The energy in the air was palpable.
Pregame festivities were over as the clock hit noon Friday and South Carolina congregated at the top steps of the home dugout as Kanye West’s “Power” echoed throughout the stadium speakers.
The team huddle broke and, led by Brett Kerry, the Gamecocks took the field to as loud a roar that’s been heard in over a year at Founders Park. Postseason baseball was back in Columbia.
“That park really came to life when we got those big hits in that inning and came to life when we need a big strikeout when we were on defense,” Mark Kingston said. “That’s what it’s all about. If you’re a sports fan, Gamecock fan, baseball fan, days and weekends like what we’re doing right now is as good as it gets.”
Albeit unconventionally, the Gamecocks are hosting their first NCAA regional in five years—way too long for a fan base that considers playing at home in June the rule and not the exception.
But, with Founders one of 16 host sites, fans didn’t waste any time making it a home field environment.
Over 5,400 fans packed the park for a blazingly humid noon first pitch and didn’t leave until Daniel Lloyd struck out Zack Gelof to secure a 4-3 win over Virginia.
“It’s very, very fun. I think we have some of the best fans in the country. they really get into the game. As a team it really fuels us when they’re doing the Gamecock chant or any other chant. It really fuels us to go out there and go out there and do our best.”
It was the second biggest crowd of the season—they packed 5,712 in for game two against Tennessee—and the largest road crowd Virginia’s faced since playing in the College World Series in 2015.
The crowd—officially listed at 5,444—came to life numerous times throughout the game, none louder than part of a three-run sixth inning that including a game-tying double from Josiah Sightler and a Colin Burgess go-ahead single.
For both guys, and almost every other player on the roster, this is the first time they’ve played in a regional ever and it lived up to the billing.
“When you’re in high school and commit to a university, that’s one thing you take into consideration: playing in a regional with thousands of fans behind you and rooting you on,” Sightler said. “For it to happen the way it did today was awesome.”
The Gamecocks are now in the winner’s bracket game for Saturday against either Old Dominion or Jacksonville, but the most important part is they’ll play at 7 p.m.
That means a night game for a fan base starved of postseason baseball at home for half a decade.
“We said it earlier in the week, the combination of our team getting to experience this and our fans getting to experience this—they haven’t been able to do that in five years—it makes for a special weekend,” Kingston said. “We want to play the best baseball we can to reward our fans for coming out and supporting us like they do.”
