South Carolina's baseball team has found itself in a slump as of late. The Gamecocks have lost their past two games to the likes of Charleston Southern and Furman, both in-state schools that the Gamecocks normally handle with ease. However, if there's something you can learn from both playing and watching baseball, it's that any team can win on any given day, and head coach Mark Kingston and his team found this out first-hand over the past week.
Looking ahead to this weekend's upcoming series, the Gamecocks have their work cut out for them.
South Carolina will face off against in-state rival Clemson this weekend for the Palmetto Series. The Gamecocks and Tigers will play a three game series from March 2 to March 4 in which they will travel across the state for each game. Friday's game will be played Founders Park in Columbia, the next at Fluor Field in Greenville, and the final game of the weekend at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson.
The Gamecocks have found themselves in the midst of their first losing streak of the season. South Carolina entered the weekend 6-1 overall, looking to potentially improve to 8-1 before facing No. 14 Clemson. After dropping the past two, the Gamecocks find themselves 6-3 overall and days away from facing undefeated Clemson.
Clemson is off to a hot start at 8-0. However, the Gamecocks will be the first real test of the season for the Tigers. Other than sweeping then tenth ranked Dallas Baptist earlier this season, Clemson hasn't faced much other heavy competition.
The Gamecocks will need strong outings from all of their pitchers to control the Tigers bats. If the Tigers offense heats up early, it could be a long weekend for the Gamecocks.
Just as important, if not more, than pitching consistency will be the discipline of Kingston's team. It has been evident early on this season that the Gamecocks are susceptible to letting their emotions get the best of them. If things are going great, they seem to get caught up in the excitement. If things start to go bad, it seems like nobody can shake off the negativity. Whatever the case is, mental toughness will be key for a series win for the Gamecocks.
The first game between the Tigers and the Gamecocks will be Friday at Founders Park. First pitch is at 7 p.m., and Adam Hill is scheduled to take the mound for South Carolina.