The Side Line: Baseball Edition

Spring 2011

• PREVIEW OF 2011 USC BASEBALL •

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BASEBALL EDITION

Season PREVIEW

Gamecocks hold up the NCAA 2010 Division 1 baseball championship trophy. Photo by Paul Collins of GamecockCentral.com.

BY David Cloninger Catcher The Gamecocks received a great piece of news when Brady Thomas was awarded a sixth year of eligibility, after having to sit out the last half of fall practice and the first weekend of spring while the NCAA examined his case. Thomas platooned with Kyle Enders last year and became known as a clutch hitter, belting a walk-off home run to defeat Alabama and then beating Oklahoma in Omaha with a first-pitch single.

Thomas is a great hitter, a veteran presence and a solid defensive catcher, but his defense probably won’t have him playing every day. The Gamecocks need to find a dependable backup and have a group bidding for the job.

Two junior-college transfers, Dante Rosenberg and Brent Worsham, are on campus; utility player Robert Beary is also in the mix. Rosenberg is the best defender, but has been slowed by a back injury, leaving Worsham and Beary to catch the majority of innings in the fall and spring.

First Base

ould it happen again?

Sure, it could. But Ray Tanner is not playing the 2011 season thinking it’s going to be a disappointment if South Carolina doesn’t win the national championship.

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“I love the situation we’re in,” Tanner said during the team’s media day. “I love expectations here. It’s part of the deal.

We want our fans and alumni to feel like we do as players and coaches.”

The Gamecocks expect to win a lot this year — no surprise, since Tanner has built a dynasty in his 15 years at USC. His numerous 40-win seasons and trips to the NCAA tournament culminated in last year, where the Gamecocks overcame

BASEBALL EDITION

a late-season stumble and played their best baseball when they had to.

The result: the program’s first national title and the feeling that little ol’ USC, where athletics have long been the nation’s pesky kid brother, had finally arrived.

As another season dawns, Tanner has a team mixed with veterans of the 2010 ride and some newcomers. The chemistry of last year’s thrill ride seems to be

intact, but what remains to be seen is how this group can play once the games begin counting.

Tanner likes what he has, but he is not playing the season thinking a national championship is the only prize worth mentioning. The Gamecocks could win every game except the final two of the national championship series, then lose and be 69-2, which could never be called disappointing. Still, some people will think that without another trophy in the case, 2011 would be just that.

“All you can do is put yourself in the position to make the postseason,” Tanner said.

Here’s a breakdown of this season’s team, position by position.

Christian Walker returns for his sophomore season after a freshman year filled with ups and downs. But it ended on an up: Walker smacked a three-run home run to send USC to the College World Series, then had 12 hits (the most of any player among the eight teams) and a .414 average in Omaha. Walker batted .327 with nine homers and 51 RBIs for the season and became a good defender on the bag, gobbling up a hard-hit grounder that could have scored the tying run but instead eliminated Clemson from the CWS. If he can avoid the slumps that were a massive part of his rookie season, he could be the rock the Gamecocks’ offense is built on this year.

Second Base Scott Wingo returns for his senior season, one of the Gamecocks’ most beloved players and the man who scored the winning run for the national championship.

Wingo has had his dips over the years, almost always on offense, but he worked extremely hard to get himself ready for 2011. His swing looks the best it ever has, and Wingo is in the discussion to hit leadoff instead of his usual ninth. His defense has always been great. There haven’t been too many players around who earned the warmth of USC fans like Wingo has. Born with dirt under his fingernails, Wingo plays the game like the old credo says: “Love the game, and the game will love you back.”

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Center Field Jackie Bradley Jr. patrols center for another year after developing into of the finest prospects in the country. Considered a Top 10 draft pick in June, Bradley Jr. can do it all — hit, hit for power, run, throw and field. It’s the fielding that really sets him apart, though. Bradley Jr. knows where the ball is going to end up and makes it look so easy and effortless it’s no shock at all when he chases down a backward one-handed catch in the alley. The MVP of the College World Series, Bradley Jr. also hit a team-high .368 despite battling a hand injury early in the season, tying for the team lead with 13 homers and leading the Gamecocks with 60 RBIs. One of the most naturally gifted players USC has ever had, the Gamecocks are pretty much set on losing him after this year — but only after this year.

