SC Legends Baseball Camp is tomorrow (info)
Lovasea Carroll
1. Projecting running back commit Lovasea Carroll's ranking
Warrenton (Ga.) Warren County class of 2021 athlete Lovasea Carroll made an early commitment to South Carolina last month - the earliest pledge in a recruiting cycle during the Will Muschamp era to date. Carroll's commitment comes before Rivals.com has ranked the 2021 class, but that doesn't stop us from projecting what his ranking might be.
• Carroll, who South Carolina is recruiting as a running back, rushed for 1,446 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, so the production at the position is certainly there, but he's much more than just that as a prospect.
• The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Carroll is categorized as an "athlete" on Rivals.com due to his ability to play multiple positions at a high level. He lines up at wildcat quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive back for his high school team, and there's even speculation that he could grow into an outside linebacker by the time the rising junior hits a college program.
Carroll's versatility makes him an intriguing prospect. From a skillset standpoint, he's got great feet, speed, ball skills and physicality. On offense, he's a threat to score every time he touches the ball. On defense, he can deliver the big hit as well as go take the ball away in the air.
• A prospect's offer list shouldn't serve as a factor in his ranking, but it does offer an early indication on what level of prospect he's capable of becoming. With early offers from South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame and Tennessee - and more surely set to come - he's got the early offer list of a national level prospect.
• Warren County head coach Cherard Freeman spoke with Gamecock Central this week and gave his take on his star player:
"He's physical. You can tell him one thing and he can do it. All these people that are recruiting him, some say he's going to play safety, some say cornerback, some say running back, some say outside linebacker. That just tells you how versatile he is. He can play slot receiver. The kid is 6-foot-1, 192-pounds. You're talking about a 10.6 100 meter. That's blazing speed. He can do everything. He can tackle; he's very physical. He can do it all."
• Adding together all of the above and we'd give Carroll a four-star ranking with a 5.9 marker, essentially a mid-four-star prospect in the Rivals ranking system.
That would likely put him among the Top 200 overall prospects in his class, and one of the Top 15 at the athlete position, with a chance to move up in the rankings as his future position becomes more clear.
2. ⚾ USC loses big to Mississippi State
The Gamecocks gave up season highs in runs (24) and hits (22) as they dropped the opener at Dudy Noble Field 24-7 and watched as the margin of error to get into the SEC Tournament shrink to razor thin.
It's the worst loss since losing 19-1 against Kentucky in 2017 and the first time they've given up 20 or more runs twice in a season since 1997.
“As bad as this was, as ugly as it is, it still only counts as one against you. You don’t get extra credit for how many runs they score," Mark Kingston said. "If things don’t go your way, you come out ready to go tomorrow.”
SEC Tournament: All battling for the final spot in the SEC Tournament, South Carolina, Kentucky and Alabama lost Thursday night.
What it means? South Carolina needs to win one more game than Alabama this weekend and do the same, if not better, than Kentucky to clinch the No. 12 seed.
Up next: The Gamecocks try to even the series and get a much-needed win Friday night in game two. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network Plus with Reid Morgan (4-5, 3.79 ERA) on the mound.
• Friday, 7:30 p.m., SECN+, radio
• Saturday, 2 p.m., SECN+, radio
Related: Gamecocks rocked in series opener
– Collyn Taylor
3. This, that, and the other
Women's Tennis: No. 4 Gamecocks prepped for No. 5 Duke in quarterfinals - The women's tennis team continues its history-making season as it faces Duke on Friday in the NCAA Championships Quarterfinals (link)
Football Recruiting: The Insider Report - New names to watch in the 2020 class, a key walk-on, and more on Tavien Feaster. (subscription)
Men's Basketball: What Micaiah Henry could potentially bring to South Carolina - Analyzing the potential addition of the graduate transfer big man. (subscription)
Men's Golf: Stevens, Miles named all-SEC - Senior Scott Stevens was named first-team all-SEC and fellow senior Will Miles was named second-team all-SEC. (link)
Track & Field: NCAA announces East Regional qualifiers - The track & field program learned its postseason fate as 2019 NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round qualifiers were announced. The Gamecocks will send 22 individual entries and three relay squads to Jacksonville, Fla., from May 23-25. (link)
Women's Golf: Go earns academic honor - USC junior Lois Kaye Go has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's At-Large District 4 Team. (link)
Softball: Gamecocks have three named to all-region team - For the second-consecutive year, the softball team had three players claim spots on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Southeast Region teams. Jana Johns, Cayla Drotar and Alyssa Kumiyama earned spots on the third team. (link)
Swimming & Diving: Lujan earns academic all-district honors - USC senior diver Mikaela Lujan was one of 12 female student-athletes named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 4 Women's At-Large First Team. (link)
– Jackson Fields
4. ⌚ Plan your schedule
Friday, May 17
12 pm - Softball: vs South Florida, NCAA Regional, SECN
7 pm - Women's Tennis: vs Duke, NCAA Regional, video
7:30 pm - Baseball: at Mississippi State, SECN+, radio
Saturday, May 18
TBD - Softball: vs TBD, NCAA Regional
2 pm - Baseball: at Mississippi State, SECN+, radio
– Jackson Fields
5. This Date in Gamecock History
May 17, 2001 – Lee Gronkiewicz set a new school record by recording his 16th save of the year in a 5-4 win over Auburn.
