The South Carolina baseball team kicks off its annual series against in-state rival, No. 13 Clemson Tigers, on Friday, Feb. 28, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. Game two of the series will be at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 1, while the series will close on Sunday at Ray Tanner Field at Founders Park.
The Daily Gamecock interviewed Associate Sports Editor Toby Corriston of Clemson's The Tiger to gain insight and get a prediction on the matchup. Game one will stream live on ACC Network Extra while games two and three will stream live on SEC Network+.
Daily Gamecock: What are your thoughts on how Clemson has been playing to start the season?
Corrison: “Obviously, baseball is baseball. Clemson is 6-1, so I’m happy about that. We faced actually some pretty stout competition for an opening start to this year. Preseason top 25 teams that we beat in Oklahoma State and Arizona, and then a tough loss to No. 24 Ole Miss was kind of an eye-opener, but also sometimes that's just baseball.
I'm really happy with how we came back here and took care of business in four games against VCU and North Carolina A&T. But I think they've been playing well. Like, they haven't been playing up to their full potential, but you don't need your team to be firing on all cylinders in week one of the season. That's not how you can expect a baseball team to go, especially when you bring in as many transfers as Clemson has. But to be playing sort of B-minus baseball and be 6-1 against some really good competition, I think, is a great sign of things to come, but also, I would definitely like to be playing A-plus baseball when it comes to next weekend.”
Dominic Listi has hit pretty well so far in the season, and the Tigers in general have scored at least four runs every game this series. How do you think they will match up against South Carolina’s pitching staff?
Corriston: “I think our lineup is going to match up really well. I think it's one of the best lineups that head coach Eric Bakich has put together in his short time here at Clemson. But I don't think anything's set in stone. I think he's still looking to find the best lineup, the best combinations, and it's tough ... I think it's been a small sample size so far. Cam Cannarella, a projected top-five draft pick, is hitting .250, and he was two-for-12 this weekend. I am not positive on that one, but he just hasn't been hitting the ball as well as we'd expect him to.
You mentioned Dominic Listi, a huge transfer, leading our team, batting .435. (He’s) been dominant, really, at the plate leading off. The transfers that we've brought in overall have been huge for our offense. Collin Priest (is), obviously, a very high recruit. Luke Gaffney, everyone thought, was going to come in and be this huge power hitter and hasn't quite lived up to the expectations. But again, we're seven games in at this point, so it's difficult to tell. He's only been hitting .217, and I think Bakich will find a way to light a fire under these guys and get their bets rolling for a rivalry series.”
Is there anything that you think South Carolina has that is really going to be a problem for the Tigers?
"Their pitching is dominant. Your guys' pitching has been really good this season. Obviously, you guys have had a couple major injuries in that starting pitching department, haven't you? So I think that might honestly give the Tigers some troubles, that unknown of who's going be out there for you guys. You've had a lot of good arms in that bullpen, and I think it's going to be a matter of if you guys end up just throwing a lot of different arms and consistently mixing it up. I think that could give the Tigers some troubles as not seeing one consistent arm out there and kind of getting a rhythm on them no matter how good they are. But when you see just a mix of arms throughout the entire weekend and you don't see a lot of the same guy, it could be really tough just trying to adjust every single at-bat to a different arm.
So I think I just know that these rivalries, especially with how early in the season it is, both teams are trying to figure it out. And so it's going to be one of those where it's like, the unknown of who's gonna step up is difficult. But then your guys' offense — I mean, Ethan Petry. The combination of him and Hall, who are both betting above .400 right now, is just terrifying to look at in the stat sheet, and not people you want to throw it to. And then it's kind of that bottom half of the order that if they come alive, the Tigers will be in trouble ... I think with rivalry games, it's tough because you never know who's going to step up and be that guy. And it could be the guy you least expect, but it's what makes rivalries so fun, but also so difficult to look at."
Who wins, and what is your score prediction?
“I'm going to give Clemson the edge. No home or bias at all, of course, but I'm going to give Clemson the edge. I think the simple matter of we get to play at home on Friday. It's going to be a really tough environment, especially with all the new changes to the stadium that I'm sure the Gamecocks team will not love with the bullpen now being practically in left field and fans being right up along the dugout and the fence to the bullpen. And it's the first true opponent that you guys have played this year. I think we have the benefit of the doubt at least in that first game. So I'm going to give us the edge.
I'm going to give us the edge, 9-6 in that one. And I think I'm going to give us the edge again in Greenville. I think that one's gonna be closer. I think 6-5, we close it out. But I think the Gamecocks will get one back at home, just with a little bit of pitching lows maybe from Clemson, having to go on the road into a tough environment for kind of the first time this year. I think it'll be maybe a bit lower scoring there, 6-2. Gamecocks come out on top, but the Tigers take the series 2-1.”