Two questions for Roth, Jeffcoat and Brown
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASEBALL
In this feature, Gamecock baseball lettermen Michael Roth, Byron Jeffcoat and Jay Brown each answer two questions -- one about this year's team and another about their careers.
If you're a Gamecock letterman -- in any sport -- and would like to participate in features on Gamecock Central, please send an email to publisher Brian Shoemaker (shoe@gamecockcentral.com).
1. What are your overall thoughts about the team as it enters SEC play?
Michael Roth: They are talented! Lots of juice in the lineup. Big question moving forward is pitching. They’ve got the guys with big stuff like Dylan Harley and Cam Tringali. And they’ve also got guys like Morgan and Kerry pumping the strike zone, and they are no slouches! Do they stick with the Valpo rotation of Sweat, Morgan and Kerry? Skylar Meade has done a good job putting a staff together that has adapted to the early season shake ups. I’m excited to see how they compete against Georgia in the first weekend of SEC play. They’ve had some really impressive come from behind wins and that builds team spirit and confidence.
Byron Jeffcoat: Lots of positives to take into SEC, HR’s are piling up!! Series win against Clemson, Reid Morgan dominating, come from behind/walk off wins, team chemistry seems good. Negatives- Pitching inconsistency, loss Carmon for a while, too many walks. Hitters have too many strikeouts. Overall, we should be ready for the competition with which the SEC brings every game.
Jay Brown: Although a lot of new faces on this year’s squad, people may not realize that they are a mature team. Maybe I’m biased a little because I was a junior college guy myself, but what Coach Kingston has done in the junior college circuit for this year’s team has been key. Recruiting junior college guys provides some maturity, especially on a team that lost a lot from a year ago, because those juco guys have already been on their own for a year or two, know the rigors of a college baseball season, and can provide some stability on a team with a lot of new faces. You see just that this year with guys like Berryhill, Eyster, and Morgan, just to name a few. With that being said…my thoughts as the team enters SEC play… these guys will continue to be offensive, and I think Campbell, although off to a little bit of a slow start, will be an All-SEC type of performer this year. The core of the lineup is as good as it gets in the SEC with Hopkins, Olson, Berryhill, and Eyster. The big question for me will be the pitching staff- with the preseason injuries and then Mlodzinski going down, where will all the innings come from? If you look at championship teams, most of them end up with 7-8 guys throwing the majority of the innings. I know our staff has brought a slightly different committee-type approach, and Morgan has been spectacular and been a huge innings-eater guy for the team so far this year, but I’m still trying to identify the last 2-3 guys who will end up throwing some majority innings. I think we have some capable veteran guys along with some talented newcomers, but I’m looking forward to the early SEC portion of the schedule for some of those guys to put together some consistent outings in big situations.
2. What is the most memorable individual game of your career?
Michael Roth: Clemson game. Need I say more?
Byron Jeffcoat: At Clemson 2001, not a bad night! 5-6, 3HRs, 8 RBIs...Wish I’d had more of those.
Jay Brown: The last game in the 2010 CWS is a game I will never forget. To finish a baseball career with a National Championship was a dream come true. I kept my cleats on long into the evening because I knew it would be the last time I would ever take them off in a competitive baseball setting.
From and individual game standpoint, the most memorable game was an outing at Vanderbilt in the spring of 2010. Fairly early in the SEC season, we were off to a strong start and had split the first two games at Vandy that weekend. I started the Sunday game and was fortunate to be the winning pitcher for Coach Tanner’s 1,000 career win in a 2-0 win. Between me, Michael Roth, and Matt Price we combined for a 2-hit shutout, and faced the minimum 27 batters that day (two double-plays). Whit Merrifield hit a homerun in the first inning and that was all we would need. To be able to be the winning pitcher for Coach Tanner’s 1,000 career win and to do it with the two most decorated pitchers in Gamecock baseball history is something I will always remember.
