The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 18, 1998, Page 11, Image 11
Wednesday, February 18,19
Tanner 1
The Gamecock baseball
team looks to reach even
higher heights in 1998.
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Last year's Gamecock baseball team
finished with a 33-24 record, after coming
off its first losing season in 26 years,
making it as far as the SEC Championship
tournament before the season
ended.
The team hit 94 homeruns, the third
highest total in school histoiy. The team
also averaged around 11 runs scored
per game, and was leading the nation
in offense until late in the season.
Although the new Gamecock team
sports 19 new faces, much of the core
of exciting players returned for this
year.
The Gamecocks finished 19th in total
attendance and 25th in the nation
in attendance per game.
USC enters this year ranked 15 in
the country by Baseball America, in a
large part due to a strong core of returning
players and a freshman class
that was ranked No. 17. Fourteen of
the new faces are freshmen, while another
five are junior college transfers.
"A lot of those same guys that were
driving in runs last year and having
Erood vears arc still in the linenn "
said head coach Ray Tanner. Hopefully
they're a year older and a year betr
ter."
Tanner brings 11 years of NCAA
Division I head coaching experience to
the team, compiling .685 lifetime winning
percentage.
Here is a look at what the Gamecocks
have this year:
Pitching
Pitching waS a big weakness for last
year's team, but not all the pitching was
bad. Anchoring the staff is last year's
ace, junior Brett Jodie. Jodie won his
first eight decisions last year, and led
the team in wins.
He is most effective when he gets
ahead of the hitters with first-pitch
strikes. The Gamecocks are hoping he
will continue to show the flashes of brilliance
on the mound that made him
so successful last year.
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Also returning is junior Jason Pomar.
He has a strong, live arm and a
blazing fastball. He is at his best when
his fastball is wild within the strike
zone. When his fastball flattens out,
however, it can be hit a long distance.
Last season's surprise of the staff,
sophomore Jamie Poston, is much
like Jodie in that he does not possess
an extremely overpowering fastball, but
is at his best whe/i he gets ahead of hitters
early.
The pitching staff is loaded with incoming
freshman talent. Leading the
pack are Peter Bauer and Clint Collins.
Bauer, a 6-feet-8-inch recruit from
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overpowering fastball and a nasty overhand
curve. He could mature into a
very dominating pitcher.
Both Collins and Bauer pitched veiy
well in their first collegiate starts.
"I definitely think our pitching staff
has made great strides," Tanner said.
"We hope that not only do we have a
deeper staff, but also a staff thaf s ready
to pitch, and hopefully well have freshmen
that are ready to pitch like sophomores
by the middle of the year. Thaf s
gonna make all the difference in the
world for us this year."
Overall, the Gamecocks have a
strong core of pitching talent that will
mature and should solidify the future
of Gamecock baseball for the next four
years.
Catcher
Senior Ryan Bordenick was mainly
a DH last year, when departed catcher
Rob Streicher was also having a wonderful
season, but will see most of the
time behind the plate this year.
Bordenick was named to the first
team All-America, mainlv because he
was an offensive force that each team
had to figure out a way to deal with.
He led the Gamecocks in hitting
with a .419 average and 87 RBI. His
batting average was the highest by a
Gamecock since 1931, and his RBI total
was only one shy of Joe Datin's 1985
school record.
He was one of four Gamecocks that
topped the previous school record of 75
runs scored.
Available to back up Bordenick is
junior Eric Stanton, who practiced at
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Tanner also has sophomore catch
er Matt Danner and freshmen Tin
Whitaker, Chris Young and Rick;
Young.
First Base
Freshman Mic Knox comes t
Carolina highly touted for his defen
sive skills. Tanner is confident enoug]
in Knox's abilities to move Stanton (las
year's first baseman) to third.
Knox has shown the ability to dri
ve the ball, but is still maturing. Hi
was the 1997 Metro Atlanta High Schoc
Player of the Year.
"The thing about Mic," Tanner said
"Mic's a freshman, but he's a very ma
ture freshman. He's more advance*
than most of the freshman anywhere
Because of that, he's starting on a tean
that a lot of freshmen aren't ready t
start for. He's going to develop into i
good hitter. He's outstanding defen
sively as a first baseman."
Second Base
Junior college transfer Jay Lamber
faces the difficult prospect of filling thi
position that was vacated by the de
parture of Ryan Szwejbka, and the de
cision by last year's freshman Mac Ba
roody not to play this season.
