The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 26, 2004, Page 8, Image 8
8 _ - • ■ the^ecock.^,™,^ • Game.Schedule |
MEN’S TENNIS at Tennessee, 2 p.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. Tennessee, 2 p.m.
pnn+op+ BASEBALL at Arkansas, 7:35 p.m.
I LaUL. , MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK in Florida Relays
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USC.Basebali
Carolina to swing
for series victory
Baseball takes on
Razorbacks in
three-game series
at Arkansas
BY JONATHAN tilLLYARD
THE HAMMOCK
Looking to move back toward
the top of the SEC's Eastern
Division, the No. 4 USC baseball
team will travel to Fayetteville,
Ark., for a three-game series with
the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Arkansas leads the overall se
ries by a three-game margin, 18L
15. The teams met for the first time
in 1985 and joined the SEC togeth
er in 1992.
The series with the Razorbacks
is the first road test for.the
Gamecocks in conference play and
only the third overall road test of
the season.
USC is 2-0 in road tests thus far
with wins over in-state rivals
Clemson and Wofford.
Last season, Arkansas sur
prised the Gamecocks by winning
two of three games in an early SEC
series in Columbia. Stars for the
Razorbacks included left-handed
pitcher Clint Brannon, who won
game three for Arkansas last year
and expects to see some action this
weekend.
Clay Goodwin and Brett
Hagerdon will also look to contin
ue their success from last year
when USC comes into town
Friday.
The Razorbacks opened up
their conference season in a sim
ilar manner to USC, losing two of
their first three contests.
Arkansas visited the No. 12
Florida Gators last weekend, leav
ing Gainesville with one victory.
The Hogs played Florida tough
in the final two games of the se
ries after losing the first game 12
1. A solid performance by Charley
T-»_ _1_1
with strong hit
ting led to an
Arkansas victo
ry Saturday by a
score of 8-2. The
Razorbacks
looked poised to
beat the Gators
again on Sunday
before dropping
a 10-mning nail
use biter, 7-6.
. Leading the
“I way at the plate
Arkansas for the Razor
7.35 m backs so far this
Fridav season is Good
Baum Stadium win, whose bat
ting average is a
monstrous .477
======:=^= nearly halfway
throughthe season.
Following Goodwin are seven
other hitters with a batting aver
age of .300 or greater. Senior in
fielder Haas Pratt leads the team
with 23 RBI.
While Sunday's starter is not
yet set, Arkansas comes into the
series with two solid pitchers in
Brannon (0-1) and Boyce (3-1). Also
with a significant number of starts
are Daryl Maday (3-0) and Jay
Sawatski (2-2) who could see some
action.
After a hard fought series with
the No. 3 LSU Tigers last weekend,
the Gamecocks got back on track
with a 12-1 victory at Wofford
Tuesday. After giving one of the
nation's best all it could handle
last weekend, Carolina could only
come away with one win, knock
ing the team down in the SEC
standings.
On the mound for USC this
weekend will be what has become
a set rotation for weekend series.
Friday Billy Buckner (4-0) will
take the mound, followed by
Aaron Rawl (5-0) Saturday and
ace Matt Campbell (4-1) Sunday.
USC stands undefeated on
Saturdays.
Breaking out for USC Tuesday
night was left fielder Michael
Campbell, who became just the
ninth player in Gamecock history
to hit three home runs in one
game.
Campbell is now batting an av
erage of .349 on the season. The
rest of the team continues to bash
the ball, demolishing the rest of
the SEC in home runs with 43.
Catcher Landon Powell has re
covered from an early season
slump to lead the team in batting
average at .417.
Still hot for the Gamecocks are
junior college transfers Steve
Pearce and Brendan Winn, who
combined to hit 18 home runs on
the season. Also, 10 USC players
have a batting average of above
.300.
Game time for Friday is set for
7:35 p.m., while Saturday's first
pitch will be thrown at 3:05 p.m.
and Sunday's at 1:35 p.m.
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gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Junior Aaron Rawl hurls the ball during the home series with LSU. Rawl will pitch Saturday.
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
Melanie Henkes got her second straight SEC win last week.
USC welcomes
Auburn after
SEC victories
BY JOEL WALLACE
THE GAMECOCK
The No. 15 USC softball team
plays host to Auburn this week
end at Beckham Field, with a dou
ble-header Saturday and the final
game Sunday afternoon.
