Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Softball team faces tough schedule BY SHAWN ROURK THE GAMECOCK Going on long, back-to-back road trips is tough for any team; three can be even more of a chal lenge. The softball team, howev er, has taken the challenge and run with it this season. Going 7-4 over the first 11 games this season, the Gamecocks are only one win off their pace that . took them to the SEC champi onships last season. Although their 2003 schedule is comparably harder than last seasons’, accord ing to head coach Joyce Compton, that is exactly how she likes it. “We’ve played better competi tion in the teams we’ve played this year than we did last year. Losses hopefully help you, especially when it gets that kind of competi tion,” Compton said. In the second and third tourna ments they have played in this season, the .Gamecocks will have ballooned to 7.88. The defense behind the pitch ers has been consistent this year. The heart of the infield is exactly the same as last year, which Compton said is good for the team’s chemistry. “The defense should be consis tent,” Compton said. “I think we have a pretty good defensive squad. I think that we have a good chemistry. Three of our four in fielders have played together.” Compton added that the out field is still being shaken up at the moment to find out where every one will fit in the lineup. At the plate, the Gamecocks are beginning to get into a groove as the season progresses. In its past 14 games, the team is batting .237 with 45 RBIs. Amber Curtis has led the offen sive charge by batting .400 so far this season. Nancy Crane and Ashley Smith are both batting .296, while Smith has nine RBIs as PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK The softball team gathers before a game earlier this season. USC will face several top-ranked opponents In conference play. well. Danielle Quinones is right behind them, batting .286, and she leads the team in doubles with four. “Really, from there on, we’ve been pretty inconsistent at the plate. That’s been a big part of our problem,” Compton said. “We just haven’t put enough good-at-bats throughout the lineup together right now.” Ahead of the Gamecocks, the schedule does not get any easier. When they start play in early ♦ SOFTBALL, SEE PAGE 6 2003 South Carolina Home Softball Schedule March 5 Wednesday Virginia (DH) 3:00pm 8 Saturday Mississippi State (DH) 1:00pm 9 Sunday Mississippi State 1:00pm 12 Wednesday Northern Illinois (DH) 3:00pm 15 Saturday LSU (DH) 1:00pm 16 Sunday LSU 2:OOpm April 1 Tuesday Tennessee (DH) 5:00pm 2 Wednesday Tennessee 4:00pm 12 Saturday Florida (DH) ■ 1:00pm 13 Sunday Florida 1:00pm 18 Friday Alabama (DH) 5:00pm 19 Saturday Alabama 1:00pm All games at Beckham Field. 2003 South Carolina Baseball Home Schedule March 2 Sunday Clemson 1:30pm 4 Tuesday Gamer Webb 2:00pm 5 Wednesday Furman 7:00pm 7 Friday Radford 7:00pm 8 Saturday Radford 4:00pm 9 Sunday Radford 1:30pm 12 Wednesday Western Carolina 7:00pm 14 Friday Arkansas 7:00pm 15 Saturday Arkansas 4:00pin 16 Sunday Arkansas y. > 1:30pm 19 Wednesday Wofford • Vo 7:00pm 28 Friday Vanderbilt <: 7:00pm 29 Saturday Vanderbilt •vyAs^”'’' 4:00pm 30 Sunday Vanderbilt 1:30pm CAROLINA Baseball continued April 2 Wednesday Clemson 7:00pm 16 Wednesday Wofford 7:00pm 18 Friday Mississippi State 7:00pm 19 Sarurday Mississippi State 4:00pm 20 Sunday Mississippi State 1:30pm 22 Tuesday UNC-Asheville 7:00pm 23 Wednesday Davidson 7:00pm May 2 Friday Kentucky 7:00pm 3 Sarurday Kentucky 4:00pm 4 Sunday Kentucky 1:30pm 14 Wednesday The Citadel 7:00pm 16 Friday Georgia 7:00pm 17 Sarurday Georgia 4:00pm 18 Sunday Georgia 1:30pm All games at Sarge Frye Field 2003 South Carolina Mens Tennis Home Schedule March 7 Friday LSU 2:00pm 9 Sunday Arkansas 1:00pm 26 Wednesday Clemson 2:00pm April 4 Friday Georgia 2:00pm 6 Sunday Tennessee 1 ":00pm 9 Wednesday Wake Forest 2:00pm 11 Friday Florida ' 2:00pm 13 Sunday Vanderbilt 1:00pm All matches at Sam Daniel Tennis Stadium CAROLINA ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I; 2003 South Carolina Women’s Tennis Home Schedule February March 2 Sunday Mississippi 1:00pm 16 Sunday Kentucky IrOOpm All matches at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center 2003 Men’s and Women’s Track and Field * C If H ScHcdui Lady Camccock Classic will be held at the faced the 1st, 20th and 23rd-ranked teams in the nation. In the Lead Off Classic Tournament the team went to this past weekend, USC had to face-off against Washington, Temple and Michigan. Washington is ranked 5th in the nation and Michigan is ranked 15th, stiff competition for a team that lost its number one pitcher last year in Megan Matthews. “Our first two weekends, we were very solid. We’re not the kind of pitchers to get us out of jams, and we know that. We’re a pitching team that we need to play - defense behind,” Compton said. USC is averaging a 2.77 ERA on the season. Junior Stacey Johnson is leading the pitching with a 1.13 ERA, while Melanie Henkes gar nered a 2.94 ERA. Sophomore Aleca Johnson, who finished last season with a 1.39 ERA in 70.1 in nings pitched, hit a road block ear ly in the season and her ERA has