Lambert is a versatile player wb
can play any infield position, and hi
defense should be an asset to th
club.
Third Base
Stanton has shown solid defense a
third early into this season, and shoul*
get better as the year progresses. H
was one of the leaders of the USC of
fensive surge last season,'with 14 home
runs and 69 RBI.
He can Dulverize a fastball, but ha
a tendency to chase low curve balls
Short Stop
Junior Adam Everett is perhaps tb
best all-around shortstop in the NCAA
He was a member of Team USA las
summer, and finished third on the tean
in batting average.
He set a Gamecock record with 8:
runs scored last year and stole 16 bases
He can also drive the ball to all fields
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could force Tanner to move him back
in the lineup if another lead-off hitter
t emerges.
s Last season, Curry hit eight home"
runs, including a monster shot over 20foot-high
black backdrop in dead center,
and scored 77 runs.
0 Senior left fielder Derrick Urquhart
s is a very solid defensive player and can
e get red-hot on offense.
He hit nine homeruns last year and
scored 81 times. He can bat anywhere
t in the lineup effectively, but seems to
* excel when hitting in the fifth slot,
Right field will probably see a few
faces this season. Sophomore Adam Poe
will probably see a lot of time there
s when he is not the DH, especially if
' he keeps hitting the way he has to start
this season, with four homeruns in his
e first 11 times at the plate.
L. Tim Angiolini is a junior college
t player from Upper Lake, Calif, who will
1 also get some time.
2 A freshman who may force himself
. into this mix is Tripp Kelly, who poundi,
ed the ball in the fall mini-season.
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imecock
title run
and clubbed eight homeruns last season.
His defense is superb?he has a powy
erful throwing arm, excellent range,
and his footwork and positioning allow
him to utilize his tools to an even greater
degree. He would be worth going to see
0 even if the rest of the team was no good.
tl
t Outfield
Junior center fielder Mike Curry
may be just as exciting to watch as
Everett. He is what baseball scouts call
a five-tool player.
I, Curry has blazing speed, a strong
l_ arm, can hit, can hit for power and is
^ excellent on defense,
j He stole 42 bases last season, putting
o him ninth on the career Gamecock
a list after only two seasons.
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Gamecock
'40 MinuO
in key SE
staff imterKEM MAGUIRE
South Carolina faces a key
matchup Wednesday night as the
Gamecocks travel to Fayetteville, Ark.,
to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. Carolina
(19-4) will be playing without
standout LeRon Williams,-due to what
USC coach Eddie Fogler calls a, "violation
of team academic policy."
Williams who is third on the team
with 11.4 points per game will return
Saturday for the Gamecocks' trip to
Florida.
Like Carolina, Arkansas (20-5)
has won 21 games in a row at home.
gametime: 8 p.m. tonh
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Gamecocks: 19-4, 9-3 SEC
Softball garr
staff writer JOE QUINN
The Lady Gamecock softball team's
season-opening game against Georgia
Southern was postponed due to
wet playing conditions.
The game was scheduled to be
played at 3 p.m., Tuesday but heavy
rain forced the postponement of the
game to today.
The doubleheader will be played
at 3 p.m., today at Beckham Field.
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Page 11
s to face
es of Hell'
C game
Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena is considered
one of the toughest arenas in
America to play in.
"I think most coaches tend to play
a little bit more conservatively on the
road, and try to keep it close and slow
it down to some degree, but you can't
slow Arkansas down," Fogler said.
"We would play them here like we
would play them on the road because
of the way they play."
Last year's meeting saw Carolina
top the Razorbacks in Columbia, 7865.
Tip off is scheduled for 8:08 p.m.,
and will be televised on Jefferson-Pilot
spofts.
|t Arkansas
ght; televised: J-P Sports
catchup:
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Nick Davis, but JP
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12.3 ppg and
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Razorbacks: 20-5, 9-3 SEC
ie postponed
Beckham Field is located between
Sarge Frye Field and Weems-Baskin
Track on South Marion Street.
Admission is free to both the public
and USC students.
TinUot Hiefrihutinn
USC students have picked up the
entire allotment of basketball tickets
for the Gamecocks' final two home
games against Georgia (Feb. 24)
and Kentucky (Feb. 28) and no tickets
remain for either of the two games.
22