The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 01, 2005, Page 9, Image 9
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
The USC softball team will try to continue its four-game winning
streak this weekend when they travel to Lexington to take on UK.
w
■ SPRING
Continued from page 10
While Rathe is still waiting
on his appeal to the NCAA for a
sixth year of eligibility, Spurrier
is unable to give him much
practice time. Heffner, who
struggled in initial practices, is
beginning to see more snaps.
“Antonio Heffner hasn’t
gotten a lot of snaps with the No.
1 offense, so we’re going to get
him in there with those guys
tomorrow,” Spurrier said.
Nichols has been the biggest
i surprise this spring, appearing to
k rise to the No. 1 quarterback slot
this past week.
The junior from Simpsonville
has been the most accurate
passer so far this season and has
rightfully gained the majority of
the snaps with the first-team
offense. It’s not the first time
Spurrier has turned to a
quarterback-deep in the depth
chart.
When the coach first arrived
iin Gainesville, then-fifth
stringer Shane Matthews became
the player of choice for Spurrier.
He later gained All-SEC honors
and is still in the NFL.
[Heisman Trophy winner, lacked
an ideal arm, but Spurrier
emphasizes quick decision
making and football smarts —
’ traits Nichols has exhibited in
practice.
Part of the offensive struggles
might have to do with the
improved play of the Gamecock
defensive units. The defense,
and especially the defensive
line, has been having its way
with the Gamecock offense.
One player in particular has
caught the coach’s eyes on the
defensive line .— De’Adrian
Coley.
“He has a chance to be a big
time player,” Spurrier said. “The
defensive guys are working hard.
They look good.”
Linebacker Ricardo Hurley
has had a strong spring
alongside defensive end Ryan
Brown, who has shown excellent
blitzing abilities thus far in
practice.
The secondary is looking to
improve even more from a
defense ranked third in the SEC
in pass-defense efficiency and
tied for first in interceptions.
With the return of defensive
back Jonathan Joseph from a
broken leg that sidelined him
almost the entire season last
year, the Gamecocks could have
the most potent trio of
cornerbacks in the SEC.
Patrolling the secondary again
will be SEC Freshman of the
Year Ko Simpson, alongside
newcomer Mike West, who has
been raising a lot of heads in
spring practice.
West, who signed late in the
recruiting season with USC,
finished junior college work a
semester early. The strong
safety from Florida has been
clocked running a sub-4.4 40
yard dash and has been all over
the field this spring, clearly
benefiting from the leg-up he is
receiving over most recruits.
West could end up playing
outside linebacker for the
Gamecocks.
Safety Chris Hampton has
also had a solid spring and figures
to compete witn west tor a spot
alongside Simpson.
As the team looks to its first
full scrimmage Saturday
morning, there is still plenty of
work to do. Spurrier said he
expects 90 percent of the offense
to be in place as soon as possible,
and the team has struggled at
times with the extra work,
particularly quarterbacks and
wide receivers.
After Wednesday’s practice,
Spurrier said he was
disappointed in the offense.
“Assignment-wise, we are way
off. We’re not blocking how we
should. 1 was a little frustrated
today, but it will get better.
It didn’t look like we were
well-coached offensively and I’ll
take responsibility for that. We
need to keep on them and yell
at them a bit, and we need to
pat them on the back a bit as
well. We still have got a ways to
g°-”
The Gamecocks’ first
scrimmage of the season will be
open to the public and will be
held in Williams-Brice Stadium.
The scrimmage will begin at 10
a.m.
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gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
■ BASEBALL
Continued from page 10
placed by its solid sophomore
j^^ndem of Josh Morris and
|Hitfielder Joey Side. The two are
j^Btting .342 and .308,
^fcpectively, with 40 combined
|Bls. Morris has been a force at
plate, crushing the ball with a
HB| slugging percentage, and
the team with six home
r^Band an astonishing 25 walks
in only 73 at-bats.
' Carolina, on the other hand,
won the SEC Tournament last
year and has outfielder Jon
Willard swatting with a .427
batting average. The sophomore
l hits the base paths nearly half
l the time, as his .468 on-base
I percentage is the team’s highest.
I Senior starting pitchers Aaron
IRawl and Zac McCamie have
Bgut up nearly identical numbers
^ftis season, with a 2.38 ERA
2.41 ERA, respectively.
with Rawl going 5-2 and
McCamie 5-1.
The teams last met in May
2004. The Gamecocks beat the
Bulldogs 8-2 to end the regular
season on a high note, but the
‘Dogs won the series 2-1. Both
teams represented the SEC in the
College World Series last year, as
Georgia lost to Texas, and USC
fell to eventual champion Cal
State Fullerton.
Despite the potentially
favorable matchup, there is no
such thing as an easy SEC win,
and the Bulldogs are on a roll,
having won their last four games,
including Tuesday night’s 7-2
victory against the Furman
Paladins in Greenville. USC is
going to have what promises to
be an exciting border-war series
on its hands this weekend.
Game times are 7 p.m. Friday,
4 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m.
Sunday.
