Who: South Carolina 15-3 v. #12 Oklahoma 15-1, Founders Park, Columbia, SC
Time/TV: Friday 7:00 pm, Saturday 4:00 pm and Sunday 1:30 pm. All three games will stream on SEC Network+.
Line: Friday game only: OU -130, SC +100. Run line: OU -1.5. Total 11.
Projected Starting Pitchers: Friday, Brandon Stone (So. RHP) 1-0, 1.93 ERA, 18.2 IP, 3 BB, 23 Ks, .186 OBA v. Kyson Witherspoon (Jr. RHP) 4-0, 1.17 ERA, 23.0 IP, 5 BB, 40 Ks, .138 OBA
Saturday, Jake McCoy (So. LHP) 1-1, 4.74 ERA, 19.0 IP, 8 BB, 38 Ks. .167 OBA v. Malachi Witherspoon (Jr. RHP) 2-0, 4.00 ERA, 18.0 IP, 11 BB, 17Ks., .250 OBA
Sunday, Dylan Eskew (Sr. RHP) 0-1, 1.69 ERA, 16.0 IP, 12 BB, 19K, .132 OBA v. Cam Johnson (So. LHP) 2-0, 3.93 ERA, 18.1 IP, 12 BB, 20, .212 OBA.
The Witherspoon twins are the headliners, with Kyson being a potential first-round pick in this summer's MLB Draft. His fastball sits in the mid-90s can top out around 99 mph. His slider can also run into the 90s. Missing badly on balls was a problem coming into the season but with only five walks on the season, that appears to have been corrected.
Dylan Crooks serves as the Sooners' closer. His work has been limited to 8.2 innings this season. He has yet to allow an earned run and has racked up five saves.
History: The Gamecocks are 4-1 against the Sooners all-time. Four of those five meetings have come during the postseason, with Carolina winning four of them, including the highly memorable Brady Thomas walk-off win in an elimination game in the 2010 College World Series. The Gamecocks beat OU 5-0 and 5-1 in the 2012 Columbia Super Regional to advance to their third-straight CWS. Those three wins over Oklahoma were part of the Gamecocks' record 22 consecutive postseason wins from 2010 to 2012.
Last Meeting: The combination of Colby Holmes, Tyler Webb and Matt Price held the Sooners to three hits over the course this rain-extended two day game. The win sent Carolina to their third-consecutive College World Series and 11th in program history. It was also be the last game Ray Tanner would be in the Gamecock dugout at Founders Park.
Weather: Friday night is a beautiful night for baseball. The majority of the game will be played in weather expected to be in high 60s. Saturday's forecast also looks good, good enough to possibly play two with Sunday's forecast being ominous.
The Gauntlet
The following are the D1 Baseball rankings for Carolina's remaining opponents: #12, #3, #6, #2, #19, #13, #7, #25 and #1. Beginning next weekend, Carolina will be on the road at #3 Arkansas, play #6 UNC in the annual Charlotte game and then host #2 and defending National Champion Tennessee. South Carolina plays more games against ranked opponents on the remainder of their schedule than they do non-ranked teams.
This should underscore the importance of this weekend's Oklahoma series. The SEC is by far the highest rated league by any metric. Winning 14 conference games would make Carolina a lock for the postseason. Finishing the league slate with a winning record would like ensure Founders Park hosts baseball in June. The Gamecocks boast an RPI of #23 with the schedule only improving from here on out.
“People don’t come to South Carolina to be able to play against Georgia State and Sacred Heart,” Paul Mainieri said. “With all due respect, they come here because it’s in the Southeastern Conference.”
Scouting the Sooners
Oklahoma enters the weekend at 15-1 with their only set back coming against a stout as always Dallas Baptist team. The Sooners sit at #14 in the RPI with wins over Oregon State and Virginia. Kyle Branch leads Oklahoma with a .357 batting average while Easton Carmichael had a team-best 17 RBI and five home runs. As a team, Oklahoma is hitting .313. The Sooners has swiped 46 of 53-steal attempts on the season. Look for OU to test the Gamecock catchers throughout this series.
Skip Johnson is in his eighth season as head coach at Oklahoma. He guided the Sooners to a runner-up College World Series appearance in 2022.
