(44-18, 18-12) SC Baseball Season Thread vs Maryland - L 1-10

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South Carolina suffered its first injury blow for the 2014 season when freshman Canaan Cropper had Tommy John surgery last Thursday and will miss the entire year.

The UCL in Cropper’s right arm was not completely torn and it is actually an injury he’s pitched through for well over a year. He first injured his elbow in Jupiter, Fla. the fall before his senior season pitching in a showcase tournament. He’s tried various rehabilitation methods in an effort to avoid surgery but he would still feel discomfort after pitching.

Cropper will redshirt this season and have four years to play four at South Carolina going forward. Since Cropper is a scholarship player, he will not be able to be replaced on the roster.

The Salisbury, Md. native had a very good fall and was in position to pitch this season in the late innings. He was vying with junior college transfer Cody Mincey for the closer role on the staff.

The Gamecocks begin preseason practice this Friday afternoon with a scrimmage at Carolina Stadium. The team will hold intrasquad scrimmages the next three weekends. The season opens on February 14 at 3 p.m. against Bucknell at Carolina Stadium.

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1. Veteran talent: Then the recruiting coordinator, head coach Chad Holbrook landed one of the top recruiting classes in the country in 2011. Those freshmen are now juniors and most are in their final year at South Carolina with just one more shot at winning a national championship. The Gamecocks have five juniors who could legitimately be selected in the first five rounds of the MLB Draft this June. Of the nine players in the projected opening day lineup, seven are either juniors or seniors. Add in sophomore Max Schrock, last year’s everyday second baseman when healthy, and the Gamecocks have a roster full of older players with a lot of experience.

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2. Frontline starter: When the Gamecocks take the field on Friday, February 14, one of the best starting pitchers in the country will take the mound. Junior Jordan Montgomery was at his best the last time he was on the mound tossing a complete game shutout against North Carolina in the Super Regional. The Sumter native is a prototypical Friday night guy - he can beat any team but he will also consistently pitch deep into games, thus saving the bullpen for later in the weekend. In his first two years on campus, Montgomery is 12-2, which includes a 4-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament. Pitching is key to winning championships and South Carolina couldn’t ask for a better frontline starter.

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3. Interchangeable parts: South Carolina has a roster chock full of talent and there is also a lot of versatility. The battle will go up to the final day before the roster is pared down to 35 players. While it is rare every player has a significant role, the coaching staff has a measure of confidence in each. What makes some of the players on the roster valuable is their versatility. Junior Elliott Caldwell could feature at any of four positions on the field. Junior Connor Bright can play almost anywhere on the field while the middle infield has four players who could see time at either second base or shortstop.

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4. Best behind the dish: Junior Grayson Greiner is one of the top defensive catchers in the country and is poised to have his biggest season yet at the plate. He will be one of the top college catchers off the board in the MLB Draft this June and having a top-flight player behind the plate is imperative to being successful in the college game now. Pitching and defense is the name of the game in college baseball and the pitching staff has an incredible amount of confidence in Greiner, who also has a knack for throwing out base runners. The Columbia native starred for Team USA over the summer and was much better at the plate in the fall than he has been at any other point at USC.

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5. Cerebral assassin: The Gamecocks are fortunate enough to have one of the best pitching coaches in the country, both from a talent development and pitch-calling standpoint. From a development standpoint, look no further than Montgomery. Most major schools thought he was a mid-major pitcher. Now, he’s one of the best starting pitchers in the Southeastern Conference and nationally. Meyers, in both stints with South Carolina, has put together one of the top pitching staffs in the conference and the country. Now in his 12th year with the program, Meyers calls all of the pitches and keeps opposing hitters off balance. While its up to the pitcher to execute, the Gamecocks were third in the nation last season in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

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6. Improved defense: With all due respect to the 2013 team, this year’s team should be much better defensively, especially on the infield. Expected starter Marcus Mooney is an upgrade from Joey Pankake at shortstop in terms of range and athleticism. Pankake brings his two years of experience at short over to third base, where his skill set is a better fit. Schrock did a nice job at second base as a freshman and should be improved as a sophomore. Junior Kyle Martin replaced LB Dantzler for defensive purposes at the end of last season and provides a bigger target and a strong glove at first base. While the Gamecocks were not a bad defensive team last season, the group wasn’t as strong as years past. The 2014 season will bring about improved played defensively, especially on the infield.

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7. Year 2: The 2013 season was Chad Holbrook’s first as a head coach. Almost anyone in any profession will say that the first year is the most difficult. With a year of experience under his belt, Holbrook enters Year 2. He’s a year separated from Ray Tanner’s tenure, he’s made 63 games worth of pitching decisions and lineup cards. Holbrook has a year of dealing with players’ issues, balancing coaching, recruiting, and the outside obligations that come with being a head coach. In short, Year 2 should be easier to handle than last year because he’s been through everything once already.

