The Gamecocks travel to Georgia this weekend for the last road trip of the regular season.
Should we worry about Georgia? Worry isn’t quite the right word, but they are capable of putting a damper on a great season. They are 12-12 in conference, just like last weekend’s opponent Arkansas. They have just swept Auburn and are a dangerous team. They don’t have that many amazing players, but they can beat South Carolina especially in Athens.
When Georgia is batting, pay attention to these guys. First is senior centerfielder Peter Verdin. He is good defensively and is batting .299 with a team leading 12 stolen bases. Junior third baseman Curt Powell is leading the team in average by a long shot at .347. Brett DeLoach, a catcher, is tied with Kyle Farmer the shortstop at .310. Farmer leads the team in RBI at 33. Hunter Cole, a freshman from Moore, SC, leads the team in home runs with 7.
There are four pitchers you should know about. Friday night’s starter will be sophomore Alex Wood. Wood is 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA. Saturday’s starter will be Michael Palazzone. He is 2-5 with a 5.45 ERA. Both Wood and Palazzone have good strike out to walk ratios, perhaps too good. They walk so few people they are often hit hard. Wood beat South Carolina in Columbia last year. Palazzone has played the Gamecocks twice and gotten no decisions each time.
Sunday’s starter will be a freshman: Luke Crumley. He is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.02. He walks about as many as he strikes out so watch for control issues with him. The closer is Blake Dieterich. He doesn’t have amazing numbers, but he does have 7 saves in 9 chances.
What are we looking to get out of this weekend? A series win. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that a sweep could occur, but that is too lofty a goal to worry about until Sunday, if at all. Georgia is a middle of the road SEC team, and winning a road series will help solidify a national seed.
