South Carolina club baseball's Division 1 team recently split a series against nationally ranked opponent, No. 3 Florida State, as it moves closer to conference play.
The club faced the Seminoles in a two-game series last weekend on Feb. 15 at home. In the first matchup of a doubleheader on Saturday, the Gamecocks fell behind early and dropped a 6-2 contest to the Seminoles. The Gamecocks were able to respond and cruised to a 10-3 win in the second game thanks to a six-run third inning. The third game of the series, which was set for Sunday, was canceled due to inclement weather.
"I thought it was great," second-year finance student Aidan Trimper said. "I think the energy in game one, we didn't come out firing as hard as we should've. Then, game two we absolutely bounced back as a team."
The Gamecocks competes in the South Atlantic East region of the National Collegiate Baseball Association (NCBA). The region features schools like Clemson, Georgia and Coastal Carolina. The club went 12-12 overall last season and 7-8 in conference play.
Ryan Quinn, a fourth-year cardiovascular technology student, was named Region Player of the Week after the series against Florida State. In two games on Saturday, Quinn went 4-7 with five RBIs. He said the Gamecocks took advantage of mistakes made by the Seminoles in game two.
"Second game, we came out hot," Quinn said. "Granted, they were walking a lot of players, so we had runners on, but then we started getting our bats rolling. Defense played well. Eli, our pitcher, pitched great."
The Gamecocks got a strong pitching performance in the second game from second-year exercise science student Eli Cowperthwate. In six innings, Cowperthwate held the Seminoles to just one run and posted five strikeouts. He leads the region with nine strikeouts this season.
"Eli Coperthwate just pitched a gem," third-year finance student Ryan St. Clair said. "That was almost his second complete game. He's been on an absolute heater."
The club opened its season with a series versus Alabama on Feb. 1, where the Gamecocks went 1-2. South Carolina rebounded in its next series the following weekend against Florida. After a one-run defeat in the first game, the Gamecocks responded with wins in the final two games of the series, including an impressive 17-1 victory in game three. The club's record sits at 4-4 after three weekends.
"We're playing well right now," St. Clair said. "We settled into it week one, but things are looking up. This was probably the best team we're gonna play out of conference. We just whooped them pretty good, so things are looking good for us."
After facing the Seminoles, the Gamecocks are set for back-to-back big home series. The club hosts Ole Miss at home this weekend on Feb. 22, then begins conference play on March 1 against Clemson. The Gamecocks are looking for revenge after dropping a pair of games to the Tigers in last season's series.
"Next week we have Ole Miss," Trimper said. "After that we have Clemson, which is our first conference game. We're really looking at Clemson, trying to come out and put up a statement for the conference."
The club's second team, Division 2, also competes in the NCBA. The D2 team gives players who didn't make the initial roster another opportunity to keep their baseball careers alive. After the fall season ended, players from both teams kept in contact with one another to help them prepare for their spring schedules.
"We got together at the end of the semester last year," St. Clair said. "Even after our fall season ended, we we're always hanging out. Over winter break, staying in touch with one another, making sure we're all on the same page about what this season's going to look like."
St. Clair believes the connection between the players on both teams is what makes USC's club baseball unique compared to other schools. He said the chemistry will help each team advance to their respective playoffs.
"Even with our D2 guys, the bond that we have across both groups is super special," St. Clair said. "It's the closest I've felt with all of the guys in the club since my time in the club over the last three years. The chemistry, it's what's gonna take us farther in the playoffs."