Right Field

Adrian Morales. Photo by Paul Collins of GamecockCentral.com.

Shortstop After the defensive gem that was Bobby Haney departed, USC was looking for the next in a long line of terrific shortstops. The Gamecocks found him at a Florida junior college. Peter Mooney may only stand 5-foot-7, but he’ll impact the team in a major way this season. Superb defensively and capable of being a top hitter as well, Mooney knows the heritage he’s facing and is eager to live up to it. The knock on Haney was his offense, but his defense (only six errors last year at the most error-prone position) was so grand that Tanner willingly overlooked

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it; Mooney shouldn’t have any sacrifice tags attached to his name in the lineup.

Third Base The MVP of the Columbia NCAA Regional last year, Adrian Morales is back at the hot corner. A clubhouse leader who approached the team’s veterans as soon as they reported for fall practice, Morales has already preached that last year was last year and should be put behind. Only a .273 hitter, Morales has some punch: He hit nine homers last season, including one in each game of the regionals, and drove in 56.

Left Field Evan Marzilli broke onto the scene last year, hitting leadoff during the stretch run and recording a .385 average in just 91 at-bats. Although Marzilli struggled during the fall, he should hold onto the position. His defense is outstanding and he has some power, hitting three homers last year. His speed helps make USC’s outfield one of the quickest in the country. There are others bidding for the jobs in left and right — Beary and Wofford transfer Jake Williams are reliable enough that they’ll have to play somewhere — but Marzilli should start the season in left.

Junior Adam Matthews is back and if the early returns are any indicator, has put it all together. Matthews has always been a massively talented prospect, able to hit and using his blazing speed to create havoc on the basepaths, but he has suffered through bouts of inconsistency.

That doesn’t look to be the case this year. He’ll start and could hit leadoff or be very high in the order, after batting .307 last year with seven homers and 31 RBIs. With new bats causing a power outage across the country, all teams need a player who can get on base and move around them; the Gamecocks have one in Matthews.

Designated Hitter As it was last year, the Gamecocks have several options. Thomas seems to be a natural to start at DH when he’s not catching. When he is catching, USC could turn to Beary, Williams or perhaps Michael Roth.

Roth will factor into the starting pitching rotation, but spent the summer working on his offense and has continued to take swings in the fall and spring. Much will depend on matchups, but the Gamecocks have candidates, and a definite right-hander and definite left-hander should emerge.

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Starting Pitchers Sophomore left-hander Tyler Webb claimed the No. 1 job in the fall and did nothing to lose it in the spring, so signs point to him having the ball today. Webb claimed a weekend role last year, but lost it by midseason after chronic inconsistency; he spent the summer improving himself and hopes to be a wire-to-wire starter this year. His numbers (3-2, 3.96 ERA, 36 strikeouts and 13 walks) were good, but his appearances often put USC in a hole. He seems to have battled out of it in the fall, becoming the one guy that was good every time during the scrimmages.

Roth will get his chance at being a full-time starter after he stunned the country at the College World Series. Having not started a game all season, Roth was asked to preserve a tired pitching staff against Clemson in Omaha; the left-hander’s assortment of off-speed junk flummoxed the Tigers and he threw a complete-game three-hitter. He also started the national championship game but got a no-decision. Masterful against left-handed hitters and good against righties, Roth has earned a look — he just has to prove he can hold that look throughout an entire season.

The third starter has yet to be named, but should come from a mix: Adam West-

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moreland, Bryan Harper and Steven Neff figure into the role, meaning USC will very likely have a trio of southpaws as its weekend rotation. Westmoreland has returned from Tommy John surgery in terrific shape, looking very good in the early going. Harper is a transfer from Nevada who has electric stuff — when he can throw it consistently. Neff is a fouryear veteran with a sizzling fastball who is trying to put it all together this year.

Right-handers Colby Holmes and freshman Forrest Koumas could also be in the mix for a weekend or mid-week role.

Closer After taking the rest of the summer, fall and first weekend of spring off, Matt Price returns fully rejuvenated. The coaches thought Price may be in line for starting consideration, but at the season’s beginning, they want him to be the shut-the-door guy from the bullpen.

