Monte Lee evaluates South Carolina baseball's early production

After a few inconsistent seasons at the plate, most of the eyes in the early of the season focus naturally on South Carolina’s offense and what production looks like. 

It’s been good so far–the Gamecocks have scored 105 runs in nine games while slashing .322/.482/.664–but still nowhere close to a finished product in the early season. 

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“We came into the year feeling like we needed to be an offense that grinds out at-bats and finds a way to get on base by any means necessary. I think our guys have done a very good job of that. We’re certainly not perfect and still evolving,” hitting coach Monte Lee said. 

“We’ve hit for power. I didn’t know what level of power we’d hit for this year. But up to this point, we’ve done a good job hitting the ball out of the ballpark. I would like for us to be better situationally with runners in scoring position. But often times when you start talking about those things, I have found, it typically works against you.” 

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Where the Gamecocks (9-0) have shown a marked improvement is in getting on base. Hitters are getting on base in over 48 percent of plate appearances.

South Carolina is tied for fifth nationally in total walks (66). The offense is also second in hit batters with 33 through nine games. That’s led to that high on-base, which is No. 5 nationally and the best in the SEC currently. 

That’s an emphasis for Lee, who said plate discipline is a big deal inside the South Carolina program while sending a message about toughness in the batter’s box. The Gamecocks have struck out 77 times (8.6 per game), something Lee says comes with the territory of seeing a ton of pitches in an at-bat. 

“When you see that many pitches what can also happen? You strike out some. Teams that walk tend to strike out…You have to give something to get something. That’s the important thing to understand. At the end of the day, the strike zone is the strike zone. We don’t want to swing out of the strike zone,” Lee said.

“I’ve charted swing decisions every year I’ve been a head coach. In one fall we had five hits on balls. So when you talk about the strike zone and what we want our guys to do, we want to stay in the strike zone. If that means we take borderline pitches that are called strikes so be it.”

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Where Lee wants to see the most improvement is situationally at the plate. South Carolina hitters are hitting .268 with two outs, .303 with runners on base and .285 with runners in scoring position this season. 

The offense has struggled there the last four games, stranding 49 runners over the last four games–including 19 Sunday. It’s gone 15-for-76 (.205) with runners on in that span and 8-for-52 (.153) with runners in scoring position. 

For Lee, the emphasis is still on sticking to the approach while trying to not do too much when there are men in scoring position.

“What do guys tend to do when the mindset is ‘Well we have to hit better with runners in scoring position’? Now we see guys swinging at everything. There’s a balance to everything,” he said. “It’s about sticking to our approach. When we get up with runners in scoring position, don’t do too much, use the whole field, put good swings on strikes and good things will happen.” 

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The Gamecocks have a few days off before beginning their much-anticipated rivalry series against Clemson Friday night. It’s an offense led by Braylen Wimmer and some returners. But it’s lifted up by a host of transfers playing well right now.  

Three transfers–Caleb Denny, Gavin Casas and Will McGillis–are all hitting over .333 with OPS of at least 1.314. Denny has a pair of homers while the other two have five apiece. 

“one thing I like about all these guys is their demeanors. They show that veteran, mature demeanor in the locker room, in the (batting) cages and out on the field. A lot of these guys who’ve come out of the portal have done a good job working hard and having the winning makeup and winning mindsets we’re looking for.”

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