Skip to main content
Partner logo
Mobile Icon Link Mobile Icon Link Mobile Icon Link Gamecocks+
Baseball Heads to Tuscaloosa for Three-Game Set at Alabama
Baseball  . 

Baseball Heads to Tuscaloosa for Three-Game Set at Alabama

Game Notes Live Audio Live Stats Live Video

FOR STARTERS

  • South Carolina heads to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a three-game set at Alabama starting on Thursday night (March 28) at 8 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. CDT).
  • Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. CDT) while Saturday’s finale is at 2 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. CDT).
  • Thursday’s game will be televised on SEC Network with Richard Cross and Chris Burke on the call. Friday and Saturday’s game will be on SEC Network Plus.
  • All three games also will be on the Gamecock Sports Network presented by Learfield with Derek Scott and Stuart Lake on the call.

SCOUTING ALABAMA

  • Alabama heads into the series with 19-6 overall record and a 2-4 mark in the SEC.
  • The Crimson Tide are coming off a 6-3 win over Belmont on Tuesday night.
  • Will Hodo and Evan Slight had two hits apiece and Kade Snell struck out four in three innings on the mound.
  • Gage Miller leads Alabama and is second in the SEC with a .429 batting average and he joins TJ McCants with 11 home runs.
  • Greg Farone is a perfect 3-0 on the mound with 28 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched.
  • Rob Vaughn is in his first season as the head coach at Alabama. Vaughn came to the Crimson Tide from Maryland, where he was a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.

SERIES VS. ALABAMA

  • Carolina holds a 40-30 series advantage on Alabama heading into the weekend series.
  • Carolina swept the Crimson Tide in 2022, winning a pitcher’s dual, 2-1, in the middle game and taking an 11-5 win in the series finale.
  • Matthew Becker earned the win in the middle game, striking out a pair in two innings of relief.
  • Andrew Eyster drove in six runs in the series finale while Braylen Wimmer had three hits.
  • The last time the two teams faced off in Tuscaloosa, Alabama won 2-of-3 games in 2019.
  • Carolina won the series finale, 5-4, in 12 innings as TJ Hopkins scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

PETRY: 30 FOR 3(5)

  • Sophomore Ethan Petry hit a pair of home runs in the 19-14 win over Presbyterian which was his 34th and 35th career round trippers.
  • Petry is now in 14th place on Carolina’s all-time home runs list and is the 29th Gamecock to hit 30 or more home runs in a career.
  • The last player to achieve that feat was Braylen Wimmer (2020-23), who had 32 career home runs. Wes Clarke (2019-21) also had 32 home runs in his Gamecock career.
  • Petry also has reached base in all 25 games this season. Combine that with reaching in the last 10 games of 2023, Petry currently has a 35-game reached base streak.

PITZER NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

  • Freshman Tyler Pitzer earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on March 25.
  • Pitzer worked 8.1 innings in two games, striking out 11 and allowing three hits, no earned runs with two walks and 11 strikeouts.
  • Pitzer made his first start as a collegian against Vanderbilt on March 24 and he struck out nine and did not allow an earned run in the 10-2 win.
  • He retired the first 10 Commodores and earned 1-2-3 innings in the first, second, third and sixth frames.
  • Pitzer is 4-0 on the year with a 0.48 ERA and a team best 29 strikeouts.

GAMECOCKS SWEEP VANDY

  • South Carolina swept Vanderbilt in a three-game SEC series on March 23-24.
  • Carolina outscored Vandy 26-9 and hit seven home runs to Vanderbilt’s one.
  • The pitching held the Commodores to a 2.00 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.
  • Ethan Petry was 4-for-8 with two home runs, six RBI and five walks in the three wins.
  • Garrett Gainey earned save in both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday, striking out four in 2.2 innings.
  • Tyler Pitzer struck out nine and allowed just three hits in 6.1 innings in Sunday’s win.
  • Eli Jones retired the first 18 hitters in a no decision in game one on Saturday.
  • Carolina neutralized the Vanderbilt running game, allowing only two stolen bases in three games, while stealing five bases, two from Dylan Brewer and Blake Jackson.

MILESTONE CENTRAL

  • Head Coach Mark Kingston earned his 200th win at South Carolina in the Presbyterian game on March 26. Kingston has 200 wins at Carolina and 473 wins overall.
  • Ethan Petry recorded his 100th career RBI in the Presbyterian win. Petry now has 101 RBI in only 88 career games.
  • Cole Messina recorded his 100th career hit at Carolina March 26 vs. Presbyterian. He joins Talmadge LeCroy (100) and Ethan Petry (112) in the 100-hit club at Carolina.

GAMECOCKS IN THE SHOW

  • With Opening Day in Major League Baseball on March 28, five Gamecocks will be on MLB rosters.
  • Christian Walker and Jordan Montgomery both are on the Arizona Diamondbacks after Montgomery signed on March 26.
  • Whit Merrifield will begin his season with the Philadelphia Phillies after signing with them in the offseason.
  • Clarke Schmidt will be in the rotation with the New York Yankees as the team breaks camp.
  • Carmen Mlodzinski will start the year on the Injured List with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATIONS
Thursday
South Carolina Eli Jones (Jr. RHP) 2-0, 2.35 ERA, 30.2 IP, 7 BB, 23 K
Alabama Zane Adams (Fr. LHP) 2-1, 4.26 ERA, 19.0 IP, 7 BB, 12 K

Friday
South Carolina Dylan Eskew (R-Jr. RHP) 2-2, 3.81 ERA, 26.0 IP, 8 BB, 20 K
Alabama Ben Hess (Jr. RHP) 3-1, 5.11 ERA, 24.2 IP, 12 BB, 40 K

Saturday
South Carolina Tyler Pitzer (Fr. RHP) 4-0, 0.48 ERA, 18.2 IP, 7 BB, 29 K
Alabama Greg Farone (Sr. LHP) 3-0, 2.49 ERA, 25.1 IP, 5, BB, 28 K

UP NEXT

  • Carolina hosts Georgia Southern on Wednesday, April 3 at 7 p.m.
  • The game will be on SEC Network with Eric Frede and Lance Cormier on the call.

Related stories