South Carolina baseball is on the rise, as are other spring sports on campus. On Wednesday, athletics director Ray Tanner followed a statement from the athletics department on Tuesday saying that spring sporting events will remain close to 25 percent capacity. He also discussed what the athletics department is planning for the football season this fall.
“Now let’s stay where we are,” said Tanner in relation to spring sports at 107.5 The Game’s Halftime Show. “Things can change from now on. The governor allowed the crowds to increase, but the DHEC and CDC recommendations are mask and social distance. For now, let’s keep our numbers in baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball where we are. Let’s hold on, at least for now. “
When the end of summer and fall arrives, there is optimism that Williams-Brice Stadium will be fully operational to receive crowds of more than 75,000. After the renovation of the stadium in 2020, the new capacity is 77,559 seats.
“We keep our fingers crossed to get to this place, but we don’t know yet,” said Tanner. “I know Alabama came up and said it is selling tickets at full capacity. This can be a trend. In the coming weeks we will have more conversations as we continue to monitor what is happening with the covid and the variants. There is still a lot to be determined, but let’s be optimistic that we can fill the crowds again.
“We would probably move on if we are totally optimistic. If it’s still a little thin, we’ll probably be aggressive as we prepare to reach maximum capacity and we can always go back to a situation with limited capacity. We are inclined to an opportunity to move on and if we have to limit it, we can deal with it. We did it (in 2020). “
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Earlier this week, Gamecocks announced a new season ticket plan. Ticket prices for the 2021 football season are reverting to the price of 2010, coach Shane Beamer’s last season with the Gamecocks before leaving for Virginia Tech to train alongside his father.
“As we discussed our prospects for football and our budgetary situation, we thought about what we could do to thank and show our fan base and donors how loyal we are in giving back because they have offered us,” said Tanner.
“Many of our big fans who bought tickets through the Gamecock Club didn’t ask for a refund and we were able to keep a lot of our budget because of what they mean to us and this is an opportunity to do something a little bit out of the box. We will keep our fingers crossed, we have enough vaccines in arms and the pandemic is in a different place, as in nonexistent and we can return to full capacity. “
According to the South Carolina statement, the “Welcome Home” campaign will have a retroactive price of $ 320 plus the applicable seat donation. The promotional price is available for new and renewal accounts. Due to ongoing financial challenges, donors have the option of turning the discounted amount into a donation to benefit the COVID Resilience Fund.
Invoices were sent to accounts of Gamecock Club members who renewed their membership within the original deadline of January 31. The Gamecock Club membership deadline has been extended until March 31 to provide relief for those who need more time. The football ticket and the parking period are set for May 21.
New tickets for the football season are on sale now, including the four new club spaces and log seats that opened in 2020. Visit theGamecockClub.com/WelcomeHome to learn more about football 2021.