The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 16, 2002, Page C2, Image 26
USC’s ‘gamer’ begins road to majors
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
TIIEI.'AMECOCK
At first glance, a barn on the
side of the rpad is not a very un
common sight in the northern
most reaches of New Jersey.
However, as you get closer, you
can tell this is not just another ru
ral structure.
It is Skylands Park, home of the
New Jersey Cardinals, St. Louis’
Short Season A-ball affiliate in the
New York-Penn League.
Skylands Park is also the first
stepping stone on Garris Gonce’s
road to the majors.
Gonce, a starting outfielder for
USC over the past two seasons,
was drafted by the Cards in the
31st Round of the Major League
Baseball draft this past June and
assigned to the Augusta, N.J.
based organization.
The former Carolina co-captain
is still adjusting to his new sur
roundings.
“I like it out here. There’s not a
whole lot to do,” admitted Gonce.
“But I'm here to play baseball, and
it’s what I’m going to concentrate
on.”
“I haven’t been doing too gpeat
so far, but I have a four-game hit
ting streak going. I’ve never
swung wood (bats) before, so that’s
something I’ve had to adjust to.
Hopefully, I’ll come around and
prove to the coach that I deserve
a shot everyday,” he continued.
Gonce remembers how he got
the word when draft day rolled
around.
“We were in practice during the
Super Regional and Landon
Powell hollers from the locker
room that I got drafted,” he said.
“I was a little bit disappointed
not to have been drafted on the
first day, but, then again, I really
didn’t expect to. I was drafted
twice before, but I’m glad the
Cardinals gave me a chance.”
While excited about the draft,
Gonce also relishes the time he
spent at the College World Series.
“It was great to be in Omaha,”
Gonce said.
“Playing in front of so many
people was a change. To drop the
first game was disappointing, and
then we just ran out of gas at the
end.
“We didn’t feel any pressure
(against Clemson). They were sup
posed to win, but we took two, and
that’s just the way baseball is. Any
team can win on any given day.”
Of all his experiences at USC,
there is a role that Gonce takes to
heart more than anything else.
Earlier in the season, USC
coach Ray Tanner called Gonce a
“Gamer.” The outfielder takes it
as a very prized compliment.
“But I’m here to play
baseball, and it’s what I’m
going to concentrate on.”
GARRIS GONCE
FORMER USC BASEBALL PLAYER
“A ‘Gamer’ is a guy who likes
to be at bat in the bottom of the
ninth with two strikes and the go
ahead run on base,” he said.
“You live for that type of situa
tion. You’ll take a pitch or claim
interference or whatever it takes
to help the team out. That might
be one of the biggest compliments
a coach can pay to one of his play
ers.”
With that attitude, Garris
“The Gamer” Gonce will, no
doubt, provide his ‘game’ to de
lighted fans in Busch Stadium
sometime in the future.
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Football
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Freshman team last year and was
moved permanently to defensive
end during the spring.
Jermaine Lemon, Jeremiah
Garrison and Lance Laury will be
the starting group at linebacker.
Pre-season All-SEC first team
selection Rasliad Faison is back
for his senior season at the spur
position and is expected to contin
ue leading the team in tackles and
big plays on defense.
With last years’ starting cor
nerbacks playing on Sundays this
year, look for Dunta Robinson,
Isaac Stackhouse and Brian Elam
to be the pass stoppers. Junior
Deandre’ Eiland returns at free
safety to anchor the secondary.
Coach Holtz nabbed his best re
cruiting class since coming to USC
this season with a variety of talent
on both sides of the ball.
“This class on paper is by far
the best we’ve recruited,” Holtz
said.
“I’m sure we’ll have freshmen
that will play and will contribute
to the football team.”
Carolina will once again face a
tough schedule with big home
games against Georgia,
Mississippi State and Tennessee.
USC will be tested on the road
against Virginia, a Spurrier-less
Florida and hated rival Clemson.
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gamecocksports@hotmail.com
PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK
Lou Holtz’s newest recruits run through a drill at practice.
use 2002
.305 AVG
16 HR
55 RBI
85 Hits
279 At-bats
NJ Cardinals
.176 AVG
1 RBI
6 Hits
34 At-bats
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Baseball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
ond career start Aaron Rawl
pitched a complete game while
Steve Thomas and Justin Harris
added home runs to avenge
Carolina’s loss to Tech in the
Series opener.
Rawl scattered 14 hits over his
nine innings of work, however 12
of the Yellow Jacket hits were sin
gles, and the USC infield turned
three double plays on the day.
Landon Powell and Drew
Meyer drove in two runs apiece
giving Carolina their 55th win of
the year.
USC Head Coach Ray Tanner
looks forward to Wednesday’s
game with Clemson. It will be the
first time in the history of the in
trastate rivalry that the two
schools have played each other in
the College World Series.
“The governor will probably
have to come out and shut every
thing down tomorrow afternoon,”
Tanner joked.
GAME FOUR:
USC 12, CLEMSON 4
USC overcame a quick Tiger
start to remain in the race with a
12-4 blowout over Clemson.
Trey Dyson went 2-for-4 with a
pair of two-run homers in the ef
fort. Landon Powell and Steve
Thomas both added to the explo
sive Carolina bats with solo home
runs of their own.
Freshman pitcher Matt
Campbell (4-2) pitched five and
one-third scoreless innings with
a career-high eight strikeouts. The
Gamecocks handed Steve Reba
(13-4) the loss as he gave up four
earned runs in five innings
pitched.
Clemson got off to a bang when
leadoff hitter Zane Green drilled
the first pitch of the game to left
field for a home run off of starter
Blake Taylor. Then in the third,
Michael Johnson put the Tigers
up 3-0 with a two-run shot.
South Carolina’s big inning
came in the sixth with Thomas’
homer to left along with Dyson’s
second homer of the day. Kevin
Melillo and Justin Harris added
RBI singles to give USC the 9-4
lead.
Campbell continued to stifle
Clemson batters and Powell’s solo
shot in the eighth ended the Tigers
hopes of a comeback to force the
game on Friday.
GAME FIVE:
USC 10, CLEMSON 2
Clemson became the third team
the Gamecocks eliminated as they
soared behind Steve Bondurant’s
complete game.
Landon Powell and Kevin
Melillo led Carolina with three
RBIs each. Garris Gonce went 3
for-6 with two RBIs as USC defeat
ed Clemson’s ace Matt Henrie (13
5).
USC grabbed three runs in the
second behind Powell’s two RBI
singles and a RBI from Melillo.
The Gamecocks struck again in
the third with two runs and then
added five in the seventh inning.
USC allowed one run in the
ninth, but it was not enough for
Clemson as the Gamecocks cele
brated their first trip to the cham
pionship game since 1975.
GAME SIX:
TEXAS 12, USC 6
South Carolina’s four-game
winning streak ended when they
met the Texas Longhorns in the fi
nal of the CWS on June 20. Texas
scored in all but three innings and
got a tremendous pitching perfor
mance from Justin Simmons (16
1), and most valuable player and
freshman reliever Huston Street.
Justin Harris was the only
bright spot for the Gamecocks
with a 2-for-5 day and two RBIs.
Freshman Aaron Rawl (7-2) gave
up four runs in three innings for
the loss.
Texas’ Chris Carmichael broke
USC’s back with a three-run
homer in the fifth. However, the
Gamecocks mounted a comeback
in the seventh and eighth innings
to make it an 8-6 game.
Texas came right back in the
bottom half to score four runs and
Street shut the Gamecocks down
over the last one and one-third in
nings.
Street earned his fourth save of
the series, a CWS record, to re
ceive the MVP award, and Powell
and Harris made the CWS All
Tournament team for the
Gamecocks in an exciting season.
J. Keith Allen contributed to this
story
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PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK
Trey Dyson was the designated hitter for the South Carolina
team that won a school record 57 games in 2002.
Day Date Opponent Location TV Time
Sat. 08/31 New Mexico State Columbia, S.C. 7:00 PM
Sat. 09/07 Virginia Charlottesville, Va. ESPN 7:45 PM
Sat. 09/14 Georgia Columbia, S.C. CBS 3:30 PM
Sat. 09/21 Temple Columbia, S.C. 7:00 PM
Sat. 09/28 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 7:00 PM
Sat. 10/05 Mississippi State Columbia, S.C. 1:00 PM
Sat. 10/12 Kentucky Lexington, Ky 7:00 PM
Sat. 10/19 Louisiana State Baton Rouge, La. 7:00 PM
Sat. 11/02 Tennessee Columbia, S.C. 7:00 PM
Sat. 11/09 Arkansas Columbia, S.C. 1:00 PM
Sat. 11/16 Florida Gainesville, Fla. 1:00 PM
Sat. 11/23 Clemson Clemson, S.C. 1:00 PM
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