The Gamecocks (17-5, 6-3 SEC)
are coming off a sweep of the
Arkansas Lady Razorbacks last
weekend in Columbia. Carolina is
in second place in the SEC East di
vision behind defending champi
on Georgia.
^For her clutch performances last
week, USC senior outfielder Nancy
Crane was named SEC Player of
the Week. Crane, who leads the
team with a .377 average and 29
hits, batted .636 and went 5-for-ll
for the week with five RBI, includ
ing the winning run in Carolina's
come-from-behind win over the
Lady Razorbacks. Crane also
scored the winning run in USC’s 2
1 victory against Arkansas.
The Tigers (23-4,5-1) are in sec
ond place in the SEC West after
dropping their last contest to Ole
♦ SOFtBALL, SEE PAGE 9
Players, coaches adapt to new roles
Football team
resumes practice
with shake-ups
in arrangement
BY WES WOLFE
THE GAMECOCK
As spring practice rolls on,
players and coaches are moving
around and adjusting to changes.
Taqiy Muhammad, who came
to USC as a defensive back but
was moved to wide receiver last
season, is back competing for a
starting job in the Gamecocks' de
fensive secondary.
“I'm glad to be back at comer
back,” Muhammad said. “I think
that's my most natural position.
I like the new defensive coaches
we've brought in. Coach Minter
has a strong defensive mindset.
He's very straightforward ip how
he coaches, and I like that style.”
Defensive coordinator Rick
Minter was head coach Lou
noitz s aeiensive
coordinator at
Notre Dame in the
early 1990s and
produced some of
the best defenses
in the nation.
Before Minter
came to USC, he
was head coach at
Cincinnati, which ended last sea
son picking off 10 more passes
than the Carolina defense. That
said, Muhammad might be an ad
dition to a more potent defensive
back corps than has been at USC
lately.
When Muhammad was a cor
nerback in 2002, he played in 10
games and broke up three pass
es, had 34 tackles and one tackle
for loss. As a receiver last season,
Muhammad had eight catches for
77 yards.
Syvelle Newton might also
move from wide receiver; he's en
joying his time trying out for the
starting quarterback job.
“It's a great experience to be
back at quarterback,” Newton
said on Sunday. “I'm trying to
learn as much as I can and also
trying to be a leader on the team.
My mechanics are not up to par
right now and I need to get back
into the rhythm of throwing the
ball again. I made improvement
today, and that's important.”
Last year, Newton only threw
the ball twice and connected once
on an 18-yard pass against
Clemson. While at wide-out,
Newton caught 22 balls for 277
yards, including an 85-yard per
formance off three passes in
Carolina's blowout loss to LSU.
After Tuesday's practice, it
looked like Carolina was trying
to foster a more smash-mouth
brand of football in this year's
team, and is tinkering with the
offense to produce some new
looks for this season.
“It was a very physical prac
tice,” assistant head coach Skip
Holtz said. “I was pleased with
the energy that was out there to
day. I'm excited about our quar
terbacks. Dondrial Pinkins is do
ing some good things. At running
back, we've got Cory Boyd,'
Daccus Turman and Demetris
Summers who are all doing some
goou uujigs.
Holtz went
on to discuss
plans for the
running
game.
“We'd like
to get into the
two-back set
some, and I
think we have the personnel to
do that,” Holtz said. “Brandon
Schweitzer and Jaime Peters are
playing the H-back or fullback po
sition.”
Freshman running back
Demetris Summers is excited
about the new moves in the run
ning game.
“We've been in the T some the
past three practices, and I like
that,” Summers said. “I think the
coaches are looking for the run
ning backs to carry the load, and
we're looking forward to the chal
lenge. Coach Holtz is a competi
tor; he wants to win. He is going
to push us to be at our best.”
In addition to the player
moves, Skip Holtz is adjusting to
his new role as assistant head
coach and quarterbacks coach af
ter getting moved from the offen
sive coordinator jo®.
“I'm comfortable in the role
that I have,” Holtz said. “The de
cision was made, and I'm focus
ing on developing the best quar
terbacks that we can possibly
have.”
Carolina gets back on the prac
tice field today and will practice
Saturday and Sunday before get
ting a one-day break Monday.
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gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu I
“Coach Holtz is a
competitor; he wants to
win. He is going to push
us to be at our best.”
DEMETRIS SUMMERS
FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
Syvelle Newton is in the running for starting quarterback.