Feb. 12, 2004
Columbia, S.C. –
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The South Carolina Gamecocks (4-0) look to continue their early success this season as they travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to compete in the Sunshine State Tournament Feb. 13-15. Carolina will face No. 4 Oklahoma and Southern Miss on Feb. 13, Illinois and No. 19 Florida State on Feb. 14 and Western Kentucky on Feb. 15. Sunday’s game against WKU has been changed from noon to 2 p.m. All games will be broadcast live via the internet on www.uscsports.com.
USC will begin action against No. 4 Oklahoma Friday at Noon. The Sooners are 5-1 and are coming off a championship win in the LSU Tiger Classic, defeating Illinois and No. 14 LSU in the process. USC leads the series with OU 5-1, but this will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2001, which Carolina won 4-0.
The Gamecocks will next match up against Southern Miss at 2 p.m. after the OU game. The Golden Eagles are 1-1 after splitting a doubleheader with UL-Monroe last week. Carolina is 4-0 against the Lady Eagles and the last meeting between the teams was in 2001 when USC swept the doubleheader 4-0 and 2-0.
The Valentines Day match-up for the Gamecocks first pits them against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Noon. Illinois (3-2-1) is coming off a 2-2 tie with Oklahoma in the championship game of the LSU Tiger Classic. The game was called after seven innings due to time constraints and the Illini were deemed runners-up in the tournament.
The Gamecocks continue on Saturday and will take on 19th-ranked and tournament host Florida State at 2 p.m. The Seminoles are 4-0 after winning the Seminole Classic last weekend. In the tournament they posted wins over Illinois State, Louisville, Minnesota and Florida A&M. South Carolina leads the Seminoles 19-18 in 37 head-to-head meetings, but this will be the first match up between the two since 1998, when the Gamecocks won 3-0.
Sunday, Feb. 15, Carolina will face Western Kentucky at 2 p.m. The Hilltoppers will start their 2004 season at the tournament, and last year posted a 30-32 record. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Carolina heads into the tournament after an impressive weekend. USC defeated both Charlotte and North Carolina, where the Gamecocks posted a .351 team batting average and sent nine long balls over the fence. The weekend series also showcased Carolina pitching, as Aleca Johnson, Stacey Johnson and Melanie Henkes all posted wins. Aleca Johnson also tossed a no-hitter in her first appearance of the season against Charlotte.
