Series opener against Clemson postponed due to rain

Weather has interfered in the South Carolina Gamecocks’ first big clash of the season against rival Clemson, pushing this afternoon’s opener back to Saturday and radically altering the rest of the series schedule.

Game 1, originally slated for Clemson, is now set for the usual neutral site, Greenville’s Fluor Field, at 4 p.m., with Game 2 at 1:30 on Sunday in Columbia. You ready for the kicker? The rubber match will be played at 6 p.m. in Clemson...on Tuesday, May 11.

Clearly, there were numerous scheduling conflicts to prevent the series from being played consecutively, but it’s going to be one heck of a twist to wait three months for the conclusion (provided each team wins a game, of course — I certainly wouldn’t argue with a pair of Yardcock victories this weekend).

Clemson, which took two of three from the Gamecocks last season, opened the 2021 campaign with a sweep of its own, dispatching Cincinnati. The Tigers are 22nd in Collegiate Baseball’s poll, but unranked in either of the sport’s preeminent polls, D1 and Baseball America.

Prior to this afternoon’s announcement, the Gamecocks were slated to send right-handed junior Thomas Farr (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 BB, 8 SO) to the mound in Game 1, opposing sophomore righty Davis Sharpe (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 1 BB, 9 SO). Game 2’s probable starters are senior right-hander Brannon Jordan (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 4.0 IP, 4 BB, 4 SO) and graduate lefty Mat Clark (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 0 BB, 6 SO). As for Game 3, well, I think we can wait on that lineup to materialize.