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Gamecock Softball McMillin a double threat by Joseph Wheeler The Gamecock After three years as a starter, No. 12 moves effortlessly, setting herself up to shag yet another fly ball on the right side of Beckham Field. Joyce McMillin wears No. 12 for the 2000 SEC Tournament Champion Lady Gamecocks, and when she isn’t roaming around in right field, she’s on the mound hurling heat. McMillin is the consummate player. Last season she led the team in hits, with 64, and in home runs, with eight. At the same time, she went 14-10 as a starting pitcher and had a 2.66 ERA. “1 just love to play, but if I had to pick a (favorite) position, it would be pitching,” McMillin said. “I’m just grateful that when I am not pitching I get to stay in the game.” As a senior on a team with quite a few freshmen and an infield that’s basically brand new, McMillin says her experience at various positions helps her to be a better leader. “Since I am able to play defense and offense, I get a taste of what all the players are going through,” McMillin said. She takes an active leadership role off the field as well. “Team unity is a big part of our team,” she said. “Off the field we make sure to do a lot as a team so that on the field we’re definitely a team and not just a bunch of individuals playing.” Always one to put the team before the individual, McMillin was n’t even aware of her place on the USC career home runs list (tied for second). She would rather talk about the unity of the team. “A point on our mission statement is to have fun,” she said. “We all pretty much practice year round. If we can’t have fun, it’s not re ally worth it. “It’s not a chore. It’s what we enjoy doing.” Last year, the team finished 41-28 after a pair of losses to Ne braska in the regionals of the NCAA Tournament. After the season, McMillin and her doctors decided to further investigate a shoulder injury that had been nagging her since midseason. lhey discovered a tear that a previous MK1 hadn t revealed. McMillin had to have shoulder suigery before the start of this season. Five screws in her shoulder and several months later, she said she could be pitching again within a month. Work with outfielders coach Holly Aprile has her throwing over hand painlessly, and pitching coach Angela Thompson is “working re al hard to get me back pitching,” McMillin said. While she and her teammates want to take the SEC Championship again, and get past the bump they’ve hit in the regionals the past cou ple of years, postseason success won’t determine the value of McMillin’s time at USC. Softball see page ss Special to The Gamecock Joyce McMillin led the Lady Gamecocks in hits (64) and home runs (eight) last season. Traditional Italian Favorites Voted Columbia's Best Pizza in 2000 in Columbia Metropolitan Magazine RONcor1 Voted Columia's Best Italian Restaurant, The State Newspaper | Thank you Columbia, for helping us celebrate our 60th year in business! | • Locker Rooms/Showers • Heavy Bag/Speed Bag • Full Line of Nutritional Supplements • Personal Training & Tanning Available • Monthly, Semester Student Rates Available • Located 1/2 Mile from Campus • Best Equipped Gym in Columbia (Full Line of Hammer Strength Equipment, plus 20,000 lbs of Free Weights & Separate Cardio Area) FREE ONE DAY TRIAL ®5 ]' Come in fRtd^y aml receive , five dollars offe^Mijjdlrst month! { " **t y flyyy 5’""'' I I i|1311 B. Rosewood Dr.»Columbia, SC 29201 • (803) 771-63331!