Baseball Heads to Columbia for Three-Game Series with South Carolina

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball travels to Columbia to square off with South Carolina for a cross-divisional series at Founders Park. The Thursday-Saturday set begins with a pair of 6 p.m. CT starts in games one and two with the finale slated for an 11 a.m. first pitch. The Crimson Tide and Gamecocks will play on the national stage for games one and three on SEC Network with the middle contest airing on SEC Network+.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow the series via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network (Thursday/Saturday) | SEC Network+ (Friday)
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

THURSDAY: UA – Garrett McMillan (Jr., RHP) vs. SC – Brett Thomas (Jr., RHP)
FRIDAY: UA – Jacob McNairy (Sr., RHP) vs. SC – Noah Hall (Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Grayson Hitt (So., LHP) vs. SC – Will Sanders (So., RHP)

Leading Off

Alabama and South Carolina will meet for the 68th time in series history when the two teams open the series on Thursday evening at Founders Park. The Gamecocks hold the all-time advantage in the series, 37-30, including a 21-9 mark in Columbia.
The two teams last met in the opening round of the 2021 SEC Tournament in Hoover on May 25. Alabama came away with a 9-3 win to advance to the double-elimination portion of the Tournament.
Alabama will look to right-hander Garrett McMillan for the start on Thursday. Senior righty Jacob McNairy takes the hill on Friday followed by sophomore southpaw Grayson Hitt in the series finale on Saturday.
South Carolina will use a trio of right-handers in the three-game series. Junior Brett Thomas gets the nod in Thursday's opener followed by Noah Hill on Friday evening. The Gamecocks will wrap up the series with sophomore Will Sanders on the hill.

About Alabama

Alabama heads to Columbia having gone 2-2 over the last four matchups. The Crimson Tide fell, 1-2, in a three-game series with then-No. 10 Georgia last weekend before taking down Samford in Birmingham on Tuesday evening.
The Crimson Tide scored in five of the nine innings on the way to a 9-3 win over Samford in the midweek.
Alabama jumped out front early, plating two runs apiece in the second and third to gain a 4-0 advantage after three full. Samford got on the board with one in the fourth, but the Tide answered with a run of their own in the sixth followed by a three-run seventh. UA added one in the eighth with the Bulldogs plating a single tally in the eighth and ninth.
Eight of the nine starters on offense recorded at least one hit in Homewood, highlighted by a 3-for-3 effort from Owen Diodati. The junior walked while adding a team-high tying two runs scored. Caden Rose also finished perfect at 2-for-2 with an RBI, one run and a team-high three walks.
Ben Hess picked up the win on Tuesday. The freshman tossed a career-high 6.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
The Tide chipped away at an early four-run deficit but was unable to complete the comeback last Friday, falling 4-2 to 10th-ranked Georgia.
UGA put up a four-spot in the first, highlighted by a three-run home run. The two teams then went scoreless until the seventh when Dominic Tamez led off the inning with a solo home run. William Hamiter followed suit in the next inning, starting the eighth with a solo homer of his own to make it a two-run ballgame.
After Hamiter's homer, the Tide was able to reach a pair with two down before a flyout to deep center ended the rally. The ninth saw UA bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but a 3-6 double play ended things in Georgia's favor, 4-2.
Garrett McMillan was charged with the loss last Friday, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Following a four-run first, McMillan settled in to allow just two hits over the next 5.0 innings and retired the final eight batters he faced.
The Crimson Tide suffered a 3-0 loss to UGA last Saturday.
Both offenses were held at bay for a majority of the afternoon with Georgia plating three in the third for the game's only runs. Alabama had the bases loaded with two down in the seventh but a flyout to the warning track in right ended the rally and kept the Tide off the board.
Jacob McNairy suffered the loss despite a quality start for the Crimson Tide. The senior allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 6.0 innings of work. He gave up three hits and issued one walk leading to three runs in the third, but limited UGA to four hits and no runs the rest of his time on the mound.
Alabama blanked Georgia last Sunday for the 3-0 shutout win.
Sunday's matchup was yet another pitcher's duel, this time favoring the Crimson Tide. Alabama's pitching staff allowed a season-low tying three hits on the way to the shutout victory.
The Tide offense was able to do enough, plating one in the fourth on a solo homer from Drew Williamson. Andrew Pinckney followed with a two-run shot in the fifth to add to the Tide advantage on the way to the 3-0 win.
Grayson Hitt delivered when the Tide needed it, picking up the win on Sunday. The sophomore recorded 6.0 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just three hits and two walks to go with seven strikeouts.
Brock Guffey and Dylan Ray followed for a combined 3.0 frames, with Ray collecting his fifth save of the season thanks to 2.0 scoreless, hitless innings with two strikeouts.

About South Carolina

Mark Kingston is in his fifth season with the Gamecocks and entered the 2022 campaign with a 111-81 mark in Columbia. Now in his 13th season as a collegiate head coach, he held a 384-261-1 record across his previous 12 years. A 1995 graduate of North Carolina, Kingston is assisted by Chad Caillet, Justin Parker and Scott Wingo.
South Carolina finished the 2021 season at 34-23 overall, including a 16-14 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Gamecocks season came to an end in the NCAA Columbia Regional where SC won their opening game before falling back-to-back contests to end their season.
The Gamecocks were selected to finish fifth in the Eastern Division and ninth overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck

Alabama will take an extended break for exams before returning to the diamond next weekend when the Tide hosts the LSU Tigers from May 6-8 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The series opener on Friday is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch followed by a 7:30 p.m. start on Saturday. Things wrap up at 1 p.m. for Sunday's series finale. Game two will air nationally on SEC Network with the bookend matchups being broadcast on SEC Network+.

University of Alabama Athletics