The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 19, 2006, Page 17, Image 17
.__„ Game schedule
THP^AME COCK - Toda»
- Softball @ Tennessee, 4 p.m.
/'“'Ni “| 'V S~\ “| 'k Ml Baseball vs. The Citadel, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 19,2006 K^y . 1 I M. KvV /fcge 17
Nick Barts / THE GAMECOCK
Shortstop James Darnell fires to first during a game last weekend with Ole Miss. The Gamecocks take on the Citadel Bulldogs today at 7 p.m.
• USC to scrap with Citadel
Gamecocks continue to look to young pitching for lift against in-state rival Bulldogs at home
Rob Carli and fi.J. Bembry
THE GAMECOCK
For the 156th time in two
centuries, the Gamecock
baseball team and instate
rival, the Citadel Bulldogs,
will square off against each
other.
The No. 7 Gamecocks
^Phold a 112-43 all-time
record against the Bulldogs,
dating back to 1900, but
the Bulldogs have not gone
quietly in recent seasons
since their latest victory in
2003.
Last season, USC
narrowly defeated the
Bulldogs 4-2 at Riley Park
in Charleston. In 2004,
the Gamecocks escaped
defeat in extra innings
with a grdnd slam by Steve
Pearce.
“They’re a great college
baseball program,” coach
Ray Tanner said. “When
we get together it’s always
a good game and a good
atmosphere and well
attended.”
In last season’s contest at
Riley Park, a stadium record
of 5,803 fans attended the
Gamecocks’ marginal 4-2
victory.
But attendance is not
the concern for starting
freshman pitcher Will
Atwood right now. It’s to
improve his 2-0 record
against USC’s only other in
state opponent this season
in addition to Clemson.
“This game we play here
is just as important as games
on the weekend, and we
need to play one game at a
time,” he said. Atwood said
he doesn’t know too much
about the Citadel, only that
he’s excited to go out there
and get another start.
Tanner and the coaching
staff has been more than
familiar with leaning
on freshmen to start in
the rotation this season.
Freshman pitcher Mike
Cisco is 5-0 in starts and
was named SEC pitcher
of the week after an eight
inning shutout against
Mississippi last weekend.
Reese Havens and Justin
Smoak are both fourth on
the team in RBI with 26.
“I don’t think we’ve ever
had a team where we’ve
relied on freshmen like this
season,” Tanner said. “They
CITRDCL • 18
Sports
Softball to play
at Tennessee
for second day
USC’s softball team
will play Tennessee again
today, after playing two
games against the Vols on
Tuesday.
The Gamecocks entered
the series with a 24-22
record, 4-13 in the SEC,
while the Volunteers are
second in the SEC East with
a 41-6 record overall. UT
entered yesterday’s games
with a six-game win streak,
while USC was swept by
Coastal Carolina on April
o.
USC leads the overall
series 15-14 but had dropped
its last seven games to the
Vols going into Tuesday’s
games.
USC junior Mckenna
Hughes is the Gamecocks’
top batter, as she leads
the team with 39 hits, 11
doubles, six homeruns and
a .285 average. As a team,
the Gamecocks bat just
.234 while the pitching unit
holds a 1.98 ERA. Christie
Hamilton leads the team
from the mound with 12
wins and 137 strikeouts.
Tennessee’s Sarah Fekete
leads the SEC with a .500
batting average. The senior
has 68 hits and has scored
46 runs. Tonya Callahan’s
53 RBI are a team high.
Volunteers pitcher Monica
Abbot has done her part for
the Vols from the mund,
holding a miniscule .57
ERA while striking out an
SEC-leading 352 batters.
The Gamecocks sit fourth
in the East with a 1 -5 record
in the division.
The mid-week series
marks the • end of a 13
game homestand for the
Volunteers.
Mens SEC tennis
bracket set; USC
starts with Vols
USC men’s tennis opens
the SEC tournament
tomorrow with a match
against No. 10-seed
Tennessee. Alabama is
hosting the event, held
at the Alabama Tennis
Complex in Tuscaloosa.
