Gamecocks announce regional game one starter
Brett Kerry played it coy Monday afternoon when asked if he will be the game one starter, saying he'd be honored if he was but never saying he would be.
Wednesday the Gamecocks confirmed it would indeed be Kerry on the mound Friday afternoon as NCAA Tournament play begins against Virginia at noon (ESPN2).
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“It’d be an honor to be the first one to get to go out and set the tone for the whole regional. It’s going to be a blast playing. It’ll definitely be fun playing teams outside the conference," Kerry said.
"The SEC is just filled with great competition and every single weekend is tough. I think a lot of teams in the country are well of. It’ll be a blast playing other teams.”
Kerry statistically has been the team's best pitcher this year with a 1.90 ERA in 52 innings with a .224 batting average against. In league play this year Kerry is 4-1 with three saves and a 2.06 ERA and .229 average against with 65 strikeouts to six walks.
The third-year player spent most of the season as the closer but was inserted into the starting rotation for the final two weeks of the regular season. In those two starts (16 innings) he's allowed two earned runs on 11 hits with no walks and 18 strikeouts.
With Kerry starting game one, it leaves the Gamecocks with a few options for Saturday's game and potentially Sunday and Monday, depending on how the regional goes.
Both Brannon Jordan and Thomas Farr have started every weekend this season, including 10 straight weeks in the league.
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Jordan started as the Saturday starter but started the last three game ones to end the year. Jordan is 5-5 this season with a 4.37 ERA and a .194 batting average against. Farr went from Friday night starter to the Sunday arm and enters the postseason with a 4.03 ERA and a 3-6 record. Opponents are hitting .254 against him.
In league play Jordan is 4-4 with a 4.67 ERA and a .212 average against while Farr is 1-6 with a 5.13 ERA and a .251 average.
The Gamecocks take on Virginia at home Friday (noon, ESPN2) and will play either Old Dominion or Jacksonville Saturday at either noon or 7 p.m.
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