In many ways the Gamecocks' 2-1 loss in the bottom of the 10th inning to Florida was a microcosm of a season filled with "misfortune" as Coach Mark Kingston noted after the game. “It’s one of those years where everything that can go wrong goes wrong," Kingston said in the post-game press conference after suffering the 3rd loss to the Gators in the last 4 games, dating back to this past weekend's series in Gainsville. The Gamecocks end their season with a 27-28 record, the first losing record since 1996.

Throughout this season I have been struck by this squad's lack of quit. Despite several occasions when it seemed like the season was all but over, the team fought back time and again to keep hopes alive. Unfortunately, those hopes came crashing down as the ball rolled out of the glove of Talmadge Lecroy in a play at the plate that gave Florida the walk-off win. The Gamecocks got gutsy performances from Will Sanders, who threw seven innings of one-run ball, giving up just 4 hits, Andrew Eyster, who white-knuckled a grounder that scored the tying run in the bottom of the 9th, and Cade Austin who pitched well enough to give the Gamecocks a chance to win it at the plate in the final 2 regulation innings, and many more performances that ultimately weren't enough.

The game and season at large were marked by dry spells at the plate on the worst possible occasions, something that has been a common trend during the Kingston era, like the Gamecocks' inability to score more than 3 runs in the final two games combined to close out a home regional in 2021, the sting of which was made worse because the Gamecocks would've ultimately hosted a super-regional had they been able to do so. If the Gamecocks' bats had come alive back then, perhaps the hot seat conversation looks a little different today, and the injury-plagued season in 2022 would be seen as a blip, with a team that fought hard until the end, regardless of a lot of adversity. But instead, AD Ray Tanner, and the higher-ups in the athletic program have another major sports head coach to look closely at whether or not they are the best fit moving forward, or if it's time to move on.

Those answers will come in the coming days, but for now, perhaps Kingston said it best when it comes to remembering this 2022 South Carolina baseball team: "“We fought until the very bitter end. That’s what I’m going to remember about this group. They fought to the bitter end."