A decade ago, the University of South Carolina baseball team was twice national champion – and would reach the College World Series (CWS) finals for the third year in a row (its thirteenth consecutive post-season appearance) before falling for Arizona. Then – on July 13, 2012 – head coach Ray Tanner left office to become the school’s next athletics director.
Since then, things have been an absolute disaster … and not just for the baseball program.
South Carolina’s football program has become a total disaster, and its men’s basketball program has regressed after reaching its first Final Four in 2017.
The only thing that Tanner did right? Maintain the women’s basketball technique of the year in 2020 Dawn Staley in her post …
But it was baseball that saw the most significant regression of any major program under Tanner’s “leadership” – a dizzying crash that started almost immediately during the reign of his handpicked successor, Chad Holbrook. After taking over the Gamecock program in 2013, Holbrook failed to do the postseason twice – and resigned under pressure four years later (controversial, taking a job at College of Charleston)
How did it work for the cougars? Eh …
Tanner was replaced by the current Gamecocks coach Mark Kingston ahead of the 2018 season – which took South Carolina back to the super regional round in its first year at the helm.
Things fell apart the following year, however, with Gamecocks suffering in their worst season in a quarter of a century. Kingston’s team posted a disappointing overall record of 28-28 and an atrocious 8-22 against opponents of the conference. This was the program’s worst conference mark since joining the SEC in 1992 and its worst overall mark since 1996.
Things seemed to be improving modestly in 2020, but the college baseball season was suspended before the conference game due to the coronavirus pandemic. South Carolina had a 12-4 record at the time the season was canceled – although it had not yet gone through the SEC’s brutal spring challenge.
In all, Kingston has a record of 77-58 in South Carolina – including a record of 25-35 against SEC opposition.
So far, the off-season has been good for Kingston and his team – including one of the top ten national recruiting classes. Will this infusion of new talent translate into victories? And will these victories help propel Gamecocks to their first trip to Omaha in nine years?
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According to the 2021 pre-season D1 Baseball In the ranking, South Carolina enters the next season ranked No. 18 in the country. In a tribute to the power of the Southeast Conference (SEC), however, there are six SEC teams ranked ahead of Gamecocks – No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Vanderbilt, Number 6 Olé Miss, No. 7 Mississippi state, No. 8 Arkansas and No. 12 LSU.
Meanwhile, SEC rivals Tennessee (No. 19) and Auburn (No. 23) are also ranked in the Top 25.
This is South Carolina’s second national preseason ranking. Last month, College Baseball ranked Gamecocks at 21 nationally in its pre-season “Fab 50” survey.
Offensively, South Carolina will be accompanied by freshman third baseman Brennan Milone, a native of Woodstock, Georgia, six feet tall and sixty pounds. Although Milone hit just 0.154 in five games before being injured last season, he was referred by Mike Rooney of A Perfect Game like a “forming star”.
Kingston also hopes to receive immediate offensive contribution from the outfielder Brandon Phillips, the No. 31 overview in the 2020 class. A native of Orlando, Florida, six feet tall and 200 pounds, Phillips boasts tremendous potential for power and speed and has a cannon as an arm in defense.
catcher Alek Boychuk is another highly rated potential customer who thinks about competing for playing time. The Buford, Georgia, native of 1.80 m and 215 pounds, is one of the country’s best defensive young catchers – and was the highest-ranking high school catcher in the wealthy state of Peach in 2020.
Meanwhile, the South Carolina pitching team will receive an incentive from the new right-hander Will Sanders – a native of Atlanta, Georgia, six feet tall and 210 pounds, ranked as the potential number 58 in the 2020 class. Sanders and Jackson Phipps – a 6-foot, 5- and 215-pound southpaw from Dallas, Georgia, who was the potential number 133 last year – both launch a 93-mile-an-hour fastball.
Result? Gamecocks are built to meet – and potentially exceed – expectations in 2021 (even against a challenging SEC scenario). Which would translate into a likely super regional appearance – and a possible return to Omaha.
Of course, these high expectations will put additional pressure on Kingston and his team, who desperately need a solid year if they are to avoid the same fate that befell Holbrook four years ago.
In the meantime, Tanner does not appear to be in danger of losing his job, despite the sustained regression between programs he has chaired for the past eight years.
-FITSNews
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