Tag: South Carolina Baseball

Texas A&M catcher Max Kaufer has found his new home for the 2025 season

Texas A&M sophomore catcher Max Kaufer will stay in the SEC for the 2025 season

It has been a hectic week for Texas A&M’s baseball program. Former head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s memorably shocking exit to head the Texas Longhorns early last week resulted in 14 Aggies entering the transfer portal.

However, after Sunday’s hiring of former hitting coach Michael Earley as the program’s 21st head coach, nearly half of the players who entered the portal have withdrawn their names, including Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Kaeden Kent and Caden Sorrell. In addition, Penn transfer Wyatt Henseler reaffirmed his commitment.

With Jackson Appel still mulling his MLB future, Earley added insurance to next year’s lineup, gaining a commitment from former USC catcher Jacob Galloway. This led to sophomore reserve catcher Max Kaufer, who also entered the transfer portal, announcing his commitment to SEC foe South Carolina.

A top 50 prospect out of the prestigious IMG Academy, Kaufer burst on the scene during his freshman season in 2023. He made 36 starts while appearing in 46 games, finishing with 19 hits and a .183 batting average at the plate. Due to Appel’s arrival, Kaufer’s playing time decreased, but that doesn’t take away from what Kaufer offers from a defensive standpoint.

With two more seasons of collegiate eligibility, Kaufer has a solid chance to compete for a starting spot behind the plate next season.

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South Carolina fires head coach, former Clemson coach Monte Lee takes over as interim

Monte Lee takes over as interim head coach for the Gamecocks.

Mark Kingston will not return as University of South Carolina baseball coach for the 2025 season, Gamecocks Athletics Director Ray Tanner announced today.

Kingston departs the Carolina baseball program after seven years (six full seasons) with a 217-155 overall record (58.3 percent) and an 83-96 SEC mark (46.4 percent).  The Gamecocks went to post-season play four seasons, advancing to Super Regionals twice.  The 2020 season was halted mid-year due to COVID-19.

Kingston became the 30th head coach in program history on June 30, 2017.  He directed Carolina to six winning seasons, including three in SEC play.  The Gamecocks finished third in the SEC East twice (2018, 2023), leading the team to NCAA Super Regionals in each of those years.

This past season, Carolina finished 37-25 overall, 13-17 in SEC play and concluded its season in the NCAA Raleigh Regional.  The team was ranked as high as #7 RPI in the nation and finished the regular season with a #21 NCAA RPI Ranking.

South Carolina’s baseball program has been to 35 NCAA Regionals in the last 50 seasons, winning 19 regional titles and advancing to the College World Series 11 times, winning the 2010 and 2011 NCAA championship.

Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Monte Lee will serve as interim head coach.

Via South Carolina Athletic Communications

Controversy mars the end of a South Carolina high school baseball playoff game

Powdersville won a South Carolina playoff game on a controversial call.

A South Carolina high school playoff baseball game ended in controversy when a catcher was called for obstruction while applying a tag at home plate.

Powdersville secured a 5-4 win over Hanahan in a 12-inning game on Wednesday. The game’s final play saw the home plate umpire call Powdersville’s Kolbe Giles safe despite Hanahan catcher Hudson Sprovero clearly applying the tag.

The umpire ruled that the catcher obstructed the baserunner’s path to the plate, resulting in Powdersville winning the game.

With the win, Powdersville forced a third and deciding game against Hanahan on Saturday in the championship series for Class AAA.

 

“For it to end that way is pretty tough,” Hanahan head coach Skyla Hunter said according to the Post and Courier. “The ump said the catcher can’t be up the baseline, but he was making a play on the ball. He was literally going to get the ball. He had the ball in his hand and their guy is halfway up the line. He said he’s not allowed to be at that spot.”

Alabama baseball loses to South Carolina 10-5 in SEC Baseball Tournament

Alabama baseball bounced from SEC Tournament by South Carolina

On a beautiful day from Hoover, Rob Vaughn and the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team were bounced from the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament by the South Carolina Gamecocks 10-5. Now the Crimson Tide will have to wait until the weekend to see what the remainder of the 2024 college baseball season will bring.

After building an early 2-0 lead after two innings, Alabama’s pitching struggled to hold onto it allowing a six-run third inning which gave South Carolina a lead they would never lose.

Alabama will head back to Tuscaloosa and await its postseason fate while the Gamecocks will move on to the double-elimination portion of the bracket where they will take on No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the Alabama baseball team as the postseason progresses.

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How to watch Alabama baseball vs. South Carolina in SEC Baseball Tournament

How you can watch Alabama baseball take on South Carolina in the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament

The 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament has officially arrived. The single-elimination portion of the tournament will take place on Tuesday from Hoover with the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers owning the first pitch.

Rob Vaughn and the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team will hit the field immediately following UGA vs. LSU matching up with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Crimson Tide took two out of three games during the regular season against the Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama is expected to start senior left-handed pitcher Greg Farone while South Carolina will likely trot out their junior right-hander Dylan Eskew.

The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will move on to the double-elimination portion of the bracket and will take on No. 2 Arkansas.

How to watch Alabama baseball vs. South Carolina in SEC Tournament

  • Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2024
  • Location: Hoover Met, Hoover, Alabama
  • Time: TBA (following game one which starts at 9:30 a.m. CT)
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Live Stream: FuboTV (Watch Here)

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the Alabama baseball team as the postseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

An accounting error – South Carolina baseball team might forfeit playoff win due to pitch count

Summerville baseball may not advanced in the state championships due to a pitch count error.

A violation of the pitch count rule might keep one high school baseball team in South Carolina from advancing in the state playoffs.

Thayer Tavormina pitched on consecutive days for Summerville High School (S.C.), going over the allotted pitch count on the second day. Summerville is currently 21-11 and ranked fifth in South Carolina according to MaxPreps.

At issue is that in a game last week against Ashley Ridge, Tavormina threw two pitches in the first game of the series. He then threw 83 pitches the next day.

According to the Post and Courier, there is a rule in place “that in games played on consecutive days, a pitcher who throws even one pitch on day one is limited to 75 pitches on the second day.”

Tavormina’s pitch count went over that tally in his second appearance against Ashley Ridge.

As a result, Ashley Ridge (Summerville, South Carolina) won in a forfeit. The win means that Ashley Ridge and not Summerville would advance to the state championship.

Georgia rises six spots USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

Georgia rises six spots in the latest USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll after dominant sweep of Vanderbilt

The Georgia Bulldogs are up six spots in the baseball rankings after going 4-0 this past week. Georgia is the No. 12 team in the May 6 edition of the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

Georgia looked dominant over the past week. The Bulldogs swept previous No. 13 Vanderbilt in a home series that featured a pair of run-rule victories. Vanderbilt is now unranked.

Georgia infielder/outfielder Charlie Condon has hit a home run in seven consecutive games and is the best player in the country. Condon and the Georgia offense are among the nation’s best.

Georgia is 13-11 in conference play and 35-12 on the season. Georgia has won five games in a row and is an incredible 28-3 at home. The Bulldogs got a pair of excellent pitching performances against Vanderbilt and are playing their best baseball of the season.

The SEC has four of the five top teams in the country in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas A&M. The SEC continues to be baseball’s strongest conference. Texas A&M is no longer the No. 1 team in the country. Tennessee is the nation’s new No. 1 and is an impressive 17-7 in SEC play.

Georgia baseball’s next series is against No. 15 South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, from Thursday-Saturday. This is shaping up to be a special season for Georgia baseball.

‘This place would be a boombox’: Texas A&M OF Hayden Schott explains Blue Bell Park’s new anthem

“(Jace and I) were like ‘Dude, if we got a whole crowd in on that and played it every run or something, this place would be a boombox!'”

On its way to becoming the No. 1 team in the nation this weekend with a sweep of SEC rival Vanderbilt, the Texas A&M baseball team recently found a new tune to groove to every time an Aggie scores a run.

After the series finale against the Commodores, graduate student outfielder Hayden Schott was asked about the origin of the team’s fondness for the song “Rattlin’ Bog” by the Irish Descendants.

“Me and Jace LaViolette, they were playing it at South Carolina on the speakers and we were like ‘Dude, if we got a whole crowd in on that, and played it every run or something, this place would be a boombox!’ So then Friday night, obviously we had a great baseball game, it just added so much to the crowd I felt like,” Schott recalled. “Everyone was so loud.

“I think now that we won, they can’t take it away, so I’m going to have a word with coach about that. I’ll just make sure that he doesn’t end this streak. I’ll probably have a word with him tomorrow during our media meeting with me and him.”

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Texas A&M baseball stays put in newest USA TODAY Coaches Poll

The Aggies stay at No. 3 in the newest Coaches Poll

Texas A&M baseball’s (28-4, 8-4 SEC) eight-game winning streak may have ended on Sunday afternoon, but winning their first SEC road series against the South Carolina Gamecocks inside the always-tough Founders Field is worth the one loss.