Price turned it up several notches in the postseason last year, harnessing that extra bit of aggressiveness needed in clutch situations, and he delivered every time. He may get some looks as the season develops in other situations, the coaches wanting him to be available for more than one win per week, but right now, he’ll again trot out for the ninth and continue adding to his strikeout total.

Matt Price. Photo by Paul Collins of GamecockCentral.com.

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Top 5 Series outh Carolina will again bring some of the country’s best teams to Columbia in 2011.

Here are five home series you shouldn’t miss:

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SANTA CLARA (FEB. 18-20) It’s opening weekend at Carolina Stadium and the chance to see how the Gamecocks are replacing the missing pieces from a national championship squad. There are several veterans back, but there will be new faces at shortstop and possibly catcher. The re-tooled pitching staff will get its first action and fans will get to see pitching coach Jerry Meyers in action, after he was hired during the offseason. Meyers replaced Mark Calvi, who replaced him when he departed for Old Dominion. Now, Meyers has stepped back in like he’s never been away.

CLEMSON (MARCH 4-6) Not truly a home series, unless you’re a Palmetto State native and consider the rivalry something that must be attended, no matter what.

The second year of a new system for the long-standing backyard brawl, the Gamecocks will play their bitter rivals only three times and will do it in one weekend. The March 4 game is in Columbia, so book a hotel room in Greenville for Saturday night, then go to Greenville’s Fluor Field on March 5 for the second game. Get up and make the short trek to Clemson for the final installment on March 6. It’s a sure bet that the Tigers, aching from their two straight losses to USC at the College World Series, will want to exact some revenge. Of course, Ray Tanner (28-24 all-time against Clemson, with four wins over the Tigers in Omaha) will be prepared.

Between Park & Assembly

GEORGIA (MARCH 18-20) The beginning of SEC play and the Gamecocks get it at home. They’ll need all the help they can get to begin conference play on a winning note and should be able to get it against a Bulldogs squad that is still searching for consistency. Tanner should have made

Jackie Bradley Jr. Photo by Paul Collins of GamecockCentral.com.

all of the decisions he needs to make and be ready for the meat of the season. Georgia suffered through a trying season last year, struggling to find any answer, but seems to have gotten back together. This will be the first test and will begin deciding who goes to the SEC tournament.

VANDERBILT (APRIL 15-17) The Commodores are considered a preseason Top 5 team, and for good reason. Top to bottom, Vanderbilt has one of the most feared lineups in the SEC, and its pitching staff is absolutely elite. The Gamecocks took two of three from Vandy on the road last year, including Tanner’s 1,000th career victory, and the Commodores will doubtless want to get even for that and also get themselves rolling to the postseason.

ARKANSAS (MAY 13-15) Perhaps the last chance to see the Gamecocks at home, if they don’t clinch a host site for the NCAA tournament. USC will play the Razorbacks and then UNC-Asheville the following Tuesday before finishing the regular season on the road, then head to the SEC tournament (if it qualifies) and the NCAA Regionals (likewise). Gorgeous spring day at the ballpark, nothing but golf on the tube — what else are you going to do?

Full schedule, page 14.

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opinion “Repeat“ Not The Right Word s soon as South Carolina returned from Omaha — really, as soon as Whit Merrifield’s single touched down safely in right field — Gamecock fans the world over began asking the question.

Can they do it again?

Forgive them. After waiting more than a century for a national championship that can really be bragged about, they would naturally want to know when the next one is coming along.

Many say it will be this summer, when the Gamecocks’ baseball team again travels to the College World Series and starts the event’s new stadium the same way it ended the old one’s — with the national title. No doubt, some think.

Possible? Sure.

Realistic?

Who knows?

“Certainly we know how difficult it will be to repeat,” coach Ray Tanner said at the team’s media day. “I don’t think you’ll get any of my players to say that we’ll do that — although some might.

“You just try to get in a position. That’s all you can do.”

Tanner wasn’t going to say his team couldn’t repeat, but he wasn’t going to say it was in the bag. Just like last year’s team, the

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BY David Cloninger

2011 Gamecocks have a lot of questions to answer and a lot of games to play before the postseason arrives.

But everybody needs to realize that while winning another title isn’t out of the question, it’s very, very difficult to repeat, especially in a sport that lasts 56 games and when a season can change from excellent to miserable in a snap of elbow tissue.

