Gamecocks find new hope behind resurgent offense
USC head coach Chad Holbrook thinks there are only a few inches separating Carlos Cortes from college and professional baseball.
Cortes, who’s listed at 5-foot-7, 195 pounds, is the shortest player on the team alongside infielder Justin Row. Holbrook said his frame is one of the only reasons MLB teams shied away from drafting him early.
And boy are the Gamecocks glad those teams did.
Cortes is lighting the college baseball world on fire the last three games, hitting .428 (3-for-7) with three home runs, eight RBI and eight walks.
“I’m certainly glad he’s at the University of South Carolina and proving to people around the college baseball world that he’s a gifted player,” Holbrook said.
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Cortes is leading the team in home runs with 12 home runs and is second on the team with a .298 batting average. Alex Destino, who’s second on the team with 10 homers, has 12 more starts than Cortes.
He is hitting .327 with 32 RBI in SEC play as well.
The freshman is also being trusted defensively, being played in all three outfield spots at some point this season. He showed why in Wednesday’s 10-2 win over Missouri, making a diving grab in left field for an out in the ninth to rob a hitter of extra bases.
He’s also stolen five bases.
“He got labeled as a hitter from the pro people and I found out that after being around him daily he’s a really good player,” Holbrook said. “He has great instinct about the game. All he needed to do was get confident and get comfortable. He did that.”
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He’s been the main cog in the power surge that is South Carolina’s offense since the regular season ended.
The Gamecocks are batting .266 so far in the tournament, up from .264 in the season. Thirty one percent (Nine of 29) of their hits this week have gone for extra bases. Only 30 percent of the team’s hits in the regular season when for extra bases.
This is the kind of team Holbrook thought the Gamecocks could be at the start of the year.
“I don’t think two games proves that we’re a good offensive team, but I was expecting to see flashes of this throughout the season,” he said. “I think guys have finally relaxed and taken a deep breath.”
It started early for the offense, getting off to a quick jump with three home runs and two double in the opening game against Vanderbilt in a park known to play big.
Destino, who slumped at different parts of the season, bolstered the offensive attack started by Cortes. He hit the lead-padding double in extras against the Commodores and followed it up with a three-hit day Wednesday and added a home run.
The junior lefty is hitting 5-for-13 (.384) with two doubles and a home run in Hoover. He’s had an RBI in all three games this week.
“We heard coming in it’s a graveyard and I think having that good first game with some guys seeing the ball leave the park instilled confidence,” Destino said.
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South Carolina knows it has an uphill battle to climb going forward since every game is single elimination the rest of the tournament. On Friday, the Gamecocks will face Kentucky, who was blanked 10-0 by LSU Thursday night.
They went a combined 2-5 against both teams this year, including a 7-2 loss to the Wildcats Tuesday in Hoover. Both pitching staffs are deep and will challenge a thriving Gamecock lineup, but Destino said the team is confident against whoever they’ll face.
“We obviously feel good. We know whoever we play tomorrow is going to have a good arm coming at us. Just kind of knowing that and embracing that being ready to accept the fact that somebody good’s going to be on the mound,” Destino said. “It plays a huge role in that. I think knowing that and being able to adjust and set an approach before the game plays a huge role for the hitters. Just going off that for the rest of the tournament.”