Everything Mark Kingston said previewing the SEC Tournament
Before heading out to Hoover, head coach Mark Kingston met with the local media on Monday to preview South Carolina ahead of the SEC Tournament. Here’s what he had to say.
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On naming a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game versus Alabama
“We do (have a starting pitcher in mind). We’re going to go with Dylan Eskew, and you can potentially see a very similar situation to what we had on Saturday.”
On the pitching strategy South Carolina used on Saturday
“Well, we gave up four runs to arguably the best offense in the country in their ballpark. So I think it was a good way to get guys the ball (and) not over-expose them. If we can give up four runs, generally, most days, we’re going to win.”
On whether South Carolina had considered using that strategy for a while
“A little bit, yeah. I think that the biggest indication of why that has been really good for us this year — if you look at our midweek games, including North Carolina, we gave up one run doing that. I think it’s something to look at again as we get into the postseason where it’s going to be ‘win or go home.
“We have to be creative. Right now, we don’t have three locked-down weekend starters, so we’ve got to be creative. Having guys go through the lineup one time is a good way to do it because guys have been successful that way.”
On the state of the team heading into the SEC Tournament
“You know, I keep getting asked, ‘How’s the team doing?’ The people asking that, generally — if they saw how this team practiced today, if they saw how we are on the bus, if they saw how they support each other in the dugout, the questions wouldn’t be asked because this team is very resilient.
“Kids are much more resilient than I think we all give them credit for. They know what we’ve been through. They know the gauntlet that we’ve endured. This team is playing as hard as they can. They’re supporting each other, and there’s been no hanging our heads or moping. Look, they’re disappointed when they lose games. We all hate to lose. This team is resilient, and this team continues to look forward to getting to the ballpark every day.
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On whether Kingston was pleased with South Carolina’s offensive approach against Tennessee
“I mean, we took good at bats for the great majority of the weekend. We were also facing one of the best pitching staffs in the country. I think, every now and then, we need to remember if you’re playing the No. 1 team in the country, things are not going to go your way as much as you want them to. That’s the nature of sports. Whether it’s football, basketball (or) baseball, No. 1 teams generally win at home. And they beat us fair and square in their ballpark at home this weekend. (That) doesn’t mean we’re not really good. It just means we weren’t better than them this weekend.
“I think our bats, for the most part, over the last month and a half have been very good. We ended up sixth in the SEC in runs scored this year. We ended up sixth in the SEC in ERA. So this is not nearly as ‘doom and gloom’ as it may feel on the outside. It’s not how we feel on the inside.
On why South Carolina has struggled in SEC Tournament play and what feels different about this year
“Well, I’ve only been here for maybe one percent of the South Carolina history, so I can’t speak for (what’s happened). But look, I think you go there (and) it’s single-elimination a lot of times. Anything can happen in a single-elimination game. I think most teams go there wanting to win but also keeping an eye on the next weekend, which is very important to be fresh and ready to go and lined up for the Regionals, Super Regionals and Omaha. I think it’s just a combination of all those things.
On which South Carolina pitchers may be unavailable on Tuesday
“No. No, I think you could see anybody. Obviously, some guys in longer stints than others. But I think everybody will be available.”
On how the Hoover Metropolitan Complex affects hitters and pitchers
“I mean, we’ll look at everything. I think the impact will probably help in terms of helping our pitchers. Obviously, giving up a couple big grand slams in the last two weeks. We’ve given up some big three-run homers that may not be home runs in this ballpark we’re getting ready to play at. So I think it will affect the pitching maybe more so than our position players.
“For the most part, our nine is kind of our nine right now — with, obviously, (Will) Tippett, you know, as the No. 10 guy in terms of trying to figure out how to allocate him. But, for the most part, I think we are who we are.”
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On whether Kingston feels good about South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament chances
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there’s no precedent for a team having 13 wins, having a better than 30 RPI and not getting into the NCAA Tournament. They’re going to pick the best 64 teams. We have a 19 RPI. The teams that we have played that also have 13 wins in our league, we were 6-3 against this year.
“The resume’s very strong. It’s just we happened to play the best schedule in the country. (We) played 18 games against the top seven teams in the RPI. It’s a ridiculously hard schedule. We endured it, we survived it and we still came out the other side with a 19 RPI. So that’s a slam dunk NCAA team.
On if winning 14 SEC games leaves no doubt for South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament chances
“I have no doubt now. But 14 would be great, 15 would be better and 16 would be better than that. As we have all year, we just try to win the next year.”
On if South Carolina can still host a regional
“Look, we go there and win three or four (games), then you’re right back in that conversation. That’s what a thin line this whole thing is. Are you worried about getting in, or are you worried about hosting? If you think you still are within striking distance of being able to host with a good run, then, obviously, you should be in the NCAA Tournament.”