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8. Home field: South Carolina will play 37 of its 56 regular season games at Carolina Stadium this season. In NCAA Tournament play, the Gamecocks are 16-0 at Carolina Stadium, which includes four sweeps in the Regional round and two in the Super Regionals. If by the end of the 56-game regular season Holbrook’s team has put itself in position to host, the chances of making a four trip in five seasons to the College World Series increases.

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9. Braintrust: With Holbrook, Meyers and Sammy Esposito, the Gamecocks have one of the most-respected coaching staffs in the country. There are, however, two other key pieces - volunteer assistant Brian Buscher and student assistant Adrian Morales. Buscher, a three-year MLB veteran at third base, is one of the best to come through the USC program and is coaching Pankake through the position move. Morales won two championship rings with the program and provided a lot of the leadership and tough-as-nails attitude during his two seasons with the Gamecocks. Both will be key pieces if South Carolina can make a run to Omaha in 2014.

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10. Battle-tested: Last but certainly not least, the regular season schedule will prepare South Carolina for anything it could see in the postseason. The Gamecocks have made the NCAA Tournament the last 14 seasons, which includes six trips to the College World Series. Before the team can get into the Regional round though, it will face 10 conference teams totaling 30 games, three more contests against Clemson, and another against Coastal Carolina. The SEC routinely puts the most teams into the NCAA Tournament and playing 11 of 14 weekend series (including Clemson) against some of the best competition the country has to offer will have the Gamecocks battle tested heading into the postseason.

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1. Arkansas OF Brian Anderson: A junior, Anderson started 59 games last season for the Razorbacks and led the team with a .325 batting average, four home runs and 36 RBIs. In fact, he led the team in seven offensive categories, which also includes his .448 on-base percentage. Anderson had 22-multi-hit games and also made a catch at Georgia in foul territory falling into the bullpen that earned a spot on the SportsCenter Top 10. Anderson, who stands 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, is a very good athlete as he ranked tied for first in the SEC in triples during league play while earning second-team All-SEC honors a year ago.

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2. Vanderbilt RHP Tyler Beede: Two years after turning down $2.5 million to go to school at Vanderbilt, Beede is a preseason All-American after earning second-team All-American honors a year ago. The power-armed right-hander won a school record 14 games a year ago but finished the year on a sour note with a loss to Louisville in the Super Regionals giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over 2.2 innings pitched. Beede, however, was great against the Gamecocks moving his record to 12-0 on the year when he pitched 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and seven strikeouts. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against South Carolina. Beede played for the USA Collegiate National Team over the summer after finishing his season with a 14-1 record, 2.32 ERA in 101.1 innings. He struck out 171 hitters but walked 95.

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. Vanderbilt shortstop Vince Conde: An overlooked player on a great team, Conde is poised for a featured role this season for the Commodores. A right-handed hitter, he jumped from a .195 batting average his freshman season to .307 in 2013 with six home runs. He knocked 18 doubles and 44 RBIs during his second year at Vanderbilt with a .380 on-base percentage. Conde is also a very good fielder committing only nine errors a season ago, which was down from 14 as a freshman when he had just more than half of the chances. Last year against the Gamecocks, he tied a career high with three hits in the finale and also hit a pair of doubles against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.

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4. Kentucky OF Austin Cousino: One of the more dynamic players in the SEC, Cousino returns for his junior season starting every game but one of his career. He is a do-it-all player earning the Gold Glove Trophy in 2013 as the best centerfielder in college baseball, hit .249 with six home runs and 27 RBIs, and also stole 14-of-15 bases. The left-handed hitter played on the USA Collegiate National Team with South Carolina catcher Grayson Greiner. He hit .273 with Team USA with a .347 on-base percentage. Cousino has reached base safely in 106 of his 117 career games.

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5. Clemson RHP Daniel Gossett: Now a junior, Gossett is a Vanderbilt arm in a Clemson uniform. As the Friday night starter a year ago, Gossett put up a 10-4 record and 2.56 ERA in 16 starts. He threw 98.1 innings and struck out 91 while opponents hit only .213. In two seasons, Gossett has 175.1 innings on his arm with a 16-7 record. The power-armed righty has two tough-luck losses against the Gamecocks. He pitched one of the best games of his career as a freshman against USC in the Columbia Regional allowing two runs on four hits and eight strikeouts. Last season, he allowed only one earned run against the Gamecocks in 6.1 innings. South Carolina went on to win both games. In 2013, he earned second-team All-ACC honors and became the first Tigers pitcher to record 10 wins in a season since 2002.

