Today, South Carolina baseball fans got to witness one of the great things about postseason baseball: unheralded players who had their inconsistencies in the regular season can become heroes when needed. Tomorrow, Gamecock fans will get to see another great aspect of the sport that no other major college sport guarantees in the postseason: a rare chance for payback. That’s the opportunity that Mark Kingston‘s squad will have on Saturday afternoon in the SEC Tournament semifinals against the LSU Tigers, who scored the go-ahead run to defeat Carolina on Thursday night.

This time around, the Tigers have had an extra day off that Carolina hasn’t gotten, which considering how hot their bats have been (31 runs scored in three games) might not be a bad thing for the Gamecocks. One area, however, that will serve as a perceived advantage for LSU will be the overall stamina of their pitching staff, who will likely have two of their top relievers in Griffin Herring and Gavin Guidry available to go. South Carolina has yet to use Roman Kimball, Joey Wittig, and Drake Quinn and could elect to use pitchers like Eli Jones, Ty Good, or Garrett Gainey, who all threw 54 or more pitches on Wednesday against Arkansas.

Kingston’s team will have to essentially repeat the formula from Thursday night: score plenty of runs at the plate, hold them off long enough on the mound, and avoid costly mistakes in the field. The latter costed the Gamecocks the first time around. We’ll see if things are any different tomorrow afternoon.

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E.J. Walker will play in the Southeastern Conference.

The Lloyd Memorial junior basketball player verbally committed to play for the University of South Carolina Friday night in a live ceremony at the school.

USC, coached by Lamont Paris, went 26-8 last season, finished second in the SEC and reached the NCAA Tournament.

“He had a great relationship with Coach Paris,” his father and Lloyd head coach Mike Walker said. “The way they presented themselves as helping him not only as a basketball player but as a man really speaks volumes.”

Walker, 6-foot-8, averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds while playing in the post. He projects as a forward in college.

Walker said he loved the campus in Columbia and the relationship he is building with Paris.

“They don’t really have a position on their offense,” E.J. Walker said. “I’ll be able to set screens and receive screens. And on defense, I’ll be able to switch and guard multiple positions.”

Said Mike Walker: “They see the potential. The way they’re going to use him and his versatility is something we were really looking for. The way (Parris) uses the hybrid forward, the 3-4 (forwards) everywhere he’s been. He knows winning, he gets the guys ready to play. His personality and the way he coaches are a great fit for E.J.”

Walker took an official visit to South Carolina on the last weekend of March.

He is ranked the No. 125 overall prospect, the No. 28 power forward, and No. 2 prospect in Kentucky for the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He is a four-star recruit on 247Sports Composite Rankings and a consensus top-150 recruit in the 2025 class.

He was a priority target for Paris and the Gamecocks, according to the program’s On3.com recruiting site.

Walker took more than 50 visits according to his father. He had at least three to Wisconsin.

 According to BadgerNotes, a Wisconsin recruiting site, “His unique combination of size, athleticism, and ball skills makes Walker a versatile chess piece. He can push the ball in transition, win down on the low block with footwork, face up on occasion, knock down shots, or put the ball on the deck.”

Walker, a 4.0 student, made the announcement live on social media in front of about 100 supporters in the school auditorium. Lloyd athletic director Bill Pilgram and fitness trainer Jordan Nevels spoke to the crowd, and both of his parents made emotional speeches.

“Our friendship, our coach and player relationship, and you being my son I wouldn’t change that for the world,” Mike Walker said during the ceremony. “When your teammates get all-tournament team or win awards, that’s when you have the biggest smile on your face.”

For the first time this WNBA season, two of coach Dawn Staley’s most decorated players will face each other on the court.

The two No. 1 overall draft picks to come out of South Carolina women’s basketball, Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson will battle Saturday night (9 p.m. ET, FUBO) when the Indiana Fever travel to play the Las Vegas Aces.

Wilson, selected by the Aces in 2018, is one of the most impactful players in South Carolina history. In her senior season, she was selected the consensus National Player of the Year, All-America First Team, SEC Player of the Year and SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson holds the program’s career records in points (2,389), blocked shots (363), free throws made (597) and free throws attempted (835).

The 6-foot-4 center led the Gamecocks to their first-ever national championship in 2017 and now has a statue outside of Colonial Life Arena.

Wilson and the 2023 WNBA champion Aces came to Columbia on May 11 for a preseason game against Team Puerto Rico, the same day Wilson revealed her new Nike signature shoe deal.

When the 6-5 Boston arrived at South Carolina in 2019, she didn’t steer far from the big shoes that Wilson left to fill. By the time she left in 2023, Boston won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year twice (2022, 2023) and swept the National Player of the Year awards. She led the Gamecocks to three consecutive Final Four appearances and won the national title in 2022. In 2022-23, Boston broke the South Carolina records for career double-doubles and rebounds.

Boston was named SEC Player of the Year twice and earned four Lisa Leslie Center of the Year awards, becoming the first player to win it every year of their career.

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A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston in the WNBA

Both Wilson and Boston were voted WNBA Rookie of the Year. Wilson, in her seventh year with the Aces, is a two-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Boston is working through her sophomore season with 2024 first overall pick Caitlin Clark.

Last season, the Fever and Aces played three times, with all three wins going to the Aces who went on to win their second straight WNBA championship.

Staley said she loved watching her two former players battle in the WNBA.

Aliyah Boston stats vs. Aces in 2023

• June 4: Seven points, four rebounds, one assist, one block
• June 24: 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals, one block
• June 26: 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks

A’ja Wilson stats vs. Fever in 2023

• June 4: 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, four blocks
• June 24: 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks
• June 26: 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, three blocks

The WNBA season began May 14, and Boston is averaging 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. The Fever are 0-5, sixth in the Eastern Conference. Wilson is averaging 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. The Aces are 2-1, fifth in the Western Conference.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin