Series delayed: South Carolina-Clemson baseball opener postponed due to weather

We’re going to have to wait one more day to watch South Carolina baseball take on Clemson this season.

The weekend opener between the Gamecocks and Tigers — slated to begin at 7 p.m. Friday at Founders Park — has been postponed due to inclement weather after rain doused the Columbia area all day.

The game won’t be made up this weekend. In a statement, South Carolina said “a future matchup date at Founders Park is to be determined” and that “ticket information regarding the Clemson postponed game will be shared at a later date.”

If the weather clears up as expected, No. 19 South Carolina (8-1) and No. 10 Clemson (7-1) will play at Segra Park in Columbia (the home of the Columbia Fireflies) at 4 p.m. Saturday, and then will face off at Clemson at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Asked on Thursday about the possibility of the two Palmetto State rivals playing a doubleheader to make up for a possibly rain-out, USC coach Mark Kingston didn’t seem to put that on the table.

“Probably not,” Kingston said. “I think everybody’s preference is to play one game at a time in each of the venues if at all possible.”

There is recent precedent to a South Carolina-Clemson postponement. In 2021, the series opener at Clemson was shelved in because of rain, and the game was made up on a Tuesday in May, two and a half months after the original scheduled date.

It’s unclear if the Gamecocks and Tigers will move their Friday starters — RHP Eli Jones (USC) and RHP Billy Barlow (CU) — back a day or if the Saturday probables — RHP Dylan Eskew (USC) and LHP Tristan Smith (CU) — will still take the mound for Game Two at Segra Park.

“I’ll give you a capital TBD,” Kingston said. “That’s the best I can tell you. We’ll look at everything.”