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6. Vanderbilt RHP Brian Miller: The only reliever on the list and the top arm out of the bullpen the Gamecocks will see in 2014, Miller posted a 5-2 record and 1.58 earned run average a year ago. He had 16 saves in 32 appearances striking out 48 and walking only 11 in 57.0 innings pitched. Opponents hit .180 against him. Miller picked up one save against the Gamecocks a year ago, his 13th, but did allow a home run. Miller didn’t pitch in the fall but he’s healthy and ready to back up his preseason All-American honors.

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7. Kentucky LHP/1B A.J. Reed: Potentially the best two-way player in the country, Reed was in the Team USA camp for a while over the summer. Reed was a first-team All-SEC player as a hitter a year ago hitting .280 with 13 home runs, which was good for fourth in the conference, and 52 RBIs. Reed did have a three-run home run against the Gamecocks last year but didn’t pick up the win on the mound. Reed got little help last season when he pitched and his record suffered. On the mound, he was 2-8 with a 4.04 ERA in 82.1 innings pitched.

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8. Missouri UTIL Keaton Steele: A first-team All-SEC performer in 2013, Steele was responsible for South Carolina’s lone loss in Missouri last year. He threw six shutout innings on the mound against the Gamecocks and earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors for that performance. Later in the year, he became the first player in the league since 1996 to be named both SEC Pitcher of the Week and SEC Player of the Week. Steele earned Player of the Week honors for his performance on the mound and at the plate against Georgia. On the year, the right-hander hit .276 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. He also had a 2.83 earned run average and 5-3 record in 63.2 innings pitched. In SEC play alone, he hit .306 and also had 45 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched against conference competition

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1. 3B/LF Elliott Caldwell: The Spartanburg Methodist transfer will be in the opening day lineup, barring injury, in some capacity. The chances are he will make his first appearance in left field but third base and designated hitter are not out of the question. Caldwell, who stands 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, is a very good athlete who has good reactions at third base and can cover enough ground in the outfield. Caldwell should hit somewhere around fifth or sixth in the batting order and should flirt with double-digit home runs.

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2. RHP Wil Crowe: If South Carolina had a series this weekend, Crowe would be the Sunday starter. There is still a month of practice and scrimmages to go but the power-armed right-hander lived up to the lofty hype in the fall. Crowe works off his low 90s fastball but certainly has a good enough breaking ball and changeup to work through opposing lineups multiple times. Crowe hit almost every scrimmage during the fall but he’s too good on the mound to continue spending time at the plate. While he performed well, look for him to focus on pitching and take very few - if any - swings of the bat in 2014.

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3. RHP Cody Mincey: The Gamecocks lost the back end of their bullpen with the departure of Tyler Webb and Adam Westmoreland from last year’s team. This year, Mincey will look to take over in the ninth inning and close out games. Mincey is like former closer Matt Price in his early years at Carolina. He will throw from multiple arm slots with a fastball that will top out around 92 mph. Mincey also has a very good slider, which he did a good job most of the fall of throwing for strikes.

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. SS Marcus Mooney: Mooney left junior college a year early to come to South Carolina and the chances are high that he will be the opening day shortstop. Mooney is the best balance among head coach Chad Holbrook’s three options at shortstop weighing hitting, defense and experience. A right-handed hitter, Mooney typically gets the job done that needs to be done at the plate. Whether it’s moving a runner, executing on a hit and run or laying down a bunt, outs are productive. As the fall progressed and he recovered from a calf injury, Mooney’s batting average went up. Mooney will have to perform well though as DC Arendas and Jordan Gore are pushing for playing time.

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5. LHP Josh Reagan: The Lexington High School product had a great fall and is in the conversation for the Sunday role on opening weekend. Reagan, who pitches in the low 80s from the left side, keeps hitters off balance and is a master of the strike zone. He doesn’t light up the radar gun but his fastball is sneaky because his changeup is so good. Reagan does a good job of keeping the ball down in the strike zone and he could fill a number of roles for South Carolina this season.

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6. RHP Matt Vogel: The pitcher with maybe the most upside in the freshman class, Vogel has worked his way into a variety of possible roles for the Gamecocks this season. Vogel’s fastball was clocked as high as 97 mph on the radar gun during the fall and he also has a slider that will sit around 86-87 mph. He’s got big-league stuff, but he also has outings where he doesn’t have great command. Vogel had four very good weekends in the fall and two that were not quite up to par, including his outing in the Garnet & Black World Series. The right-hander will get plenty of chances early in the season and how he performs will dictate his role. Long term, he projects as a starting pitcher but he could be a late-game arm this season.

