The South Carolna Gamecocks baseball team enter today’s series finale with the Arkansas Razorbacks not only looking for the “rubber match” win but stop for a moment on their way to repeating as national champions to honor the senior class.
Due to the rain this past Saturday, Senior Day was pushed back to today and fans are encouraged to arrive by 1:10 p.m. for the ceremony this year’s class: Robert Beary, Jose Mata, Adrian Morales, John Taylor, Brady Thomas and Scott Wingo.
There is so much you could say about this class from being part of keeping the “40 win” streak alive. Yesterdays win against the ‘Hogs gave South Carolina its’ 12th consecutive season with 40 or more wins; the Gamecocks are the only team in the Southeastern Conference to win 40 or more games in each of the last 12 seasons. That alone is something to brag about but what this class helped to do in winning the 2010 National Championship is something to be most proud about. This class continued the excellence under Coach Tanner and kept the winning traditions alive.
Each of the players are special are represent the puzzle pieces of what makes South Carolina baseball what it is. Here are some of our thoughts on each of the players:
Robert Beary – will be most remembered for scoring the tying run in South Carolina’s 2-1 win over UCLA to clinch national championship at the College World Series.
Jose Mata – in our mind he will be remembered for the solid pitching in relief against the VT Hokies and the UCLA Bruins. Those solid innings helped USC on its’ way to winning the CWS crown.
Andrian Morales – Mr. Homerun in the Regionals last year. He provided the bat that helped USC on its’ way in 2010. He also was a solid defense guy in his career at USC. He tied the USC record for doubles in a game this year vs. UK.
John Taylor – seemed to always be there when USC needed him the most – good for spot pitching.The senior right-handed reliever John Taylor leads the SEC with a 0.94 ERA and 32 appearances. (Now his ERA is at 1.08)
Brady Thomas – continued the tradition of a solid catcher at USC. Not always stellar but always dependable. He will be missed. Entering today, he is hitting .345 with 4 HRs and 36 RBIs.
Scott Wingo – Mr. Clutch and Mr. Defense. If you are a SC fan, you know what we are talking about so we will leave it at that. He will be greatly missed next season with his “no fear” hitting and gold glove. He ranks 4th in games played as a Gamecock.
These men will all be missed and hopefully the legacy of winning will continue. This Gamecocks Blog wishes them success in the next chapter of life and hopefully before they can help carry USC back to the CWS before they turn the page.
Here a nice video to sum up what this class helped to do –
