Mark Kingston shares what South Carolina wants to get out of final weekend series of season
Another up-and-down regular season for the South Carolina baseball team has nearly reached its conclusion. But before the Gamecocks head to Hoover for the SEC Tournament, they will face another toughest test.
Tennessee heads into this weekend’s series ranked the No. 1 team in the country by D1 Baseball. With a 43-10 overall record, the Volunteers have shown their all-around quality throughout the season.
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“They have guys that have double-digit homers. I mean, look at the stats. They have five guys within striking distance of getting 20 by the end of the season. So it’s a power team. They’ve been a power team now for quite some time,” head coach Mark Kingston said. “The pitching is under a 4.00 ERA, and they field .979. So it’s a well-rounded team. No question about it.”
Tennessee has performed well in conference play, garnering a 18-9 record against SEC opponents this season. The Volunteers have also won 12 of their last 15 contests versus SEC competition ahead of Thursday’s series opener.
“This weekend, we happen to run into probably the hottest team in the country,” Eli Jones said. “They’re hitting better than anybody in the country right now.”
On the surface, South Carolina may not have much to play for. The Gamecocks were in the conversation to host an NCAA Tournament regional, but those hopes have faded after the team was swept by Georgia last weekend.
But Kingston sees this series as an opportunity for South Carolina to regain its footing before the postseason. Kingston said the team must follow a simple approach for this to happen. Rather than looking ahead at the big picture, it must take things one game at a time.
“You just have to try to win the next game. And if you win the next game, then you try to win the game after that,” Kingston said. “Belaboring RPIs and all that stuff, it does nothing to help you win games… So all we can do is control what we can control. And that’s to try to win baseball games. Everything else is a byproduct of that.”
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Kingston said this weekend does not put South Carolina in unfamiliar territory, as it has played high-quality opponents all season.
“It feels like we’ve played top one, two or three teams all year. So this is nothing new to us. After this weekend, we will have played the top seven RPI teams in the country — every single one of all seven,” Kingston said. “We’re used to playing the best of the best. We’re used to winning games against the best of the best.”
This particular weekend, Tennessee will attempt to prove it isn’t just simply amongst the best of the best, but that it is the best team in the SEC. A good series against South Carolina could give the Volunteers their second SEC regular season championship in three years.
Kingston said that won’t change the Gamecocks’ mindset over the weekend.
“I’m sure they have something to play for. We all have something to play for,” Kingston said. “I think when we get there, it’s going to be baseball. It’s going to be who pitches better, who hits better, who plays better on defense. It’s just going to be baseball games. At the end of the weekend, someone will have played better and won the series. It’s as simple as that.”
Facing the No. 1 team in the nation brings its own set of difficulties. But Kingston said now is the time to take that opportunity head-on to finish the regular season on a high note.
“This will probably be as big a challenge as we’ve had because it’s now on the road to finish the season,” Kingston said. “It’s an opportunity, and it’s up to us to take advantage of (it).”