The winner will advance
to take on No. 2-seed
Florida on Friday.
The Gamecocks ended
their season with a 13
13 overall record and a
5-6 mark in the SEC by
winning four of their last
five conference matches.
Tennessee is 9-10 overall,
i
3- 8 in the SEC. The
Volunteers won the only
match between the two
teams during the season, a
4- 1 decision on March 12.
The tournament’s No.l
seed, Georgia, will face the
winner of the Alabama
Auburn matchup on Friday.
The championship match
will be held Sunday at 2
p.m.
Sprinter wins
5th weekly SEC
award in 6 weeks
USC sophomore sprinter
Shalonda Solomon has been
named the SEC’s track
athlete of the week after
breaking two school records
during events last week.
It was the fifth time in six
weeks Solomon has won the
award.
Both records broken by
Solomon were formerly held
by NCAA champions. She
won the 200m Invitational
by posting a time of 22.53,
the fastest time in the world
this year.
Solomon also won the
100m on April 14 with the
NCAA’s best time of 11.12
in Knoxville, Tenn.
The Gamecocks moved
up to No. 10 this week in
the trackwire.com rankings
after a strong showing at
last week’s Sea Ray Relays
NickEsara/TBE GAMECOCK
Sophomore rightfielder Jessica Josker throws in a USC
softball game earlier this season.
Happiest
birthday
greetings
to Spurrier
In honor of 61st year,
here are some quality
gift ideas for the coach
Steve Spurrier’s birthday
is tomorrow; he’ll be 61.
Forget all the potential jokes
o l C ill 111 1 11 g
from being
born on 4/20.
Today, I’m
going to weed
through the
most likely
wishes on the STEPHEH
coach’s list this FRSTEIlflU
year (word is Third
that Student y™r print
Government j°urnal“m
wanted to fill student
Spurrier’s office from floor
to ceiling with balloons,
but a certain high-ranking
elected official nixed the
plan. Air costs money,
apparently).
Topping Spurrier’s wish
list would probably have to
be a second threat at wide
receiver to complement
Sidney Rice. Not that Blake
Mitchell needs a second
option, but sometimes it’s
best if opposing coaches,
players, wives, girlfriends,
pets and girlfriend’s pets
don’t know which play is
coming.
Syvelle Newton should be
back healthy in the fall, but
he doesn’t know where he’ll
play. The best second option
should be Kenny McKinley,
who is fast and has good
hands — two qualities that
make for a good receiver,
apparently. U.J. Murdock
could come from nowhere
and be that guy, but for now
I see McKinley being there
alongside Rice.
Of course, I’d throw
my hat in the ring for
Gurminder Thind. He may
not be the fastest guy on the
field, but he could eat any
defensive back, linebacker,
or Glen Davis who tried to
cover him.
Second on Spurrier’s list
would be a breakout year
for Cory Boyd. No one
really knows what Boyd did
last year to be suspended for
the season, but they’re glad
he’s back. Boyd dominated
the scout team last year, has
been brilliant in the spring
and will have a worthy
backup in Mike Davis when
he needs a breather. He also
has the speed and hands to
line up in the slot position
and can catch balls out of
the backfield. Establishing
a threat in the running
game, obviously, would take
pressure off of Mitchell and
of course, the workhorse
Rice.
Let’s see, what else?
Spurrier doesn’t need a car.
He gets a new one from a
local dealership every 5,000
milpc rvr cnmpfktnrr lilrp
that.
How about another
Lindsey? Dustin Lindsey
likely won’t be on the field
this year and the defense
will miss him. Despite his
off-field troubles, Lindsey
was a ball-hawk who took
the starting job away from
senior Ricardo Hurley last
year and made a habit of
singling out opponents. The
Gamecocks need to replace
him fast.
Without the balloons,
Spurrier will need something
rnsTennu • is