Behind the Mound: Gamecocks Brace for Magnolia State Tour

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Joseph Bender, Sports Editor

For the first time since 2016 the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team hosted the #1 team in the nation at Founders Park. Last time this happened the Gamecocks were victorious over the #1 Gators, and they would look for a similar outcome against #1 Arkansas, a team who has only lost six games all season. The Gamecocks struggled in their first outing against the Razorbacks on a cold Thursday night, but would rebound the next day in game one of the doubleheader as the Gamecocks dominated the Razorbacks 6-2. Now with the series split it was up to South Carolina’s young superstar pitcher Will Sanders to give the Gamecocks a series win against #1 Arkansas. The game started out well for the Gamecocks but as it went on it went just like the Friday game against the Razorbacks where South Carolina had no momentum offensively, leaving the pitchers to try to hold their own. The Gamecocks would lose the series 2-1 against Arkansas but would have momentum heading into this week due to winning one game from the #1 team.  

After losing this past weekend’s series, the #13 South Carolina Gamecocks will head on the road to face #19 Ole Miss, a team who has been sliding as of late with back-to-back series losses against Mississippi State and LSU. While the Rebels have been struggling, they are currently home of the biggest home field advantage in the country, as the Rebels are almost at 100% capacity in the most electric atmosphere in all of College Baseball. A series win or sweep this weekend would put the Gamecocks back on track ahead of a monumental series against Mississippi State who is the #6 team in the nation currently after a tough road series against #2 Vanderbilt in Music City. A series win this week against the Rebels sets up the Gamecocks well against the MSU Bulldogs with only one month left of regular season play before conference tournaments and the College World Series.  

The Gamecocks will look to sweep the Rebels this weekend in a crucial weekend of baseball in Oxford, Mississippi.