The Gamecocks are approaching this as not trying to repeat the national championship — they just want to win another. It would be the same scenario if USC had won its first title 40 years ago.

They all remember how last year was. The journey to get to Omaha, not just what happened when out there. That was a good team, even a great team, but not a dominant team.

With one reliable starting pitcher and a lineup that was far, far removed from the powerstocked rosters of the past, the 2010 team was hoping to simply give itself a chance.

That’s when the pieces began to fit into place.

A sterling bullpen and a big hit always in the on-deck circle got the Gamecocks off to a strong start in league play, USC winning its first seven SEC series for the first time in program history. That paved the way to a second-place finish for the regular-season championship, first place eluding the Gamecocks by one win.

Then USC rebounded from a horrendous showing in the SEC tournament to nab an NCAA Regional berth, complete with host duties, and swept through it before heading to the beach to take on Coastal Carolina. There, USC began to think that this team just might have something.

Matt Price preserved a one-run lead against one of the best-hitting teams in the country, retiring the side despite having the bases loaded and nobody out. In the next game, freshman Christian Walker hammered a two-strike, two-out three-run home run for the game-winning scores as the Gamecocks returned to Omaha.

At the CWS, Tanner kept rolling sevens as the Gamecocks found answer after answer.

Down to their last strike of the season, USC scored two runs to beat Oklahoma; Michael Roth pitched a complete game after he hadn’t started a game all season to beat Clemson; then the Gamecocks incredibly sent their most hated rival home from the CWS the very next day, for the second time in less than a decade.

All of those pegs that the Gamecocks searched in vain for in 1975, 1977 and 2002 were in their dugout in 2010. USC easily beat UCLA in Game 1 of the national championship series, then got a game-tying grounder from Bobby Haney, one of the team’s most inconsistent hitters, to make it a 1-1 score in Game 2.

That set up Merrifield’s at-bat, after Price had once again frozen the opposition. As it turned out, one of the best hitters in school history only needed one sharp single to forever be remembered.

The run to the title was special, glorious … pick your own adjective. Everything came together at the right time and USC won that rather plain trophy that didn’t come close to expressing the magnitude of what one of its teams had finally done.

People have asked me ever since I returned from covering the team if the Gamecocks could do it again. I always answer the same way — of course they can. If they will is the question.

I didn’t look at last year’s team at this point as a national champion and I don’t look at this year’s team that way, either. There are too many factors to consider between now and May 21, when USC will finish the regular season and see where it is.

There have been repeat national champions. Oregon State did it just four years ago, when it won the 2007 title to match its 2006 title.

A decade before, LSU finished back-to-back runs and eight years before that, Stanford won two straight.

Tanner isn’t thinking of “repeat.” He’s thinking of getting in position to have a chance to repeat.

“All you can do is try to get in the postseason,” he said. “Last year it became magical.”

The magic could return in 2011, but we won’t truly know until it’s time for the postseason. Until then, don’t think of the Gamecocks playing this season trying to “repeat.”

They’re trying to get in a position to win another.

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ROSTER 2011 No. Name

Pos.

Yr. Hometown

No. Name

Pos.

3 Adrian Morales

3B

Sr. Hialeah, Fla.

35 Logan Munson

LHP Jr. Columbia

Yr. Hometown

4 Robert Beary

OF/C Sr. Apopka, Fla.

36 Brady Thomas

C

5 Patrick Harrington

C

38 Tyler Webb

LHP So. Nassawadox, Va.

Fr. Virginia Bch, Va.

Sr. Anderson

6 Peter Mooney

SS

Jr. Loxahatchee, Fla.

39 Patrick Sullivan

RHP So. Columbia

7 Richard Royal

C

Jr. Fayetteville, N.C.

40 Jake Williams

OF

Jr. Greer

8 Scott Wingo

2B

Sr. Greenville

42 DeSean Anderson

OF

Fr. High Point, N.C.

9 Steven Neff

LHP Jr. Lancaster

43 Al Hentz

RHP Jr. Lexington

10 Drake Thomason

RHP Fr. Taylors

44 Colby Holmes

RHP So. Conway

11 Will Casey

LHP Jr. Kennesaw, Ga.