6. Birthdays!
George Rush - Rush signed with the Gamecocks over N.C. State, Clemson and East Carolina. He redshirted in 1986 after suffering a knee injury in fall camp. A dislocated elbow kept him out of two games in 1987, but he caught 17 passes backing up Kevin White and Hardin Brown at wingback. Rush worked as a top backup at wide receiver in 1988. He played in all 11 games in 1989, catching five passes and a touchdown in the 21-10 win over Georgia Tech while also catching a touchdown in the win over Georgia. As a senior, he was moved to the H-Back position. Rush also played on the Gamecock baseball team, from 1989-1991, hitting .294 over 84 games with 33 RBI and 26 stolen bases.
Brian Arnold (football/cornerback, 2001-04)
Hardin Brown (football/wide receiver, 1984-88)
Hardin Brown (baseball/outfield, 1987-89)
Mike Reddick (football/running back, 1991-95)
Mike Tarter (baseball/catcher, 1991-94)
Brad Terry (football/linebacker, 2009)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
7. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• May 18 – SC Legends Baseball Camp (1 day)
• May 21 – SEC Baseball Tourney (4)
• June 3 – MLB Draft begins (17)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days begins (59)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (64)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (106)
DID YOU KNOW? You can receive this report (Gamecock Nation Today) early each morning in your email inbox. Sign up here.
------------------------
Gamecock Nation Today
- Friday, May 17, 2019 -
Good morning from Gamecock Central.
Yesterday: The baseball team lost, 24-7, to Mississippi State.
Today: The softball team plays South Florida (NCAA Regional) at noon, the women's tennis team plays Duke (NCAA Regional) at 7 and the baseball team plays Mississippi State at 7:30. See Section 4 for viewing information.
Reminder: The SC Legends Baseball Camp is tomorrow (info)
Lovasea Carroll
1. Projecting running back commit Lovasea Carroll's ranking
Warrenton (Ga.) Warren County class of 2021 athlete Lovasea Carroll made an early commitment to South Carolina last month - the earliest pledge in a recruiting cycle during the Will Muschamp era to date. Carroll's commitment comes before Rivals.com has ranked the 2021 class, but that doesn't stop us from projecting what his ranking might be.
• Carroll, who South Carolina is recruiting as a running back, rushed for 1,446 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, so the production at the position is certainly there, but he's much more than just that as a prospect.
• The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Carroll is categorized as an "athlete" on Rivals.com due to his ability to play multiple positions at a high level. He lines up at wildcat quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive back for his high school team, and there's even speculation that he could grow into an outside linebacker by the time the rising junior hits a college program.
Carroll's versatility makes him an intriguing prospect. From a skillset standpoint, he's got great feet, speed, ball skills and physicality. On offense, he's a threat to score every time he touches the ball. On defense, he can deliver the big hit as well as go take the ball away in the air.
• A prospect's offer list shouldn't serve as a factor in his ranking, but it does offer an early indication on what level of prospect he's capable of becoming. With early offers from South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame and Tennessee - and more surely set to come - he's got the early offer list of a national level prospect.
• Warren County head coach Cherard Freeman spoke with Gamecock Central this week and gave his take on his star player:
"He's physical. You can tell him one thing and he can do it. All these people that are recruiting him, some say he's going to play safety, some say cornerback, some say running back, some say outside linebacker. That just tells you how versatile he is. He can play slot receiver. The kid is 6-foot-1, 192-pounds. You're talking about a 10.6 100 meter. That's blazing speed. He can do everything. He can tackle; he's very physical. He can do it all."
• Adding together all of the above and we'd give Carroll a four-star ranking with a 5.9 marker, essentially a mid-four-star prospect in the Rivals ranking system.
That would likely put him among the Top 200 overall prospects in his class, and one of the Top 15 at the athlete position, with a chance to move up in the rankings as his future position becomes more clear.
- Related: Read our Q&A with Warren County head coach Cherard Freeman and learn even more about Lovasea Carroll (subscription)
2. ⚾ USC loses big to Mississippi State
The Gamecocks gave up season highs in runs (24) and hits (22) as they dropped the opener at Dudy Noble Field 24-7 and watched as the margin of error to get into the SEC Tournament shrink to razor thin.