On the weekend, grad transfer Hayden Schott led the way offensively, with six hits and nine RBI vs. the Gamecocks, including a 3-4 showing on Sunday. Ace pitcher Ryan Prager (7-1) delivered one of his best performances of the young season, recording 12 Ks in 6.1 innings in Game 1.

Before the Aggies’ critical home series against No. 6-ranked Vanderbilt (25-7), a midweek matchup against UTSA (19-13) awaits on Tuesday night. On Monday, the newest USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll saw little change among the top programs, while the surging Kentucky Wildcats moved up eight spots to No. 8, followed by Wake Forest climbing seven spots to No. 15.

Within the SEC, five programs represent the top ten, while three more conference members round out the remainder of the Top 25.

Here are the complete Week 8 rankings.

Rank Team Overall Points (1st) Previous Rank Change
1 Arkansas 27-3 775 (31) 1 –
2 Clemson 28-3 735 2 –
3 Texas A&M 28-4 716 3 –
4 Tennessee 26-6 656 4 –
5 Oregon State 26-4 655 5 –
6 Vanderbilt 25-7 609 6 –
7 Duke 24-8 580 10 +3
8 Kentucky 27-4 503 16 +8
9 Florida State 26-5 498 12 +3
10 Virginia 25-7 490 11 +1
11 East Carolina 23-7 440 13 +2
12 North Carolina 26-6 432 7 -5
13 Dallas Baptist 25-6 405 8 -5
14 UC Irvine 24-4 397 17 +3
15 Wake Forest 21-10 284 22 +7
16 Virginia Tech 21-8 216 15 -1
17 Alabama 22-10 192 14 -3
18 Florida 17-14 187 9 -9
19 UCF 21-8 186 NR +8
20 Coastal Carolina 22-9 166 21 +1
21 Nebraska 22-7 142 23 +2
22 Oregon 12-8 128 NR +7
23 Mississippi State 21-12 114 NR +3
24 Louisiana 24-8 109 NR +12
25 Oklahoma State 21-11 94 NR +7

Schools Dropped Out

No. 18 LSU; No. 19 South Carolina; No. 20 North Carolina State; No. 24 Georgia; No. 25 TCU;

Others Receiving Votes

South Carolina 67; Indiana State 59; LSU 54; Georgia 45; Texas Tech 26; Creighton 23; Northeastern 14; TCU 12; North Carolina State 11; Lamar 11; Campbell 11; West Virginia 8; St. John’s 7; Ole Miss 4; Kansas State 4; Oklahoma 3; UC Santa Barbara 2; Southern Miss 2; Louisiana Tech 2; Utah 1

Texas A&M will face UTSA on Tuesday, April 9, at 6:00 p.m. CT, where the game will air on SEC Network+.

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No. 3 Texas A&M baseball wins the series vs. South Carolina after the defeating the Gamecocks in Game 2

The Aggies continues their impressive win streak, reaching eight games!

The Texas A&M baseball team (28-3) earned the series win vs. No. 22 South Carolina (21-10) on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Gamecocks 6-3 behind an early scoring effort, while Aggies’ star closer Evan Aschenbeck finishing things out in the 9th.

Winning their eighth consecutive SEC game, the Aggies are one of the hottest clubs in the country. They trail only the No.1-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in the SEC standings but currently lead the conference in wins with 28.

On the day, Braden Montgomery and Jace LaViolette combined four hits. Still, it was the play of the notably clutch Hayden Schott, who orchestrated a three-run scoring effort, aided by freshman phenom Gavin Grahovic’s huge solo home run in the top of the first.

Also, in the bottom of the first, freshman outfielder Caden Sorrell made one of the best catches you will see all year, stealing a Gamecocks home run after elevating at the top of the fence line for the grab. What a catch!

Holding a 4-0 lead in the third, the Gamecocks got on the board with two runs to make things interesting, but thanks to Schott’s RBI in the 5th, the Aggies’ 5-2 cushion who later added another insurance run in the 9th to close things out.

Pitching-wise, starter Tanner Jones gave up five hits and two runs while striking out five. Shane Sdao (2-0) earned the win, allowing only two hits and recording three strikeouts.

Elite closer Evan Aschenbeck pitched two innings and recorded six strikeouts, allowed two hits, and one run on a meaningless solo home run to close things out.

Texas A&M’s critical home series vs. Vanderbilt will start on Friday, April 12, but the Aggies will first take on UTSA in a midweek matchup on Tuesday, April 9, at 6:00 p.m.

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