No. 3 South Carolina at Kentucky baseball: Top storylines, playoff scenarios, TV info
Last weekend’s series loss was a rare misstep for the No. 3 South Carolina baseball team, but the Gamecocks will look to round back into form at Kentucky.
The Gamecocks (36-8, 14-6 SEC) travel to Lexington for a three-game series against the Wildcats (30-13, 11-10) starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.
USC is coming off a midweek win at Winthrop, which followed a 1-2 showing against visiting Auburn last weekend. Here are key storylines for the series.
Postseason implications
Just three weekends remain before the SEC tournament, and both USC and the Wildcats are looking to bolster their postseason resumes.
Despite dropping the series to the Tigers, the Gamecocks stuck at No. 3 in D1Baseball’s top 25 and slid down just one spot to the No. 4 national seed in D1’s projected field of 64. One series loss doesn’t erase a season’s worth of production, and while the Gamecocks would be best served to keep winning, they do have some breathing room. USC comes into the weekend as the country’s No. 1 team in the RPI and 13th in strength of schedule — both metrics that keep the Gamecocks in the national seed conversation.
Kentucky, meanwhile, was swept by Vanderbilt last weekend and dropped out of D1’s top 25. Even still, the Wildcats are a dangerous team that rank No. 4 in RPI and No. 1 in strength of schedule. Kentucky projects as a No. 2 seed currently but could enter the hosting conversation with a strong finish to the regular season.
USC injury updates
The Gamecocks are hobbled, with three-quarters of their starting infield missing time in the Auburn series. Shortstop Braylen Wimmer tweaked his hamstring in the series and is expected to miss about two weeks. Second baseman Will McGillis is still recovering from a broken arm he suffered at the end of March. Of the three injured infielders, third baseman Talmadge LeCroy seems closest to returning.
LeCroy (hamstring) registered one pinch-hitting appearance over the weekend but struggled running down to first base after putting the ball in play. Filling in for Kingston at Winthrop, assistant coach Monte Lee said LeCroy would practice Thursday and try fielding ground balls but added “he’s got a ways to go before he’s 100%.”
Senior starting pitcher Noah Hall (back) remains sidelined, with USC sticking with a weekend rotation of Will Sanders, Jack Mahoney and Matthew Becker.
Increased opportunities
The rash of USC injuries sapped the lineup of some of its punch but also created opportunities for role players to seize bigger roles.
Veteran outfielder Caleb Denny transferred to USC from Oral Roberts and was lauded for his professional hitting approach but found himself benched once he reached SEC play and the strikeouts mounted. The left-handed hitter has since found himself back in the starting lineup and produced in key moments. He tallied four hits in Sunday’s win over Auburn, and he threw out the potential go-ahead run in Wednesday’s win over Winthrop.
Freshman Will Tippett has also seemingly found a groove of late, finding a home at second base after playing some in center field earlier in the season. Though Tippett is batting just .155 on the season, he hit the go-ahead 3-run home run in the seventh inning against Auburn on Sunday — his first career long ball. In the next game against Winthrop, Tippett hit his second career homer.
“I’m just super proud of some of the guys and just how they stepped up,” Lee said. “We needed to get some production from guys that haven’t been playing or haven’t been as productive as we would like for them to be. Caleb Danny certainly is one of those guys that comes to mind. Will Tippett’s hit two home runs in the last two games, which is awesome to see him do that. (Carson) Hornung is putting together better at-bats.”
USC-Kentucky weekend schedule
Friday: at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Saturday: at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Sunday: at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