Comments %n this story? E-mail
gamecochphrts@gwm.sc. edu
Softball looks to continue streak
By MIQUEL JACOBS
STAFF WRITER
Fresh off a doubleheader sweep
of UNC, USC’s softball team (22
14, 5-5 SEC) travels to Lexington
this weekend to take on the
Kentucky Wildcats. After ending
its four-game losing streak, the
Gamecocks look to come out with
a series sweep and keep their
conference record better than .500.
Game play begins with a
doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.,
followed by the Sunday finale at 1
p.m.
Carolina has played four games
in the last two weeks because of
cancellations caused by inclement
weather. After dropping the first
two games, Carolina’s downtime
began with a rained-out series
finale against Tennessee on March
16. The Gamecocks then missed a
twinbill at Coastal Carolina on
March 22, followed by two losses
to No. 25 Auburn and another
rained-out finale last Sunday.
Despite the time away from the
game, the Gamecocks responded
by outperforming the Tar Heels to
build momentum for a return to
conference play.
“When you put hits together
and get good pitching
performances like Melanie
(Henkes) and Aleca (Johnson) did,
that gives you confidence,” USC
coach Joyce Compton said. “They
both continue to pitch well, and
we’ll use whoever has the strong
arm this weekend.”
In addition to strong pitching
performances, the Gamecocks will
rely on senior Meghan Cornett
and freshman Jessica Josker to lead
on the offensive end. The players,
both former SEC Players of the
Week this season, are Nos. 1 and 2
respectively in team batting
average, on-base percentage and
fielding percentage. Strong
performances by both will be
needed as USC attempts to
continue its dominance against
Kentucky with a 23-7 all-time
record against the Wildcats.
Cornett has been Carolina’s strong
bat with a .383 batting average,
placing her No. 12 in the
conference.
Josker is hitting .349, an average
that was higher before she fell into
a hitting slump beginning with the
series against No. 12 LSU.
“Meghan has been consistent
for us, and she’s been a leader,”
Compton said. “Jessica started off
hot. She’s turned it around
recently and made pretty good
contact (against UNC). I can see
her popping out of the slump she’s
in, as prior to it she was making
things happen.”
The Wildcats (15-27, 2-13
SEC) last hit the field Wednesday
against No. 4 Tennessee,
sandwiching one win (2-1) around
two losses. Despite the Wildcats
having registered only two
conference victories so far,
Compton points out that they
defeated the nation’s No. 4 team
earlier this week — a feat the
Gamecocks failed to accomplish
— as a sign that Kentucky’s record
is deceiving.
“They beat Tennessee. That’s a
wake-up call for us,” Compton
said. “We need to swing the bats
well and keep up the good
pitching.”
Led by first-year coach Eileen
Schmidt, an assistant coach to
Compton during USC’s 53-win
1995 season, the Wildcats are
having difficulties making things
happen on both sides of the ball.
The team posts a 3.88 ERA and a
league-worst .207 batting average.
It has become difficult tff pinpoint
the source of Kentucky’s problems,
as the team has struggled
offensively, defensively and
mentally, yielding a league-high 58
errors. Sophomore Brook Martiniz
is the lone regular starter hitting
better than .300.
If the Gamecocks are able to
avoid hitting into double plays and
stay in the game mentally, they
should be able to prevent the
timely hitting that Kentucky relies
on to stay in games.
No Wildcat has more than 14
RBIs, a feat six Gamecocks have
surpassed so far this season. Sound
defense and pitching, coupled with
hard hitting by Cornett, jpsker
and sophomore McKenna
Hughes, are Carolina’s keys to
earning its third SEC series this
season.
Comments on this story? E-mail
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“They beat
Tennessee. That’s a
wake-up call for us.
We need to swing
the bats well and
keep up the good
pitching.”
JOYCE COMPTON
use COACH
Red Sox. Yankees to renew rivalry
■ Boston looks to open
with same momentum
as they had in 2004
By BRIAN SAAL
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Major League Baseball will start
the 2005 regular season this
weekend with none other than
“The Rivalry.” The last time the
Boston Red Sox played the New
York Yankees, the Beantown team
won us ursi pennant since 1700.
The World Champion Boston
Red Sox will square off against the
team that intends to knock the
crowns off their heads at 8:05 p.m.
Sunday night on ESPN’s “Sunday
Night Baseball.”
So how exactly does a team that
fails to win the pennant, despite
having a $184 million payroll,
bounce back? First, it revamped
three-fifths of its rotation, saying
goodbye to Jon Lieber, Javier
Vazquez and Orlando Hernandez.
Donning the pinstripes this season
will be Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano
and ace Randy Johnson, all
acquired in the offseason.
Last season was just the third
time Wright was able to stay
healthy and pitch more than 100
innings, as he finished with a 15-8
record and 3.28 ERA for the
Atlanta Braves.
Pavano has a career losing
record at 57-58 but posted just his
second double-digit win total,
going 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for
the Florida Marlins in 2004.
Wright signed for $7 million a
year, and Pavano for $10.5
million.
