Look back, look ahead: Gamecocks eye improved record in close games

Despite losing two of three games to Vanderbilt this past weekend in a Thursday-Saturday series, South Carolina (21-10 overall, 7-5 SEC) is still right in the middle of the SEC race, which can only be described as chaotic after four weekends of conference play.

Four teams are tied at 8-4 for the best conference record (Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn, Miss. State) with the Gamecocks one game behind along with LSU.

USC’s next four series are all against SEC teams possessing .500 or better records in league play, beginning with an Easter Weekend showdown series at Founders Park against Mississippi State and slugger Brent Rooker, currently the runaway favorite for SEC Player of the Year.

With the midway point of the SEC schedule rapidly approaching, head coach Chad Holbrook understands there is a huge difference between being 7-5 and 6-6 at this point considering the jumbled nature of the SEC standings.

More than half of the league can still legitimately say they have an opportunity to win the regular season title.

“I told our team that they will look back at No. 7 (SEC win) in late May and June and say that was an awfully big one, perhaps the biggest one of the year,” Holbrook said Saturday following the Gamecocks’ 6-1 victory over Vanderbilt. “Our backs were against the wall. People will say we lost the series, but that’s OK. They don’t count how many series wins you have, they count how many games you win.”

Being just one game off the best record in the SEC means the Gamecocks have a lot of important games coming up, but to stay in the race they must get back to their winning ways after back-to-back series losses to Auburn and Vanderbilt.

Where to start? Get back to winning close games.

With 31 of 56 regular season games in the books, the Gamecocks are 8-9 in games decided by two runs or less. They have lost three games this season when they were one out away from a win, including Friday’s 5-3 loss to Vanderbilt when the Commodores evened the score on a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth (the runner reached on a leadoff walk) before scoring a pair of runs in the top of the 13th to steal the road win.

All five of USC’s SEC losses have been by two runs or less, three of the last four by a single run. Both losses at Auburn two weekends ago were by one run, while the two losses to Vanderbilt were by a combined three runs.

“Hopefully, our guys will take a deep breath and we will continue to evolve into a championship-caliber type team,” Holbrook said. “(Saturday) was a really big win for us. I know it won’t be glorified in the headlines, but considering what our team has been through the last 10 to 14 days, that was a big win for us.”

Since being swept at Arkansas during the opening weekend of SEC play (March 17-19), Miss. State has won eight of nine SEC games, including sweeps of Tennessee and rival Ole Miss in Oxford.

Before facing surging Miss. State, the Gamecocks face border rival North Carolina at BB&T Park in downtown Charlotte on Tuesday night.

The Tar Heels are 26-6 overall, 12-3 in the ACC after pounding Boston College pitching for 48 runs in a three-game sweep in Chestnut Hill, MA this past weekend. The previous weekend, UNC swept Florida State in Tallahassee.

“It’s a fun game to go play,” Holbrook said. “Obviously, it will be a great atmosphere in a great stadium. I’m sure North Carolina will be like us. They’re not going to pitch anybody to jeopardize their weekend, and we aren’t either. We have a big one next weekend at home against Mississippi State.”

The Gamecocks will likely utilize multiple pitchers in Tuesday night’s game in Charlotte, Holbrook said, probably beginning with established weeknight starter Cody Morris, a redshirt freshman from Laurel, Md.

Freshman Colby Lee will likely also take the mound Tuesday night, Holbrook said.

“We’ll throw a number of guys out there that we feel good about,” Holbrook said. “Some of our other relievers will be ready too.”

What about fireballer Tyler Johnson, who has been cleared to return to action? He could get an inning or two on Tuesday in what would be his first action in about 40 days.

NOTES:

-- Holbrook described Saturday’s 6-1 win over Vanderbilt as the Gamecocks “most important game of the year” and it’s tough to argue. USC was striving to avoid being swept at home and would have dug themselves a deep hole with four tough SEC opponents up next on the conference schedule.

-- L.T. Tolbert has driven in nine runs in the last four games. He leads the Gamecocks with a .324 batting average (34-105) and has yet to commit an error defensively in 28 games. Tolbert snapped USC’s 11-inning scoreless drought by walloping a three-run homer in the second inning on Saturday. “He has confidence,” Holbrook said of Tolbert. “He’s stronger than he was a year ago and he’s more aggressive. He’s swinging the bat with authority. He’s not trying to punch or guide the ball. He’s trying to hit for some power. He’s capable of hitting the ball over the outfield’s head from time to time. Last year, he was trying not to make a mistake. Now he’s trying to do something productive. It’s a different mindset.”

-- Freshman Carlos Cortes continues to surge at the plate. Serving as the DH in all three games, Cortes was 4-of-12 (.333) with two RBI against Vanderbilt. He is now batting .276 (16-58) with one homer and 12 RBI after a very slow start to his career at the plate. “Carlos continues to swing it pretty good,” Holbrook said Saturday.

-- Clarke Schmidt is 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 14 walks in 47.0 IP. He fanned 11 Vanderbilt batters in 7.0 innings, but got a no-decision when the Commodores fought back to tie the game in the top of the ninth and force extra innings. He looks ready to reclaim his role as Friday (Game 1) night starter after missing his start at Tennessee because of an injury.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:

4/4 vs. Furman, W 6-1

4/6 vs. Vanderbilt, L 7-6

4/7 vs. Vanderbilt, L 5-3 (13 Inn.)

4/8 vs. Vanderbilt, W 6-1

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:

Tuesday vs. North Carolina (at Charlotte), 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Friday vs. Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Saturday vs. Mississippi State, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Sunday vs. Mississippi State, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)

(All times Eastern)

SEC EAST STANDINGS (As of April 10)

Kentucky 8-4

South Carolina 7-5

Florida 6-6

Vanderbilt 6-6

Missouri 5-6

Georgia 4-7

Tennessee 3-9