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Opening Day 2016 is finally here! A new season means a chance to put the disappointments of last year behind us and get excited about the possibility of the 2016 version of the South Carolina Gamecocks ending their season in Omaha.
The Gamecocks are beginning the season by welcoming the Albany University Great Danes to Carolina Stadium Founders Park. The only previous meeting between the two teams was a three-game series in Columbia in 2013, which the Gamecocks swept.
This is the second year in a row that the Great Danes will open their season in the state of South Carolina, as they began last year at a tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. Last season was a rough one for Albany and they finished with a 14-28 overall record.
The starting pitcher for the Gamecocks on Friday will be Clarke Schmidt. The sophomore right-hander started 10 games for the Carolina last year and had a season ERA of 4.81. The Saturday starter for USC is freshman RHP Braden Webb. Taylor Widener will take the mound for South Carolina on Sunday. Widener, a junior right-hander, has generally been a reliever for the Gamecocks in the past. He started in only 3 of his 19 appearances in 2015 and had a 4.78 ERA for the season.
The Great Danes will start junior right-hander Stephen Woods, who had a 3.98 ERA in 2015, on Friday. The other two starters for Albany, Marcus Failing on Saturday and Ryan Stinar on Sunday, are also junior right-handers. Failing is a transfer and will be starting his first game as a Great Dane. Stinar was out with an injury last season.
Game 1, Friday
Start Time: 4 p.m.
How to Watch: SEC Network Plus
How to Listen: 107.5 The Game
Game 2, Saturday
Start Time: 2 p.m.
How to Watch: SEC Network Plus
How to Listen: 107.5 The Game
Game 3, Sunday
Start Time: 1:30 p.m.
How to Watch: SEC Network Plus
How to Listen: 107.5 The Game