FOR STARTERS<\/p>\n
Carolina continues its five-game homestand in a Thursday-Saturday series against No. 2 Texas at Founders Park.
\nFirst pitch for both Thursday and Friday\u2019s game is at 7 p.m. with Saturday\u2019s game starting at 2 p.m.
\nThursday\u2019s game will be televised on SEC Network with Dave Neal and Gregg Olson on the call, while Friday and Saturday\u2019s games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.
\nAll three games also will be broadcast on the Gamecock Sports Network presented by Learfield with Derek Scott and Cade Crenshaw on the call.<\/p>\n
GAME DAY PARKING INFORMATION (including public game day lots (PGDL: $10 per game).\u00a0All gameday lots are cashless.\u00a0Please have a debit card or credit card ready for payment upon entry into parking lots.<\/p>\n
Weeknights
Game Time: 7 p.m.
Stadium Opens: 6 p.m.
Business Lots Open: 5\/5:30 p.m.
Lot 1, STDM, HDG PGDL Open: 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
Saturday
Game Time: 2 p.m.
Stadium Opens: 1 p.m.
Business Lots Open: 12\/12:30 p.m.
Lot 1, STDM, HDG PGDL Open: 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Thursday
South Carolina\u00a0Alex Valentin (Jr. LHP) 1-2, 3.91 ERA, 23.0 IP, 13 BB, 31 SO
Texas Ruger Riojas (Sr. RHP) 5-0, 1.59 ERA, 39.2 IP, 7 BB, 64 SO<\/p>\n
Friday
South Carolina Josh Gunther (Jr. RHP) 2-2, 6.97 ERA, 31.0 IP, 15 BB, 40 SO
Texas Luke Harrison (Gr. LHP) 3-0, 2.65 ERA, 37.1 IP, 14 BB, 37 SO<\/p>\n
Saturday
South Carolina Amp Phillips (Jr. RHP) 2-3, 2.68 ERA, 37.0 IP, 17 BB, 38 SO
Texas Dylan Volantis (So. LHP) 3-0, 2.08 ERA, 39.0 IP, 14 BB, 51 SO<\/p>\n
PROMOTIONS
Thursday \u2013 Western Night
Friday \u2013 Rally Towel Giveaway
Saturday \u2013 Postgame Easter Egg Hunt<\/p>\n
SCOUTING TEXAS<\/p>\n
The Longhorns are coming off a 10-8 win over Texas State on Tuesday night.
\nEthan Mendoza was 3-for-4 with three RBI in the win over the Bobcats.
\nAiden Robbins leads the Longhorns with a .372 batting average and shares the home run lead (10) with Casey Borba.
\nOn the mound, Ruger Riojas was 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 39.2 innings pitched.
\nJim Schlossnagle is in his second season at Texas and 24th season as a head coach. He is a two-time National Coach of the Year and has made six trips to the College World Series.<\/p>\n
SERIES VS. TEXAS<\/p>\n
Texas holds a 7-2 series advantage on Carolina heading into Thursday\u2019s game, but the Gamecocks have won the last two meetings.
\nCarolina won both ends of a doubleheader on March 13, 2022, winning the opener 4-2 and the nightcap 9-4.
\nMatthew Becker struck out 11 batters in the second game on his way to SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.
\nThe two teams have faced off three times in Omaha, including the championship games in 1975 and 2002.<\/p>\n
BAK\u2019S BIG NIGHT<\/p>\n
Junior Tyler Bak went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBI in an 11-1, seven-inning win over Wofford on March 31.
\nBak\u2019s three-run home run was part of a six-run fifth inning for the Gamecocks.
\nBak is tied for the team lead with 20 RBI while hitting .279 with four doubles and four home runs.<\/p>\n
RANDOLPH\u2019S A BLAST<\/p>\n
Fifth-year senior Jake Randolph belted three home runs in the Arkansas series, including a pair in the 9-4 win over the Razorbacks on Sunday, March 22.
\nRandolph had a two-run home run on Friday, one of three home runs by the Gamecocks in that game.
\nRandolph then had home runs in consecutive at-bats against Arkansas on Sunday. His solo shot to lead off the fourth gave Carolina a 4-0 lead.
\nHe then had a two-run home run in the sixth, part of a three-run frame.
\nRandolph hit a home run in the seventh inning at Georgia on March 29.
\nRandolph currently is hitting .323 with eight runs scored and nine RBI.<\/p>\n
STONE\u2019S LIKE A ROCK<\/p>\n
Junior Brandon Stone earned his third win of the season in a 9-4 victory over Arkansas on March 22.
\nStone struck out five in 5.1 innings pitched, allowing five hits and two runs.
\nStone is now 3-1 on the year with a 3.23 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched.
\nStone now has five career wins in Columbia with 76 strikeouts at Carolina.<\/p>\n
GUNTHER NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK<\/p>\n
Junior Josh Gunther was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week on March 2.
\nGunther, who made his first career start, went seven innings and allowed just three with no runs and 10 strikeouts to just one walk in a 7-0 win over No. 15 Clemson.
