Mark Kingston Updates Injury Status For Gavin Casas
HOOVER, Ala. — In the fifth inning of South Carolina baseball’s eventual 6-5 victory over Kentucky on day four at the SEC Tournament, starting third baseman Gavin Casas left the game with an injury. He swung at a 2-1 pitch from Kentucky reliever Cameron O’Brien and immediately grimaced in pain. That was his final swing of the day, as Talmadge LeCroy hastily grabbed a bat to pinch hit for him.
Later in the game the SEC Network broadcast reported he had a fractured hamate, although Mark Kingston was not really to confirm it post-game.
“I know supposedly a hot mic caught that it was definitely something,” Kingston said. “The doctors, our official doctors, still need to look at it.”
Casas has played in 117 out of South Carolina’s 121 games over the last two seasons since he arrived in Columbia from Vanderbilt via the transfer portal, mostly playing first base last season with some time at third over the last six weeks.
He hit his 10th home run of the 2024 campaign in the second inning of today’s game, a three-run jolt which proved to be the biggest swing of the day in South Carolina’s victory.
A fractured hamate would almost certainly end his season, but there is precedent in the program for corner infielders gutting through this injury in the postseason. Kingston referenced one of the most iconic pieces of Gamecock lore in his post-game press conference, when program legend Christian Walker played through a fractured hamate in the 2011 National Championship series.
“We could potentially have a Christian Walker situation, and all the Gamecock fans know what that means,” Kingston said. “We're not going to say that Gavin's season is over yet until we exhaust all things that might get him on the field. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but we're not going to be of the mindset yet that it's over.”
If Casas is unavailable tomorrow or further, Kingston did confirm the plans for an emergency third baseman behind LeCroy.
“Lee Ellis is more than capable of playing third, short, second,” Kingston said. “And if we need to go to Lee Ellis we'll go to him confidently.”
South Carolina will take on LSU tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET with a spot in the SEC Championship Game at stake.
***************************************************************************
Want 2 months free on your Rivals subscription? Refer a friend and they'll get 50% off their first year while you get 2 months free, and the best part? You can do it as many times as you want. Just use your custom referral link on your subscriptions page (linked above).