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Opening Day for the South Carolina baseball team is Friday and they are coming into the 2018 season with a lot of unknowns, from new faces on the team to a new coaching staff. It’s no surprise that after a rough 2017 season that ended with Chad Holbrook’s departure, the Gamecocks are not very highly regarded in the preseason polls or getting much preseason recognition. The lone South Carolina Gamecock to receive any preseason recognition is Carlos Cortes. The sophomore was named Preseason All-SEC second team by the SEC coaches and Preseason All-American third team by Baseball America.
With question marks on the team and a difficult schedule, new Carolina head coach Mark Kingston has his work cut out for him this season. Kingston came to South Carolina from the University of South Florida, where he was the head coach for the past three years. He will be taking a big step up as he adjusts to coaching in the SEC and tries to return the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament.
Here are the preseason rankings from the five major college baseball polls:
Preseason Rankings
Rank | USA Today Coaches Poll | D1 Baseball | Baseball America | Perfect Game | Collegiate Baseball |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | USA Today Coaches Poll | D1 Baseball | Baseball America | Perfect Game | Collegiate Baseball |
1 | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida |
2 | Oregon State | Oregon State | Oregon State | Oregon State | Oregon State |
3 | Texas Tech | Texas Tech | Florida State | TCU | Arkansas |
4 | TCU | Arkansas | Arkansas | Texas Tech | Florida State |
5 | Florida State | Florida State | Texas Tech | Florida State | Texas Tech |
6 | Arkansas | North Carolina | North Carolina | Arkansas | Vanderbilt |
7 | North Carolina | TCU | TCU | North Carolina | North Carolina |
8 | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky |
9 | LSU | Ole Miss | Stanford | Miami | TCU |
10 | Vanderbilt | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | Stanford | LSU |
11 | Texas A&M | UCLA | Cal State Fullerton | Ole Miss | Dallas Baptist |
12 | Cal State Fullerton | Mississippi State | Clemson | LSU | Cal State Fullerton |
13 | Louisville | Stanford | UCLA | NC State | Mississippi State |
14 | UCLA | Vanderbilt | Texas | Louisville | UCLA |
15 | Mississippi State | Louisville | Virginia | Texas A&M | Clemson |
16 | Stanford | LSU | Ole Miss | UCLA | Virginia |
17 | Dallas Baptist | Cal State Fullerton | LSU | Indiana | South Alabama |
18 | Virginia | Dallas Baptist | Vanderbilt | Oklahoma | Louisiana-Lafayette |
19 | Ole Miss | Virginia | Louisville | Cal State Fullerton | South Carolina |
20 | Texas | South Alabama | Indiana | Duke | Miami |
21 | Clemson | Texas | Southern Miss | Houston | Louisville |
22 | Houston | West Virginia | UCF | Sam Houston State | Missouri State |
23 | South Alabama | Indiana | Mississippi State | Texas | NC State |
24 | Miami | Houston | South Alabama | Clemson | Stanford |
25 | NC State | Duke | St. John's | Mississippi State | Southern Mississippi |
The Gamecocks are ranked in one poll and they were just outside the top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. But between last year’s results and the unproven elements of this year’s team, there isn’t confidence across the board that Carolina can be a real contender this season. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, their schedule is not designed for a rebuilding year with a new coach at the helm. An SEC baseball schedule is never easy, but South Carolina not only has three very good teams in their division (including the defending national champions), but also faces four teams from the SEC West that are expected to be quite good this season.
The good news for the Gamecocks is that if the team comes together well they’ll have plenty of chances to prove themselves against high-level competition and get good wins. While it’s not easy to go into a season with questions about what the team will look like under a new head coach, it’s exciting for the program to have a fresh start and a chance to begin the process of returning to the level that it’s expected to be at.
GABA will continue to preview the 2018 baseball season throughout the week as we count down to Opening Day on Friday!