\nGunther ended five of his seven innings with a strikeout and retired the final six batters of the night.
\nClemson came into the game hitting .332 but Gunther and Alex Valentin combined on Carolina\u2019s second shutout of the season.
\nGunther did not allow a hit or a run in Friday\u2019s game against No. 23 Florida on March 13. He struck out five in his third career start.<\/p>\n
AMP\u2019D UP<\/p>\n
Amp Phillips did not allow an earned run in Carolina\u2019s game at No. 23 Florida on Saturday night (March 14).
\nPhillips pitched six innings for the Gamecocks and allowed five hits with three strikeouts.
\nPhillips then went seven strong innings against Arkansas on March 21, striking out six and allowing one run on three hits.
\nPhillips struck out a season high nine batters in six innings of work at Georgia on March 28.
\nPhillips has two wins on the season to go along with a 2.68 ERA and a .197 opponent\u2019s batting average.<\/p>\n
CRADDOCK NAMED SEC FROSH OF THE WEEK<\/p>\n
Freshman infielder Will Craddock was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday, Feb. 23 after his debut in a Carolina uniform.
\nCraddock went 8-for-15 with nine runs scored, two doubles, a triple, two home runs, two walks and six RBI to help lead the Gamecocks to four wins last week.
\nHe was a perfect 3-for-3 and reached base safely in all five of his plate appearance in the Gardner-Webb win on Wednesday.
\nIn the win over Navy on Saturday, he opened the first with a leadoff home run and added a two-run double. Craddock had four RBI in the game.
\nThen on Sunday in the win over Air Force, Craddock once again led off the Carolina first with a home run. He also added a double in the 4-2 win.
\nCraddock becomes the first Gamecock to win Freshman of the Week honors since Tyler Pitzer in 2024.
\nCraddock is hitting .295 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 19 RBI with a .568 slugging percentage this season.<\/p>\n
LECROY RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON<\/p>\n
Catcher Talmadge LeCroy returns for his fifth year at Carolina in 2026 after missing the second half of last season due to injury.
\nLeCroy has played in 203 games in his Carolina career with 186 starts. LeCroy is one of 17 Gamecocks to play in 200 games or more and the first to do it since Adam Matthews (2009-12).
\nLeCroy also is 10th all-time in walks at Carolina with 121 free passes.
\nThe Belton, S.C., native has 165 hits, 30 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 106 RBI in the Garnet and Black, helping Carolina to a Super Regional berth in 2023.
\nLeCroy belted his first career grand slam in a win over Princeton on March 8.
\nLeCroy is hitting .284 with five home runs and is tied for third on the team with 19 RBI this season.<\/p>\n
KJ MOVING TO SHORT FOR 2026<\/p>\n
Sophomore KJ Scobey manned the hot corner last year, starting at third in 56 of Carolina\u2019s 57 games in 2025.
\nScobey will now move to shortstop this season, a position he played at Team USA training camp this summer and all through fall ball.
\nScobey had 34 runs scored, seven doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBI in his freshman season.
\nScobey had a walk-off double in Carolina\u2019s 3-2 win over North Florida on April 22 and had a home run to lead off the ninth in the Gamecocks\u2019 6-5 win over No. 1 LSU on May 15.
\nScobey spent the summer of 2025 in the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp in Cary, N.C. He had two hits in the Stars and Stripes exhibition on June 30.
\nIn the second game of the 2026 season, Scobey hit a walk-off solo home run to start the bottom of the ninth, lifting Carolina to a 6-5 win.
\nScobey is hitting .300 with 13 doubles, four home runs and is tied for the team lead with 20 RBI this year.
\nScobey leads the SEC with 13 doubles this season.<\/p>\n
MILESTONE CENTRAL<\/p>\n
Talmadge LeCroy became the 17th Gamecock to play in 200 career games in Friday\u2019s game against Georgia. LeCroy also moved into 10th place on Carolina\u2019s base on balls mark after his two walks vs. Wofford on March 31.
\nLeCroy currently is in 13th place for games played at Carolina. Michael Campbell (2003-06) holds the Carolina record with 255 games played.
\nLeCroy surpassed 100 RBI in his career after his grand slam in the win over Princeton (March 8). LeCroy has 106 career RBI.<\/p>\n
UP NEXT<\/p>\n
Carolina hosts the College of Charleston on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m.
\nTuesday\u2019s game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FOR STARTERS Carolina continues its five-game homestand in a Thursday-Saturday series against No. 2 Texas at Founders Park.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":657255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2290],"tags":[5,3726,8988,8991,8987,8986,8990,6392,6226,8989],"class_list":{"0":"post-657254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-carolina","10":"tag-columbia","11":"tag-featured-articles-home-page","12":"tag-fighting-gamecocks","13":"tag-gamecocks","14":"tag-headlines-home-page","15":"tag-south-carolina","16":"tag-south-carolina-gamecocks","17":"tag-usc"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116331086430690439","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=657254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/657255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=657254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=657254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=657254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}