South Carolina confident rut won't last
Every team at some point during the course of a 14-week season is going to hit a lull. South Carolina is finding that out the hard way.
The Gamecocks have dropped consecutive series for the first time this season and are struggling to put a healthy team out on the field right now.
It’s led to a 1-5 record over the last six SEC games and 5-5 in their last 10 games. But, as a daunting stretch run looms, the Gamecocks are confident they’ll get out of this funk as the season ends.
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“Spread the word that it’s not going to last forever. Everyone knows it. We’re in a rough patch and at the end of the day it’s not going to last forever.” Cole Messina said. “We’re going to be all right. I keep telling everyone I talk to we’re going to be all right. Just keep pushing.”
South Carolina is dealing with a bevy of injuries right now. The team is missing three of the four starting infielders and dealing with a handful of pitching injuries as well.
The Gamecocks haven’t gotten what they’ve needed from a pitching side of things–an 8.82 ERA the last two SEC weekends–and the offense is wounded and can’t do enough to help out.
They’re hitting .255/.378/.398 over their last six SEC games and averaging just 4.7 runs per game. It doesn’t help, even with all the injuries, Freshman of the Year candidate Ethan Petry is in a mini-slump the last few weeks.
“It just seems like it’s all happening at once. There’s a compounding effect. The pitching is struggling so the hitters press and vice versa,” Mark Kingston said. “It’s just a little bit of a compounding effect. Once we’re able to put the team we’ve had for most of the year I’m very confident we’ll be in good shape.”
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South Carolina’s fallen behind a ton in the early goings, having to pedal uphill through molasses most games to tie things up or take a lead.
That can easily frustrate guys mentally. But Kingston’s message is to stay the course and things will start to look up as the season ends.
“We’ve had so much success his year that right now we’re experiencing the other side of it. Guys will get frustrated. Guys will maybe question themselves. But our role as coaches and the captains of the team is to understand what’s happening. We got to stay positive and we will stay positive. We have to keep guys in that confident state,” he said.
“You’re in this league and in the condition we are and struggling there is going to be some questioning of guys in terms of their confidence. But we have to keep fighting. It’ll turn. As I told the guys, as quickly as it turns against you it will turn back for you if you do the things that got us to where we are.”
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The good news for the Gamecocks is they’ve built a nice cushion through the first two-thirds of the season with 36 overall wins, 14 in the SEC.
Even despite the struggles, South Carolina is No. 3 in the RPI and firmly in the mix to host a regional and be a top eight seed.
Things have to improve with Arkansas and Tennessee up next. But the Gamecocks sit in a solid spot heading into Tuesday’s game against North Florida.
“The good thing is, and I told the team, they can’t take away the 36 wins we’ve earned this year to get to this point,” Kingston said. “But while we’re wounded we’re going to have to find a way to keep fighting to get back to where we want to be.”
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Game details
Who: No. 6 South Carolina (36-11) vs. North Florida (25-23)
When: Tuesday, May 9
Where: Founders Park (Capacity: 8,242)
Game time: 4 p.m.
How to watch/listen: SEC Network Plus/Gamecock Radio Network
Starting pitchers: RHP James Hicks (6-1, 3.97 ERA) vs. RHP Avery Love (0-2, 9.61 ERA)
