Looking at the Gamecocks' potential path in SEC Tournament
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASEBALL
For the 24th straight year, South Carolina is SEC Tournament bound and, just like the other 23 times they’ve made the trip to the conference tournament, there are tough matchups up and down the board.
The Gamecocks (28-27, 8-22 SEC) found a way into the tournament, clinching a spot Saturday with a dramatic 10-8 win over Mississippi State and Alabama getting drubbed by Georgia.
They’ll enter as the No. 12 seed and their path through the bracket, if they win a few games, could be littered with a few familiar opponents.
Looking at their path: The Gamecocks will play the final game of the day Tuesday, a single elimination game against No.5-seeded LSU with the winner advancing to the double-elimination portion of the bracket.
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If South Carolina were to win that game, they’d be guaranteed two more games this year against one of four teams: No. 1-seed Vanderbilt, No. 4-seeded Vanderbilt and the winner of Tuesday’s No.8/9 matchup between Auburn and Tennessee.
A win Tuesday puts them in the final game of the day Wednesday against the Bulldogs, a team that they just played and took one game from on the road, before playing again on Thursday. If they win both Wednesday and Thursday, the Gamecocks would be guaranteed a spot in the semifinal games Saturday.
Looking at LSU: LSU (34-22, 17-13 SEC) is a lock to get into the NCAA Tournament and is in the mix for a top 16 seed, so they enter this week in Hoover with little to play for outside of strengthening their case to host a regional.
After dropping a series to Arkansas two weekends ago, the Tigers two of three against Auburn at home this weekend and enter the SEC Tournament winners of three of their last four games.
They’re middle of the pack in hitting (.271/.355/.412) and near the bottom in pitching with a 4.76 ERA. Josh Smith leads the team with a .314 average entering the tournament. The Tigers haven’t announced who they’ll start
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Looking at Mississippi State: If the Gamecocks get past LSU, they’ll earn the right to play Mississippi State, who doesn’t need to do much in terms of SEC Tournament success to lock up a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina’s fresh off a series with the Bulldogs where they were outscored 35-9 the first two days of the series but took the final game of the series, jumping out to a quick lead and holding on for a 10-8 win late.
The Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the country, leading the conference hitting .321/.402/.491 and are sparked by the SEC’s all-time leading hits leader Jake Mangum, who historically hasn’t had a lot of success against South Carolina. They’re also fourth in terms of pitching.
Looking at Vanderbilt: There’s a scenario where the Gamecocks could face the Commodores, a team that swept South Carolina at Founders Park earlier this month. The Commodores have already locked up a national seed, maybe the No. 1 overall seed, so a win or loss won’t hurt their postseason resume at all.
The Commodores, led by top 10 prospect J.J. Bleday offensively and a tout starting rotation, are second in the SEC in hitting and fifth in pitching with a staff ERA of 3.89.
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Looking at Auburn/Tennessee: If the Gamecocks advance to the double elimination part of the bracket and beat Mississippi State, they could play one of these two teams from the No.8/9 matchup.
South Carolina’s played both teams already this season and one game in each series, going 2-4 over six games. Auburn is probably firmly in the tournament as a No. 2 seed while Tennessee likely played its way into the tournament with a series victory over Ole Miss this past weekend.
A win for the Vols would probably go a long way to bolster their NCAA Tournament chances as well.
Auburn’s been dealt a few injuries along the way and are 11th in offense and middle of the pack with the 4.46 ERA.
