The Gamecocks were reeling last night after another one-run loss, this time to Mississippi State. The dugout looked dejected after the game.
That’s when Reed Scott, Hunter Taylor and Ross Grosvenor stepped up.
The three led an impromptu team meeting after Saturday’s 5-4 loss, letting players air out anything that was bothering them.
“We just went over some things we needed to talk about and whatever we got off our chest, we got off our chest,” closer Tyler Johnson said.
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After Sunday, the meeting appears to have worked.
The Gamecocks thumped Mississippi State 6-1 in the final game of the series, using a four-run eighth inning to put the game away.
They also seemed to resurrect the life in the dugout with players shouting and injecting new vigor into the team as they hit 4-for-10 (.400) with runners on base and 3-for-4 (.750) with runners in scoring position.
“We just got together and figured some things out,” Madison Stokes said. “Obviously it worked, so we’re just going to try and bounce back from Friday and Saturday and keep it going forward moving forward from here.”
Players wouldn’t go into details about what was said in the meeting, but Stokes said “something sparked” after that gut-wrenching 5-4 loss.
Stokes, who had been hitting .212 coming into Sunday’s finale, found renewed spark in his bat going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
“Hopefully that spark turns into a big flame and it will grow from there,” he said.
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The meeting is part of a long line of tweaks the Gamecocks (22-13, 8-7 SEC) made this weekend to try and move the mojo to their dugout.
Every player wore his socks up Saturday and head coach Chad Holbrook coached third. Sunday, the team was all on the top step of the dugout and would scream in unison every time a player would foul off a two-strike pitch.
Players talked after Saturday’s loss about the mood being positive in the dugout, and it showed.
“We’re just trying to make the best of it, have fun and enjoy this game while we can. It’s not going to be here forever. We only get to play with this team one time,” Stokes said. “We just want to enjoy every moment.”
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Holbrook said he didn’t hear what was said the meeting, but doesn’t mind it if the results continue.
“I heard they had some team meeting last night. Who knows?” he said. “They keep that from the coaches. If they did, they can have all the team meetings they want.”
