Published May 4, 2022
NC A&T Preview and a Quick Look at Carolina Spring Sports Postseasons
Stephen Anderson  •  GamecockScoop
Staff Writer
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@GCScoopStephen

*** Edited to include the Men's Golf postseason draw

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Who: South Carolina (22-20, 9-12) vs North Carolina A&T (13-29, 1-14). Founders Park

Time/TV: Wednesday 7:00 pm. This game is actually being broadcast on the SEC Network.

Line: SC -1000 (Wow!) NC A&T +550

Starting Pitchers: Game 1 RHP Fr. Eli Jones (0-0 4.70 ERA, 5Ks, 1 BB, .324 OBA) v. RHP Fr. Evan Demurias (1-2 4.95 ERA, 21K, 22 BB, .288 OBA)

History: Series is tied 1-1. All meetings have been in Columbia. South Carolina won 12-2 in 2018 and the Aggies won 2-0 in 2019. The 2019 Gamecock team finished 28-28.

This is a game that the Gamecocks should win, and it would gut their postseason resume if they lose. The Aggies are coming in at #247 in the RPI. Ironically, they have more wins against the ACC (2) than they do against Big South conference opponents (1). NC A&T did defeat UNC in a midweek game in Chapel Hill on April 12.

Anthony Hennings leads the Aggies with a .348 batting average while Cort Maynard has a team-best eight home runs. NC A&T only has one South Carolina native in Freshman Outfielder Jarian Pickney. The Andrew, SC product has not appeared in any games this season.

South Carolina is a heavy favorite this week and should win this game. I'm going Gamecocks 9-4.

Spring Sports in the Postseason 

If the Gamecocks are going to add another national title in the 2021-2022 calendar year, it will likely come from the women's golf program. The Gamecocks had a disappointing SEC Tournament, but we know from prior experience that usually bodes well for Carolina's NCAA chances. Carolina is ranked #3 in the country and is the #1 seed in the Tallahassee regional. There are 6 regionals and 72 teams in the field, 12 teams per regional. The top 4 teams will advance to the Championship round. Stanford is likely the overall favorite. The women tee off on May 9 and play 54 holes.

The men's golf team is headed to the Norman Regional as the #4 seed in that region. The men's NCAA field is comprised of 81 team across 6 regionals. The top 5 teams in each regional advance to the finals. The guys will tee off on May 16 and play 54 holes.

The next best shot at a title likely will come from the men's tennis team. They will host the first two rounds of the 64-team tournament. Their first round opponent is South Carolina State. The Gamecocks are the 10th overall seed in the tournament. TCU enters the tournament as the #1 seed. Daniel Rodrigues is the #2 overall seed in singles play and will play for individual championship from May 23-28. The team tournament begins on Friday

Not to be outdone, the 28th ranked Carolina women's tennis team is also headed to their 27th straight NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks face Iowa State on Friday and would likely see #1 seed North Carolina in the second round. The winner of the regionals in the tennis tournaments will advance to the Super Regional round. Play begins on Saturday morning