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7. RHP/1B Taylor Widener: An Aiken native, Widener has a chance to make an impact both as a pitcher and a hitter. He had some back problems in the fall that limited his opportunities but he performed well before the Christmas break and he’s healthy entering the preseason. Widener will provide a lot of power from the left side and will hit some home runs to right field. Depending on how much Kyle Martin is used on the mound, Widener could be used some at first base to go along with a part-time designated hitter role. A right-handed pitcher, Widener has thrown well in bullpen sessions this preseason and has a chance to help on the mound as well.

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1. Back end of the bullpen: By far the biggest on-field question mark is how South Carolina will manage the end of the game from a pitching standpoint. There were basically two options - Adam Westmoreland and Tyler Webb - out of the bullpen a year ago and both players have graduated. The senior lefties were two of the best in the SEC and the coaching staff had immense trust in both players. South Carolina has only one player - Vince Fiori with 20.2 innings - returning with more than 20 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

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2. Replacing veterans: In addition to Webb and Westmoreland, there are several other key veterans who have to be replaced. First baseman LB Dantzler won the team Triple Crown a year ago leading the Gamecocks in batting average, RBIs, and home runs. Friday night starter Nolan Belcher graduated as did starting third baseman Chase Vergason. Not only did the players have championship experience, there was also a lot of talent in the group. The cleanup hitter is gone as well as more than 300 of the 561 innings pitched last year. The good news for the Gamecocks is that junior college transfers and two-year contributor Kyle Martin will plug the holes in the batting order, so there will be some experience entering the fold in the lineup.

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3. Inexperience on the mound: While this ties in to the first two reasons, South Carolina lost a lot on the mound from last season and there are a lot of innings to fill. Add in Colby Holmes and Patrick Sullivan and there are five pitchers lost from a season ago who threw more than 25 innings.

College baseball is a pitching and defense game at the moment and the Gamecocks lost the bulk of a staff that finished 23rd in the country in earned run average (3.02) a year ago.

The good news is that there are a lot of talented arms that come in with the freshman class and some upperclassmen who entered the program with high expectations who haven’t had a great chance to take an impactful role.

There is a good chance that the Gamecocks will have a freshman start on the mound opening weekend and as many as nine first-year players could play a meaningful role on the pitching staff this season. There is a lot of talent among the youngsters but will they grow up quickly enough for South Carolina to win enough games? Can they come through in the pressure of the postseason?

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4. The league is challenging: One of the biggest reasons the Gamecocks have a good shot to make it to the College World Series is also one of the biggest reasons they may miss another trip to Omaha. Playing in the Southeastern Conference exposes the team to great competition for 10 straight weeks of the regular season and has the Gamecocks prepared for everything they could see in the NCAA Tournament.

The problem is that it is difficult to put up a sterling record that will earn a national seed. A top three finish in the SEC likely means a top eight seed in the NCAA Tournament but that goal is hard to achieve. Without home field advantage throughout the postseason, odds decrease of making it to Omaha.

The Gamecocks are fortunate to miss the top two teams from the SEC West off of the schedule this season, which increases the chances of a better conference record. LSU, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and others all have their eyes on a national seed though and it’s going to be a tough road for South Carolina.

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5. Is the lineup good enough?: South Carolina lost its top hitter from a lineup that finished 78th nationally in batting average a year ago. Hitters two through six in batting average return to the lineup this season but is the offense potent enough to earn a trip to the College World Series?

The Gamecocks hit .284 a year ago but return only one .300-plus hitter, junior Joey Pankake, who hit .311 in 2013. A trio of juniors Grayson Greiner, Tanner English and Connor Bright hit over .300 for most of the season but finished off the year below the mark. Sophomore Max Schrock picked up his average considerably during the second half of the season and he should be a .300 hitter this season.

Defensively, the Gamecocks should be better in 2014 than they were a season ago. Will the bats improve enough to be a College World Series team this season?

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6. Finding the belief: One of the traits of the championship teams from 2010 and 2011 and the runners-up in 2012 was the belief that, regardless of the circumstances, they would win. The teams, especially the 2010 squad, always found a way to overcome adversity.

Some of the past teams had an innate ability to stay loose but that particular cast of characters is gone. Gone are the days of Michael Roth running the dugout. Even Patrick Sullivan, a 2013 graduate, is done gone. Will this team have the right personality to excel in tough spots? Overcome adversity?

One big benefit is bringing back student assistant Adrian Morales, who can help the team find its way.

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