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After a Wednesday night victory over Charleston Southern, the Gamecocks welcome Alabama to Founders Park for the first home SEC series of the season. South Carolina is now 15-5 (3-0 SEC) and has won eight games in a row since losing the series finale against Clemson. The Gamecocks are 34-26 against the Tide overall and have won the last five series between the two teams.
The Gamecocks opened SEC play last weekend with a sweep of Tennessee. Five other SEC teams also swept their opening conference series, leaving the Gamecocks tied atop the standings. Alabama hosted Missouri to open conference play and was one of the six teams that got swept opening weekend.
SEC Standings
| SEC East | SEC West |
|---|---|
| SEC East | SEC West |
| Kentucky (3-0, 1.000) | Arkansas (3-0, 1.000) |
| Missouri (3-0, 1.000) | Auburn (3-0, 1.000) |
| South Carolina (3-0, 1.000) | LSU (3-0, 1.000) |
| Vanderbilt (1-2, .333) | Ole Miss (2-1, .667) |
| Florida (0-3, .000) | Alabama (0-3, .000) |
| Georgia (0-3, .000) | Mississippi State (0-3, .000) |
| Tennessee (0-3, .000) | Texas A&M (0-3, .000) |
Alabama is 11-10 (0-3 SEC) and this is the second time this season that the Tide has faced a team of Gamecocks, as they lost a game to Jacksonville State earlier this season. After being swept by Missouri last weekend the Tide snapped their losing streak with a midweek win over UAB. Despite the winless start to SEC play and the unimpressive overall record, Alabama is in the middle of the pack in the SEC in offense, defense, and pitching. The Tide offense is led by Chandler Avant (.349/.406/.442) and Cobie Vance (.346/.382/.436).
USC vs Alabama Stats
| Stat | South Carolina | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Stat | South Carolina | Alabama |
| Batting Average | 0.279 | 0.287 |
| On-Base % | 0.360 | 0.372 |
| Slugging % | 0.436 | 0.424 |
| ERA | 2.75 | 3.35 |
| Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 2.80 | 2.30 |
| Fielding % | 0.979 | 0.972 |
Adam Hill, who had a successful start in the series opener last weekend against Tennessee, will once again pitch for the Gamecocks Friday night. The sophomore RHP moved up in the rotation in place of the injured Clarke Schmidt and is doing so again this weekend to give Schmidt a couple of extra days of recovery time. Hill has a 1.54 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 10 walks. The Friday night starter for the Tide will be Jake Walters, a junior RHP with a 1.91 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and 12 walks.
Junior RHP Wil Crowe (2.73 ERA, 36 SO, 11 BB) will start for the Gamecocks on his usual day as he takes the mound on Saturday. Alabama will start sophomore lefty Dylan Duarte, who has a 2.78 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 6 walks.
Clarke Schmidt will be back on the mound for the Gamecocks on Sunday. The junior RHP did not pitch last weekend due to injury. He has a 1.04 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 10 walks. The Sunday starter for the Tide will be senior RHP Nick Eicholtz (6.48 ERA, 11 SO, 5 BB).
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 1:30 p.m. 12 p.m. (To allow fans to attend the game and still watch the men’s basketball team in the Elite Eight at 2:20)
How to Watch: All three games will be available online via SEC Network Plus.
How to Listen: The games will be available on 107.5 The Game & The Gamecock Radio Network