The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 08, 1974, Page Page 11, Image 11
Freshma
With Exp
BY STEVE PARKER
Sports Editor
One of the main reasons the US4
baseball team has been able t(
fashion a 23-5 record this season i;
that most of last year's youthfu
but talented squad returned. An(
returned with experience.
Only one regular graduated fron
last season's Gamecocks and hi:
replacement may well be the mair
reason for Carolina's strong 197'
showing. Freshman Jin
Pankovits has stepped into thf
third base position, which Brucf
Pudlock vacated, most effectively
After just 28 games, Pankovits
has already surpassed Pudlock's
season total of 17 RBI in 41 games
last year.. Pankovits' 20 RBI rank
him third on the team behind Hank
Small and Drew Choate.
But Pankovits' strength is no
just his hitting, for he displays a
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brilliant mastery in the field and
has committed just three errors
an unusually low total for a third
baseman this far into the season.
Pankovits currently has a .258
3 average, but that represents a slip
I of 21 points from the .279 mark he
I entered Saturday's Georgia
Southern doubleheader with.
"I am not hitting well now,"
Pankovits 'said after returniig
from Southern. "I am not making
I good contact. I haven't been hit
ting the ball hard at all, certainly
not hard enough to be making hits.
Plus we faced one of the best lefties
I've seen when we played
Southern."
Pankovits does not remember
the series with any fondness. "It
was like a nightmare," the rookie
said. "It was the worst two games
we played this season. The second
game was one of the worst I've
ever played in.
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"Greg Ward pitched a real good
game, but we didn't back him up.
It was just an uphill effort the
whole way, but we stayed right
with them. If we could have played
half as well as we've played in any
of our other games we could easily
have won.
"I suppose it was a little bit of
mental fatigue. After Earl Bass
pitched so well in the first game
and we lost, I suppose we just
had a letdown," Pankovits said.
"We were due for a bad game,"
Pankovits said. "We still get to
play them three games up here
and I'm looking forward to that
because I am confident we can
beat them."
The Georgia Southern series was
an exception for the Gamecocks
and for Pankovits. Neither are used
to playing poorly this season. But
Pankovits' .258 average does
represent a tumble from the lofty
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Gambrell
From Page 10
Ater than college players. Hank
nall hit ball harder. I think all
us have a chance to get there one
ay."
Richardson has been a big in
)iration, according to Gambrell.
After high school I wanted to play
ill in the state and I didn't get
any offers, so I was thinking
out Florida State. Then Don
uddin told Coach Richardson I
as worth a scholarship and he
fered me one over the telephone.
"Coach Richardson is one of the
ippiest people I have ever known.
lust being around him is con
gious. I knew he was a good
an and I have learned so much
)m him".
Gambrell may make the majors
-cause of his desire. He has
ayed two summers of baseball in
e Valley League, a league
mprised of the nation's top
nateurs.
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