45 Bryan Harper

LHP Jr. Las Vegas

13 Christian Walker

1B

46 Brent Worsham

C

14 John Taylor

RHP Sr. Florence

47 Thomas Little

RHP Jr. West Columbia

So. Limerick, Pa.

Jr. Villa Rica, Ga.

15 Nolan Belcher**

LHP Jr. Augusta, Ga.

48 Wil Leathers

INF

16 Austin Ashmore

OF

50 James Rawls

RHP Jr. Leesville

So. Greer

Fr. Greer

17 Jose Mata

RHP Sr. Miami Lakes, Fla.

18 Dante Rosenberg

C

Jr. Coral Springs, Fla.

1 Ray Tanner

Head coach

19 Jackie Bradley Jr.

OF

Jr. Prince George, Va.

2 Chad Holbrook

Associate head coach

20 Jake Watson

INF

Fr. Charlotte, N.C.

12 Jerry Meyers

Assistant head coach

22 Matt Price

RHP So. Sumter

41 Sammy Esposito

Assistant coach

23 Alex Brooks

RHP Fr. Lexington

55 Brian Buscher

Student assistant coach

24 Brison Celek

C/1B So. Charleston

25 Adam Westmoreland LHP So. Cayce 26 Adam Matthews

OF

27 Forrest Koumas

RHP Fr. Elgin

28 Spencer Jordan

RHP Jr. Florence

Jr. Lexington

29 Michael Roth

Jr. Greer

30 Erik Payne

3B

Fr. Richmond, Va. So. Cranston, R.I.

31 Evan Marzilli

OF

33 Alex Burrell

LHP Jr. Landrum

34 Greg Brodzinski

C

Fr. Turnersville, N.J.

*Note: The roster had to be trimmed to the NCAAmandated list of 35 before today. Because of two other defections during the off-season, USC is forced to play with a 33-man roster. Final cuts were not made at press time. ** Belcher suffered an injury during spring scrimmages and is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

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Feb. 18 Feb. 19 Feb. 20

Baseball SCHEDULE 2011 SANTA CLARA SANTA CLARA SANTA CLARA

3 p.m.

3 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

March 25 at Florida* March 26 at Florida* March 27 at Florida*

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.

May 6 May 7 May 8

at Ole Miss* at Ole Miss* at Ole Miss*

Feb. 25 Feb. 26 Feb. 27

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

3 p.m.

3 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

March 30 THE CITADEL

7 p.m.

May 10

PRESBYTERIAN

7 p.m.

May 11

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN

7 p.m.

March 1

FURMAN

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

March 4 March 5 March 6

CLEMSON vs. Clemson (Fluor Field, G’ville) at Clemson

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

2 p.m.

May 13 May 14 May 15

ARKANSAS* ARKANSAS* ARKANSAS*

May 17

UNC ASHEVILLE

March 9

DAVIDSON

7 p.m.

May 19 May 20 May 21

at Alabama* at Alabama* at Alabama*

March 11 CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD March 12 CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD March 13 CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

April 1 April 2 April 3

KENTUCKY* KENTUCKY* KENTUCKY*

April 5

USC UPSTATE

7 p.m.

April 7 April 8 April 9

at Tennessee* at Tennessee* at Tennessee*

7:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

April 12

at The Citadel

7 p.m.

VANDERBILT* VANDERBILT* VANDERBILT*

March 15 vs. Furman (Fluor Field, G’ville)

7 p.m.

April 15 April 16 April 17

March 16 WOFFORD

7 p.m.

April 19

at College of Charleston

March 18 GEORGIA* March 19 GEORGIA* March 20 GEORGIA*

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

April 22 April 23 April 24

at Mississippi State* at Mississippi State* at Mississippi State*

March 22 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

AUBURN* AUBURN* AUBURN*

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

3 p.m.

NCAA Super Regionals

March 23 RHODE ISLAND

April 29 April 30 May 1 May 4

at Wofford

7 p.m.

Jun 18-29

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7 p.m.

4 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

8 p.m.

3 p.m.

2;30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

7:35 p.m.

7:35 p.m.

2:05 p.m.

Home games in CAPS /*SEC game

SEC Tournament May 25-29

Hoover, Ala.

NCAA Regionals June 3-6

June 10-13

TBD TBD

College World Series Omaha, Neb.

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