COLUMBIA — Nobody stood, scratching his head or staring at the field. Nobody sat splay-legged in the dirt, hands stretched to the cloudy sky, bellowing, “Why?”
That would have been appropriate. Reasons for South Carolina’s collapse over the past month have to be in the heavens, since they aren’t forthcoming on Earth.
The Gamecocks (38-17, 16-13 SEC) completed their free-fall from a three-game sweep of then-No. 3 Florida on April 22 by losing their fourth straight series on Saturday. Eighteenth-ranked Tennessee cruised 5-0 in Game 1 only to be stymied by Jack Mahoney’s three-hit gem in Game 2, but USC couldn’t extend the good times in Game 3, the nightcap on Saturday going 12-1 to the Vols.
“We get it, it’s super-easy to get frustrated right now. We’re going to be fine,” Mahoney insisted. “This is a really good baseball team. We’re going to get hot at the right time, and that’s what it’s about.”
As throughout the last four weeks, USC’s offense was missing in action. As throughout the last four weeks, the Gamecocks did not have immediate help ready for their tattered starting pitching, letting their completely stocked bullpen sit while Matthew Becker put the first two runners on in the fourth inning of a seven-inning must-win game, and watched it become a 4-0 deficit.
As throughout the last four weeks, the Gamecocks saw what was the surest of sure things vanish. At 34-6 after the triumph over the Gators, USC could have sleepwalked to a national seed and home-field advantage throughout the NCAA Tournament.
The Gamecocks were dragged on their faces to a 4-11 (3-9 SEC) mark instead, putting them on the outside looking in for even an NCAA Regional host site. USC isn’t completely out of the picture, but needs a strong run at the SEC Tournament next week to fill in what’s suddenly become crumbly ground.
USC is 12-30 in the SEC Tournament since winning it in 2004, and has not won a game in its last three appearances. Granted, in many of those years the Gamecocks didn’t have to win to gain anything.
They do this year, and in past years where they absolutely had to win — such as four times since 2015 where they had to win to get into the NCAA Tournament — they did it zero times.
Sixth-seed USC will play at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday on SEC Network in the single-elimination round of the SEC Tournament against No. 11 Georgia. The Gamecocks are definitely in the NCAA Tournament but without a long stay in Hoover, will likely not be playing at home.
Coach Mark Kingston stressed his team’s numbers — Top-5 RPI going into Saturday, top-5 strength of schedule, a top-6 finish in the SEC and that the season is judged on 56 games, not 15 at the end — as a reason that the Gamecocks are a “slam-dunk” regional host. He said USC does not have to build a case to host and then repeated all of the bragging points.
“If you can find 16 resumes that have those on them, then we tip our cap,” Kingston said. “Do we wish we hadn’t sputtered at the end? Yeah, of course we do.”
It’s been a stunning face-plant from what was shaping to be the best season since the Gamecocks were at their apex, with three straight College World Series appearances from 2010-12. USC has been hit with severe injuries, to its best hitters, infielders and pitchers. Yet there’s been enough intact to avoid what’s been a colossal slide the past month.
The offense, deprived of its stalwarts, hasn’t gotten the home runs it relied on throughout the firecracker start. Then the pitching, with top-two starters Will Sanders and Noah Hall out with injuries, was shaky before recently stabilizing.
Yet the sturdiness now has no offense to back it up. The Gamecocks were shut out in Game 1 against Tennessee on a mere three hits, and their last 19 consecutive batters took a seat. In Game 2, USC busted loose for a five-run sixth inning when Tennessee mystifyingly removed starter Chase Dollander, who’d struck out 13 batters.
In Game 3, Becker escaped a third-inning jam after walking the first two batters to keep the game scoreless. After Mahoney had sparkled earlier, USC had its best relievers available.
Yet nobody was warm or even stretching when Becker began the fourth and allowed the first two batters to reach (the first was on an error from third baseman Talmadge LeCroy). Tennessee strung together another single and a double around a wild pitch and another error to plate four runs, which was more than enough to overcome the Gamecocks’ feeble offense.
“There are certain guys we know we have to get some length out of,” Kingston said. “Matthew’s one of those guys.”
The late innings turned into more of the same — USC not building competitive at-bats (22 strikeouts in 14 innings on Saturday, 29 for the weekend) — and a flagging pitching staff. The Vols scored 12 runs in the final four innings in the last game.
The Gamecocks could help themselves in Hoover but could help themselves more by getting a quick exit and resting for over a week before the NCAA Regionals. Something outside of injuries seems drastically wrong.
The Gamecocks win in the postseason, the finish doesn’t matter.
That no longer looks as assured as it did a month ago.