It's the worst loss since losing 19-1 against Kentucky in 2017 and the first time they've given up 20 or more runs twice in a season since 1997.
“As bad as this was, as ugly as it is, it still only counts as one against you. You don’t get extra credit for how many runs they score," Mark Kingston said. "If things don’t go your way, you come out ready to go tomorrow.”
SEC Tournament: All battling for the final spot in the SEC Tournament, South Carolina, Kentucky and Alabama lost Thursday night.
What it means? South Carolina needs to win one more game than Alabama this weekend and do the same, if not better, than Kentucky to clinch the No. 12 seed.
Up next: The Gamecocks try to even the series and get a much-needed win Friday night in game two. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network Plus with Reid Morgan (4-5, 3.79 ERA) on the mound.
• Friday, 7:30 p.m., SECN+, radio
• Saturday, 2 p.m., SECN+, radio
Related: Gamecocks rocked in series opener
– Collyn Taylor
3. This, that, and the other
Women's Tennis: No. 4 Gamecocks prepped for No. 5 Duke in quarterfinals - The women's tennis team continues its history-making season as it faces Duke on Friday in the NCAA Championships Quarterfinals (link)
Football Recruiting: The Insider Report - New names to watch in the 2020 class, a key walk-on, and more on Tavien Feaster. (subscription)
Men's Basketball: What Micaiah Henry could potentially bring to South Carolina - Analyzing the potential addition of the graduate transfer big man. (subscription)
Men's Golf: Stevens, Miles named all-SEC - Senior Scott Stevens was named first-team all-SEC and fellow senior Will Miles was named second-team all-SEC. (link)
Track & Field: NCAA announces East Regional qualifiers - The track & field program learned its postseason fate as 2019 NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round qualifiers were announced. The Gamecocks will send 22 individual entries and three relay squads to Jacksonville, Fla., from May 23-25. (link)
Women's Golf: Go earns academic honor - USC junior Lois Kaye Go has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's At-Large District 4 Team. (link)
Softball: Gamecocks have three named to all-region team - For the second-consecutive year, the softball team had three players claim spots on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Southeast Region teams. Jana Johns, Cayla Drotar and Alyssa Kumiyama earned spots on the third team. (link)
Swimming & Diving: Lujan earns academic all-district honors - USC senior diver Mikaela Lujan was one of 12 female student-athletes named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 4 Women's At-Large First Team. (link)
– Jackson Fields
4. ⌚ Plan your schedule
Friday, May 17
12 pm - Softball: vs South Florida, NCAA Regional, SECN
7 pm - Women's Tennis: vs Duke, NCAA Regional, video
7:30 pm - Baseball: at Mississippi State, SECN+, radio
Saturday, May 18
TBD - Softball: vs TBD, NCAA Regional
2 pm - Baseball: at Mississippi State, SECN+, radio
– Jackson Fields
5. This Date in Gamecock History
May 17, 2001 – Lee Gronkiewicz set a new school record by recording his 16th save of the year in a 5-4 win over Auburn.
- USC got out to an early 3-1 lead on home runs by CF Marcus McBeth and catcher Tim Whittaker, then added runs on a solo homer by Garris Gonce and an RBI single by Drew Meyer.
- Carolina entered the ninth inning leading 5-2 after a stellar 2.1 innings of relief by Brett Price.
- He handed the ball over to Gronkiewicz and things got a little shaky as the Tigers scored two runs and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Gronkiewicz struck out Auburn's Brett Burnham to end the game.
- Price improved his record to 6-0 with the win.
- Gronkiewicz's save record would be broken the next season by Blake Taylor, who holds the school record with 21 saves.
6. Birthdays!
George Rush - Rush signed with the Gamecocks over N.C. State, Clemson and East Carolina. He redshirted in 1986 after suffering a knee injury in fall camp. A dislocated elbow kept him out of two games in 1987, but he caught 17 passes backing up Kevin White and Hardin Brown at wingback. Rush worked as a top backup at wide receiver in 1988. He played in all 11 games in 1989, catching five passes and a touchdown in the 21-10 win over Georgia Tech while also catching a touchdown in the win over Georgia. As a senior, he was moved to the H-Back position. Rush also played on the Gamecock baseball team, from 1989-1991, hitting .294 over 84 games with 33 RBI and 26 stolen bases.
Brian Arnold (football/cornerback, 2001-04)
Hardin Brown (football/wide receiver, 1984-88)
Hardin Brown (baseball/outfield, 1987-89)
Mike Reddick (football/running back, 1991-95)
Mike Tarter (baseball/catcher, 1991-94)
Brad Terry (football/linebacker, 2009)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
7. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• May 18 – SC Legends Baseball Camp (1 day)
• May 21 – SEC Baseball Tourney (4)
• June 3 – MLB Draft begins (17)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days begins (59)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (64)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (106)
