Gamecocks will have 'speed and power' on offense next season
New South Carolina head coach Mark Kingston said college baseball is, first and foremost, about pitching, especially in the SEC. With future professional baseball players scattered throughout the league, it’s the primary focus.
But after that, comes offense, and Kingston knows exactly what he likes when it comes to his lineup.
“The ideal team for me has speed and power. What we talk about all the time is how the best way to score is with one hit. If you have speed, a guy can walk, steal second and a bloop hit scores a run,” he said in his introductory press conference. "Or you can have a power hitter who with one hit can score a run. If you don’t have one of those then it takes four or five hits in an inning to scratch out a run or two and it makes it tough, especially with the type of pitching in the SEC.”
Kingston’s last South Florida team was one of the best offensive teams in the American Athletic Conference, finishing in top five in batting average, RBI, runs and slugging.
In the regular season, the Bulls averaged almost six runs and 10 hits per game. South Carolina, by comparison, averaged five runs and almost nine hits.
The Bulls also hit 45 home runs last year while hiting .288 as a team. The Gamecocks hit 58 homers and only .260 collectively.
“Play hard, play smart; be disciplined. That’s something we put up in the locker room at USF when I first got there. That’s something we try to stand by here,” Kingston said. “You do those things, the game usually goes your way if you deserve it. That’ll be one of our mantras.”
Kingston preaches discipline and work ethic, telling his new team on a conference call Friday to be prepared to start work when the team gets back to campus in the fall.
He said his job as a coach is for players to reach their full potential, He’s not going to tear his players down for failing on the mound or at the plate, saying baseball is designed to crush players’ hearts and the coaching staff will be there to build players up.
“We don’t yell or scream at our guys for physical mistakes. We make sure they’re sharp mentally, but they’ll know if they make a mistake; it’s just part of the game. We’ll be there to help them correct the mistake and learn from the experience.”
Players are all off playing summer baseball, and Kingston has hit the road recruiting and making contact with the current players committed to South Carolina. The entire team will reconvene this fall before the semester starts in August.