South-Carolina
South Carolina beats Georgia State 7-1 in final game before SEC play
Run-of-the-mill on the scoreboard, but not the box score.
South Carolina baseball beat Georgia State 7-1 at Founders Park in its final game before SEC play, a normal score with the regular game flow many midweeks follow.
But between starting catcher Talmadge LeCroy departing after just four innings and regular Friday starter Matthew Becker pitching an inning of relief, the in-game changes carried far more intrigue than the actual result.
While Paul Mainieri confirmed post-game that LeCroy giving way to Max Kaufer was just to keep Kaufer sharp before the weekend, Becker’s outing had a touch of mystery involved. Maineiri alluded to Becker still being available this weekend, but did not reveal anything when asked if the starting rotation would remain the same as the last two weekends.
“I’ll be announcing the rotation tomorrow morning,” Mainieri said.
Becker, who has allowed eight earned runs in just five total innings over the last two Fridays, jogged in out of the bullpen for the first time this season with a 7-1 lead in tow. He navigated an uneventful sixth inning and gave way to Ryder Garino after just 11 pitches.
It was a short appearance with a specific focus, but just his presence in the game was enough to spark questions heading into the weekend.
“I thought he looked great,” Mainieri said. “[Pitching coach] Terry [Rooney] was really trying to get him to land that curveball, and he was barely missing and the guy was laying off some tough ones. I couldn’t tell from the side; maybe they were off the plate too much for the guy to swing. It wasn’t really the way we would pitch typically, but we were just trying to get him to throw that curveball. But I thought he threw good.”
As for the pitcher Becker took over for, Jarvis Evans Jr. delivered another solid outing. He followed up his seven innings of one-run ball in Charleston last Wednesday with another five innings and just one run allowed against the Panthers, only giving up a solo home run to Georgia State (12-6) catcher Colin Hynek in the second inning.
“It’s kind of just the same thing every single outing,” Evans said. “Coach Rooney is really big on competitive strike throwers, so that’s just what I’m trying to be. Just trying to fill the zone up, get ahead and let my offspeed take care of itself.”
South Carolina (15-3) did most of its damage offensively in a six-run third-inning. Productive outs by Ethan Petry and Kennedy Jones — a sacrifice fly and RBI groundout respectively — knocked in the first two runs after lead-off singles by Nathan Hall and Evan Stone plus a wild pitch, but cleared the bases with two outs.
The next six Gamecocks reached on two walks and an infield single, loading the bases for Jordan Carrion.
The second baseman ripped a three-run double off the top of the wall in right field, clearing the bases and boosting his season RBI total to seven. Escorting LeCroy home from first base? Mainieri himself, firing up the windmill and running with him down the third base line as acting third base coach with Monte Lee away from the team on a recruiting trip.
“It’s been years since I’ve waved a guy in on a close play,” Mainieri joked. “I forgot how thrilling that is. You’re like making deals with God for him to be safe.”
A Hall RBI single capped off the inning, and he tacked on an RBI double in the fifth as the scorching hot lead-off hitter reached base four more times and added three hits to extend his team-high tally to 27.
After a fairly routine win to cap off a non-conference slate that was equally comfortable outside the Clemson series, here comes the ultimate test. The SEC schedule, 30 games across 10 weekends starting on Friday with No. 12 Oklahoma coming to Founders Park.
“I’ve always described the SEC baseball conference as the major leagues of college baseball,” Mainieri said. “The reason I say that is the bottom dwellers in the major leagues are still filled with major league caliber players. And everyone in the SEC is filled with SEC-caliber players. If you don’t bring your A-game, you can get beat every single game.”
The biggest series of the season so far, with a suddenly unavoidable question mark hanging over it regarding who will throw the first pitch Friday night.
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The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.
Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:
Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina
Projected round 2-3.
Concern level 2/10
While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.
With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.
What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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