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After a midweek loss to The Citadel dropped Carolina’s overall record to 13-8 (1-2 SEC), the Gamecocks will head to Foley Field in Athens for their first SEC road series of the year. It’s probably still too early in the season to say the Gamecocks absolutely have to win this series, but…the Gamecocks really need to win this series. Georgia is one of only three SEC teams on Carolina’s schedule that isn’t ranked. Four of USC’s remaining SEC opponents are currently in the top ten. If the Gamecocks want to have a good season they’ll need some wins against elite teams, but they’ll need to start by winning their games against more beatable teams like the Bulldogs.
SEC Standings
| SEC EAST | SEC WEST |
|---|---|
| SEC EAST | SEC WEST |
| Vanderbilt (3-0, 1.000) | Arkansas (3-0, 1.000) |
| Florida (2-1, .667) | Auburn (2-1, .667) |
| Georgia (2-1, .667) | LSU (2-1, .667) |
| Missouri (1-2, .333) | Ole Miss (2-1, .667) |
| South Carolina (1-2, .333) | Alabama (1-2, .333) |
| Tennessee (1-2, .333) | Texas A&M (1-2, .333) |
| Kentucky (0-3, .000) | Mississippi State (0-3, .000) |
The Gamecocks hold a 65-57 edge in the overall series against the Bulldogs, but have not won the season series against Georgia since 2013. The Bulldogs did lose to Chad Holbrook for the first time in four years earlier this month, as their only series loss this season was a sweep by College of Charleston.
Georgia is 15-6 (2-1 SEC) and opened SEC play last weekend with a series win at Alabama. The Bulldogs have not yet faced a ranked opponent this season and their only common opponents with the Gamecocks so far have been Charleston Southern (a 4-5 loss) and The Citadel (a 9-4 win). The player to watch out for this weekend will be Keegan McGovern (.390/.520/.805), who accounts for nearly half of the team’s 21 total home runs with 9 so far this season.
USC vs Georgia Stats
| Stat | South Carolina | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Stat | South Carolina | Georgia |
| Batting Average | 0.278 | 0.292 |
| On-Base % | 0.394 | 0.388 |
| Slugging % | 0.488 | 0.427 |
| ERA | 3.41 | 3.83 |
| Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 2.51 | 2.44 |
| Fielding % | 0.979 | 0.973 |
The Gamecocks got some bad news on Wednesday, as Kingston announced that Adam Hill will not pitch on Friday this week due to shoulder tendinitis. Carolina will instead start freshman LHP John Gilreath (4.58 ERA, 23 SO, 8 BB). The Bulldogs will start senior RHP Chase Adkins (3.12 ERA, 25 SO, 6 BB).
On Saturday junior RHP Cody Morris (3.91 ERA, 29 SO, 12 BB) will get the start. Freshman RHP Emerson Hancock (4.03 ERA, 22 SO, 14 BB) will take the mound for Georgia.
After a few weeks of playing around with the last spot in the rotation, Kingston will go back to junior RHP Ridge Chapman (3.57 ERA, 14 SO, 10 BB) as the Sunday starter for the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs will send freshman LHP Ryan Webb (3.79 ERA, 17 SO, 8 BB) to the mound.
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Watch: All three games will be available on SEC Network Plus
Listen: 107.5 The Game & The Gamecock Radio Network