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The name of this article was really quite simple to come up with. Honestly, the thoughts and the takes that follow were so much easier. Paul Manieri and the Gamecocks baseball program are off to a rough start this year against ranked opponents. Seriously though, what did we expect with a coaching transition and very little time to supplement a roster. We will discuss some statistics and honestly, I just have one main take that we will sum all this together.
Let us start with some of the positives from Gamecock baseball so far this year. Number one is they have handled inferior opponents just like we should expect. Number two would be that I have liked the approach of the pitching staff when getting batters into zero ball and two strike counts. I have never been a fan of wasting pitches and throwing the ball way outside the zone. I prefer a more aggressive approach which is what the Gamecocks have done for the most part so far this season. With that in mind, we do still need more dominant starting pitching which will hopefully be addressed this coming offseason whether it be portal or high school recruiting.
Baseball – University of South Carolina Athletics
Next, with all of these stats in mind, the Gamecocks have had a few bright spots. Obviously, Ethan Petry is a stud and future MLB player, but other than him, who else could step up and be that elite player? Nathan Hall or Jase Woita? Sure, there are some flashes, but consistency has plagued this Gamecock roster so far this year. Dylan Eskew, a starting pitcher, has had a back issue and missed a start yesterday because he got hit in the head with a home run in the bullpen. If that doesn’t scream bad luck, I’m not quite sure what does. Regardless of what happens with Gamecock baseball this season there is one thing for certain I will not do.
With all of this in mind, here is what I will not do 6 weeks into the regular season. I will not call for a future HOF college baseball coach to be fired. Nor will I say, that I wanted a different head coach even though I initially did. At this point, we are in this boat so just put on your floaties and learn to swim. Buckle up for a long season Gamecock baseball fans because the SEC is as deep as ever, but DO NOT tell me Paul Manieri should be fired already. Paul was clearly not in a situation to succeed this quickly, or else Kingston wouldn’t have been fired in the first place. Let’s get through the season, give Paul some time to recruit and use the portal, and we will see what shakes next year. There is still tons of ball to be played. For more of my thoughts on this feel free to check out and subscribe to my show Southern Fried Sports.
