Who: South Carolina (19-20, 6-12) vs Alabama (25-17, 9-9). Founders Park

Time/TV: Thursday 7:00 pm EST, Friday 7:00 pm EST, Saturday 12:00 pm EST. Thursday and Saturday games will be broadcast on the Alab... SEC Network and Friday's game will stream on SEC Network+.

Line: Bama -135, SC +105, O/U 10.5

Starting Pitchers: Game 1 RHP Jr. Brett Thomas (0-0 8.31 ERA, 12Ks, 7 BB, .333 OBA) v. RHP Jr Garrett McMillan (4-3, 3.32 ERA, 61Ks, 17 BB, .216 OBA), Game 2, RHP Jr. Noah Hall (2-4, 5.17 ERA, 53Ks, 20 BB, .278 OBA) v. RHP Sr. Jacob McNairy (4-2, 5.52 ERA, 40Ks, 9 BB, .295 OBA), Game 3, Soph. RHP Will Sanders (5-2, 3.52 ERA, 63Ks, 20 BB, .254 OBA) v. Soph. LHP Grayson Hitt (4-1 3.57 ERA, 48Ks 20 BB, .244 OBA)

History: South Carolina leads 37-30. The Tide and Gamecocks don't have much recent history. They've played only 1 time since 2019, a 9-3 Alabama victory in Hoover last May. The Tide haven't played in Columbia since 2017. Carolina won of 2 of 3 in that series. The Gamecocks have taken 6 of the 7 last series against Alabama.

It's easy to see why Alabama is 9-9 in conference, they really don't excel in any phase of the game, but they also don't have a glaring weakness. Bama hits .256 as a team in league play and has an ERA of 5.48. Alabama has been without its best pro prospect, LHP Connor Prielipp, all season after undergoing a Tommy John surgery last year. None of the other Crimson Tide starters have near an arm like Prielipp, who was going to be in the conversation as the top overall pick in this year's draft.

The straw that stirs the drink for Bama offensively is Andrew Pickney. The Sophomore outfielder is hitting .323 in league play with 4 home runs and a team high 17 runs scored. Dominic Tamez and Drew Williamson are the only other two Alabama starters hitting over .246 in league play. Both are hitting .319 in conference games.

The Gamecocks will need to limit walks this weekend as the lower portion of Alabama is very good at drawing free passes. Bama is not an aggressive team on the base paths and they do not hit many home runs. They have only 22 in conference play. This Alabama team does not have the flash or the elite talent that some of the others SEC teams Carolina has seen this season, but they have a bunch of solid players. They are currently projected as a #3 seed in D1 Baseball's latest NCAA Tournament projections. Alabama does have one South Carolina native on their roster, former Hilton Head High standout Eric Foggo. Foggo is a Graduate Transfer playing 4 seasons with Stetson prior to transferring to Tuscaloosa. Foggo would likely only see action this weekend as a pinch hitter.

When you are sitting at 19-20 and 6-12 in the league, every weekend is a must win series. The Gamecocks are still currently locked in a 4-way-tie for 9th place in the SEC. The top 12 advance to Hoover. 11 conference wins would likely be enough to get them to the SEC Tournament. Anything short of a sweep this weekend will likely not move the needle in terms of earning an at-large bid to the Big Dance. (Even with a sweep Carolina would be on the outside looking in).

Should Carolina be in the position to go to the bullpen with a late lead, who does Coach Kingston trust on the mound? Cade Austin has been the best pitcher out of the bullpen during league play and it's not really close. Austin sports a 2.60 ERA and opponents are hitting .269 off of him. He has 19 punch outs and only 5 walks in 17+ innings of work in conference play. The Redshirt Freshman from Chapin has earned my all-unimportant endorsement.

The Gamecocks have bounced back from adversity nicely all season and played fairly well at home. I'd expect that to continue this weekend. Carolina 2 of 3.

Bonus Top 10 Picks for tonight's NFL Draft:

1. Jacksonville: Travon Walker, DE Georgia. Trust Vegas here.

2. Detroit: Aiden Hutchinson, DE Michigan. Biggest bust of this year's draft. Watch the Georgia game again. Fits perfectly with the Lions draft history.

3. Houston: Evan Neal, OT Alabama. Let's hope Bama has more first round picks than runs tonight.

4. NY Jets: Sauce Gardner, DB Cincinnati. The best DB in draft will waste 3 years in NY before demanding a trade.

5. NY Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE Oregon. Most talented DE in the draft, I don't buy the rumors that his stock is failing, someone looking to get a steal outside of the top 10.

6. Carolina: Ickey Ekwonu, OT NC State. Panthers needs so much and they usually like to take local products.

7. NY Giants: Charles Cross, OT Miss St. Best OL left.

8. Atlanta: Jameson Williams, WR Alabama. Need a Ridley replacement and a weapon for a future QB.

9. Seattle: Jordan Davis, DL Georgia. Most likely the guy that sent Coach Beamer into his epic Georgia 5 star rant.

10. NY Jets: Jermaine Johnson, DE FSU. Could go WR if they think they aren't getting Deebo.