Johnson will anchor the team,
starting the 2005 push for the 27th
Yankee World Series trophy. The
Yankees added relievers Mike
Stanton and Felix Rodriguez to an
already-stacked bullpen.
New York bolstered its bench
with left-handed first baseman and
former Yankee Tino Martinez.
General manager Brian Cashman
took some heat for replacing
second baseman Miguel Cairo
with Tony Womack from the St.
Louis Cardinals. The Yankees, like
most baseball teams, will live or die
by their starting pitching, who
must prove their collapse in the
ALCS was a fluke.
The Boston Red Sox will start
the 2005 season trying to defend
their world championship. The
Red Sox entered the offseason
seeking a facelift with 17 players
eligible for free agency. They
parted ways with men they knew
could lift the Curse in pitcher
Pedro Martinez, now a New YoA
Met, and shortstop Orlando
Cabrera, now with the Anaheim
Angels.
The Red Sox replaced the two
with Matt Clement, former
Chicago Cub, and Edgar
Renteria, former St. Louis
Cardinal. With the additions of
pitchers Wade Miller and David
Wells to starting positions and
Matt Mantei and John Halama to
relief, the Red Sox’s pitching staff
might be better than last season’s.
As for batters, thi other nine
hitters will be returning as well as
outfielders Jay Payton and Ramon
Vasquez.
Sunday’s matchup will start the
American League season off and
could be another postseason
preview, as both are the favorites to
return to the American League
Championship Series. Johnson was
supposed to face former teammate
Curt Shilling in yet another
chapter of the Red Sox-Yankee
rivalry at famed Yankee Stadium,
but Schilling will not be able to
return from back surgery in time to
pitch. The last time Boston lost a
game that mattered was game three
of the 2004 ALCS to the New
York Yankees.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
CHARLES KRUPA/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez jokes with third
baseman Kevin Youkilis during the fourth inning Wednesday.
_ -r* 11 . /■* . __
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Seniors Carlos Powell and Josh Gonner cut down the nets at
Madison Square Garden after winning the NIT championship.
■ CHAMPS
Continued from page 10
solid free-throw shooting by the
Gamecocks before disappearing
on Gonner’s hot hand, as he
nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to
take a 43-42 advantage midway
through the second half.
Both teams stayed within 2
points of each other down the
stretch. Carolina looked to be in
control late, as Trice hit two free
throws to go up 3 at 52-49.
Powell hit a clutch hook to keep
Carolina up by 3, and after a
Hawks miss, Kinsey hit two free
throws to put USC in apparent
control, 56-51.
St. Joseph’s rallied and rallied
hard. Chet Stachitas kept the
Hawks in it, hitting a 3 to make
it a 2-point game. Trice was
immediately fouled and managed
to go l-for-2 at the stripe, setting
the stage for an amazing finish.
Up 3, the Gamecocks played
tight defense only to see Hawks
guard Carroll finally do what
they feared he might — make big
shots. He trailed a 3 in the face of
the defense, to tie the game at 57.
“So much irony goes into
championship games,” USC
coach Dave Odom said. “The
irony of this is that they score a
3 to tie the score at 57, the
clock stops, I was very tempted
to get Josh in the game. Had I
called a timeout, I would have
taken Tarence out and put Josh
in.”
Odom’s patience proved to be
the difference between overtime
and a championship. Kinsey’s
shot was nothing but nylon, and
the Gamecocks were nothing but
champions.
“I just figured that if I don’t
make this shot we will go to
overtime. Luckily I made it,”
Kinsey said.
With two NIT Final Fours in
four years and three more-than
20 win seasons in four years,
Odom has built this program
into championship contenders.
“That was truly a
championship game,” he said. “I
think a championship team won
it. A lot of things went into
winning that basketball game.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu '
■ HILLYARD
Continued from page 10
division. Two years and twc
tournaments later, the Gamecocks
have established thertiselves as a
force to deal with on a much more
permanent level.
The 2004-05 season saw the
Gamecocks give numerous teams
in the national spotlight all they
wanted. After losing
heartbreakers at national powers
Kansas, Pittsburgh and Kentucky,
we all should have realized that
we had something going for us.
In what has been described by
one of my fellow classmates as
“the best night of his college
career,” USC made us all feel like
giants against the mighty
Wildcats in February. We all
should have realized as we
stormed the court that we have a
special coach and what could be a
special program.
In front of disappointing
crowds, these Gamecocks play
their hearts out night in and night
out. Despite feeling the hurt of
losing what was one of the most
painful losses in their careers in the
SEC Tournament, this team didn’t
quit.
An invitation to the NIT is just
an excuse to get some extra practice
for some teams. Not the
Gamecocks. Just ask teams like
Notre Dame, Marquette and that’s
right, Clemson. The tournament
was live-or-die for Powell and three
other seniors, and they just didn’t
want to quit.
What do they have to show for
it? Pride. Invaluable experience for
underclassmen. A chance to play in
New York City on national
television. Most importantly, these
Gamecocks have what no other
USC basketball team has ever had
— a championship.
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