Florida Gators vs South Carolina Gamecocks preview

The No. 2 Florida Gators hit the road this weekend to kick off conference play against South Carolina at Fouders Park in Columbia.

Who: No. 2 Florida (16-3) vs. South Carolina (12-5)
Where: Founders Park, Columbia, South Carolina
Watch:
Friday 7 pm – SEC Network + (Watch ESPN)
Saturday – 4 pm SEC Network + (Watch ESPN)
Sunday – 1 pm – ESPNU

Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Jr. RHP Brady Singer (4-0, 2.08 ERA) vs. Jr. RHP Adam Hill (2-1, 3.91 ERA)
Game 2: Jr. RHP Jackson Kowar, Jr. (3-0, 2.05 ERA) vs. So. RHP Cody Morris (3-1, 4.05 ERA)
Game 3: So. RHP Tyler Dyson, So. (3-1, 1.07 ERA) vs. TBD

Notable Matchup: Brady Singer vs. Adam Hill

The two will battle on Friday night in a matchup of two of the best arms in the SEC. Hill comes into the contest sporting a SEC-best 16.83 strikeouts per 9 and is tied for second among starters allowing just 3.52 hits per nine.

Singer is seventh in the SEC with 26 innings pitched and fourth in the conference with a 1.04 walks per nine ratio.

South Carolina batters to watch:
LT Tolbert – .391, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, .641 slg
TJ Hopkins – .328, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI
Madison Stokes – .475, 4 2B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, .875 slg

Streaking:

After a 7-5 start to the season the Gamecocks have won five games in a row. The Gators rebounded an 0-2 midweek with a 3-0 weekend sweep over Rhode Island.

For the Gators
Jonathan India is on a tear. Over the team’s last 10 games, India has a team-best slash of .500 / 1.125 / .594 with three 2B, four HR and seven RBI.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC