Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 18 one to 2001. And the roller coaster that is South Carolina sports is fully in motion. I mean, am I right, really?
[00:01:18] I feel like the last two, three, couple of weeks here, right, I've just started off these things with just, oh, the vibes are high. Let's enjoy it, et cetera, et cetera. And, yeah, that's why you do, right? Like, when things seem to be going well, take a moment, look around and enjoy it. Because with sports and whatever else, there's dips, there's highs and lows. There are things like that, but we know it all too well. Being Gamecock fans here, I'm going to get into it as it really was a mixed bag. Let's say it was a mixed bag. This weekend was a mixed bag the last week or so here. But I do hope you all enjoyed your weekend, your long weekend. If some of you all had off on Monday, that's why the schedule is off a little bit today, dropping this episode a little bit longer or later, rather. But with that longer weekend said, hey, let me take some time to see what else happens, really collect my thoughts on the whole weekend and things like that. As you all know, the schedule of these things is first episode of the week recaps the weekend. So, yeah, let's jump right into that here. Starting with Saturday, you had softball, beat UC San Diego 18 to one, and then also beat UC Davis six to four. The softball team, if you couldn't tell from the last couple of episodes, they are off to a fantastic start. We got some serious players that squad. Keep an eye out for Gamecock softball. It's only just the beginning here. Women's tennis, they beat wake Forest four to three. Nice w there. And men's tennis, they beat Arizona State four to two. That's a great win. A nice Saturday from those group there. And then on Sunday, you had the men's tennis team, unfortunately take the loss to Texas for nothing. Horns down. Horns all the way down. I don't care if they find that offensive, because it's sports and welcome to the SEC. So horns down. That's all right, guys. We'll live to play another day here.
[00:03:28] But now let's go ahead and let's rip the Band aid off, shall we? Gonna talk men's basketball here. We're just ripping the Band aid off, starting with it. And then we're gonna get progressively better as the segments go on here. But, yeah, Saturday afternoon, the men were in action back at home against LSU in it really felt like a very important game.
[00:03:53] Everyone was saying you needed to bounce back at home against an LSU team that's bottom half in the SEC.
[00:04:02] And especially after the showing that this team had against Auburn, you felt that it was incredibly important to get back on the right track, get back in the win column and just kind of get back to playing our brand of basketball.
[00:04:19] And somehow, despite what happened the other night in Auburn, this game ended up hurting even more. The guys lose to LSU at home 64 to 63 for the first back to back losses of the season, which that is pretty remarkable that we got this far with that. But nonetheless, the Gamecock saw a 16 point lead erased and foul shots with seconds left in the game ended up being the difference for LSU to win the last second shot from the Gamecocks. Jacoby Wright at the end did not go true and did not win the buzzer beater there. But it really felt know in what has felt like a dream season for South Carolina so far, this last week has really been a bit of a nightmare.
[00:05:12] And yes, I've said it before, and I will say it again, that at the end of the day, what matters for us, what matters for this program, what matters for college basketball is selection Sunday to get to the big dance.
[00:05:27] So the guys have to find a way to end the season well, play well in the SEC tournament and find themselves in the big dance. I'm not saying that I think that's in jeopardy now. That's not what I'm saying. But you don't want to be limping into these things and you don't want to find yourself sliding down these bracketologies and find yourself like a last four in type of deal, right? So got to find a way to get back on track. But I'm concerned. I am.
[00:06:00] This game reminded me a lot of the Ole Miss game a couple weeks ago where South Carolina also blew a large second half lead. And nobody really talks about that game because the Gamecocks ended up on the winning side of it. But now all of a sudden, you're looking at twice in SEC play where you're at home and you let that big lead in the second half go to waste. And that is definitely concerning. And it not only makes me nervous for how the guys will finish this year, but also what that means in those do or die games late in the year and in March.
[00:06:38] So while that is true, the guys are definitely still sitting in a good spot. And bad games and bad weeks happen in basketball and especially in college basketball. Look at UNC, look at know some of these top ranked teams suffering bad losses, especially in conference, right? Teams scout you better. They're more familiar with you guys, the coaching style, all that jazz. It happens.
[00:07:08] This has just been a very uncharacteristic week from this team, which prior to this week had shown so much grit and that ability to bounce back really all year up until this point.
[00:07:24] So the guys get a much needed break from the midweek games as their next matchup is this Saturday at Ole Mitts, which I will preview next episode. So the key for them, in my opinion, is you got to reset this week. You have to persevere and you got to be prepared for having to play in some tough road matchups these last couple of games because they are quickly becoming critical.
[00:07:56] But keeping perspective as it's important to do. The team is still ranked 20th in the latest AP poll. So you drop a little bit, but you're still reminded that we are in the midst of a really good season. It's just time to finish strong, right?
[00:08:15] This team beating Tennessee and Kentucky and rolling earlier in the year and fighting. Those were not flukes, right? Bad weeks happen, but you have to look at it and say, well, why is it that we sort of have had a little bit of trouble putting teams away when we're really up big?
[00:08:38] What can we do a little differently here? So you need to finish strong. You need to reset mentally. It's going to be a tough matchup against Ole Miss. It was at home.
[00:08:48] So all of a sudden you really need to win that game at Ole Miss because you just had back to back losses for the first time all year. My goodness, you can't get to three in a row, you know what I mean? Like, still a good team, still a good season, still very much looking at the tournament.
[00:09:10] But you got to figure out what's going on here. You got to just tweak some things a little bit. Lamont has talked about trying to reach your ceiling sort of later in the year, so that way you can try and really hit your stride as you get into postseason play. But these last two games have been far from that. So it happens. Let's flush it, let's move on. Let's persevere and onward there.
[00:09:34] But then sticking with the hardwood here and looking at women's basketball, the ladies were in action Sunday afternoon against Georgia and they got the win 70 to 56. Now, things here did not come initially easy in this one as the women were actually down at the half and it's kind of funny, this has been a trend with this team this year, that they do start slow, whether it be that first quarter or even that first half. But normally those middle quarters are where they can turn it on. And that is exactly what happened here as the Gamecocks dominated the third quarter and did not look back. I've been saying it, but this team is like Novocaine. Just give it time. It always works. But with that win, that marks the 43rd straight regular season win, which is now the new record. And that belongs to the Gamecocks and most notably, Don Staley. It is just a truly remarkable feat. SEC record there. What Don Staley has done and the coach that she is and the culture that she has instilled at USC is, bar none, just the best. Right? It's just first class. And it really goes to show the staying power of her style, her ability to recruit and the people she has in that program. Because you've had some turnover, right? Like, there are these anchor players, like Camilla Cardozo. Like, you're seeing these players, but there's different role players around them. And there's new waves of young talent. And now being able to utilize the transfer portal, like Tahina Pao Pow. Bringing in this new group and a team that many people. Again, I've said it before, say it again. Like thought would be good, but maybe not undefeated this late in the year. Good, right? So it just is a testament to her. So just hats off to Don Staley. She is incredible. Really, really is a blessing to have her at USC. And the sky is the limit for this team. I mean, it really is some player highlights from this game. You had Camilla Cardozo, 16 points, 16 rebounds. That's right. Chloe Kitts, twelve points, seven rebounds, and then Tahina pow pow. Brought up 15 points as well. Up next for the Gamecocks Thursday night at home, the women will take on Alabama. The Tide are 27 overall, seven and five in conference. My crow to the game here is limit. Sarah Ashley Barker. It is a strength of our South Carolina team to be able to take out a team's star guard defensively, and she is leading the tide in points and field goal percentage. So don't let her beat us. And we should go very, very far in this one. But again, hats off to Don. Hats off to this team. Hats off to any of the players at USC basketball who contributed to this streak. It is just a remarkable, remarkable achievement. And let's keep it going. What we at 43? Let's go 45, 50. Let's make it happen. Captain all day. Huge. It's very, very exciting here.
[00:13:01] But then, not to be outdone, it was a huge weekend in Columbia, as it was opening weekend for the baseball team and y'all, the yard, damn it. Butchered the delivery. Let's try it again. The yardcocks are officially back. There we go. It's the first series for me. Know? First series for me. I haven't said yardcocks in a minute there, so we're good, and we're back. There was a lot of energy around the fan base this weekend, and you could tell it even just watching it on tv. Founders park had the juice going. Even wasn't even the best weather in Columbia this weekend, but it was a good time. And spoiler alert, the Gamecock swept their opening series against Miami, Ohio. And it felt really as if each game, the guys got more comfortable and the rust was coming off little by little, maybe shaking off some of those nerves as well, especially in the last game, which I will get to in a second here. But starting off with the first game here, the Gamecocks won five to one. Eli Jones got the start and the win. After giving up a run in the first inning, he really settled down and was attacking the zone and went six strong innings. I liked what I saw out of him, especially dealing with that challenge early in the game. I look for Jones to be a big piece in this rotation for sure. And then after, know we saw a few guys out of the bullpen. Copper saw his first collegiate action, know he was quite shaky, but he'll be okay, right? Comes in the game, know far from out of reach. It was five to one. He comes in, got some guys on base. Chris Veech came in to relieve him in a big jam and got out of it unscathed. He is going to be huge for this team, Chris Veach. And I like the fact that Mark Kingston is not afraid to put him in different spots, right. I think he came in, it was the 7th inning, and you had multiple guys on base. For Miami. It's the first game of the year. You need your guy that you trust. This is not the time to sort of screw around. Veech comes in, gets out of the jam. It's okay. He didn't finish the game, right. He came in in the big spot when you needed him. And then Garrett Ganey closed the game out. And he is a madman, like on the bump, he was just screaming and yelling, like, give me the ball. He was pumped up, and I already love this guy. If he brings that energy to every time he's on the field. He is quickly going to become a fan favorite. Now. Offensively, the guys answered from going a rundown early by rattling off five runs of their own in the second. Moose looked great, but really after that second there were no more runs scored. Guys were getting on base, getting walks, base hits, things like that, but it just seemed like maybe it was a little bit of rust getting those runners home and getting those hits with runners in scoring position. So that should hopefully get better as the year progresses. Some player highlights from this game Dylan Brewer went one for three with a ribby, Talmudge, Lee Croix one for four with one RBI and Cole Messina one for two with two walks. Game two, the Gamecocks got the win eleven to four, and funny enough, the guys came back and won from behind again after going down one nothing this time in the second inning. Dylan Escue got the win going five innings with six K's. It was a huge second inning and fifth inning for Carolina with the Gamecocks scoring four and five runs collectively. This was really the welcome back party for Ethan Petrie as he launched two home runs in this one. He had the makeup for not hitting one in the first game I guess right? But he is back looking great. Player highlights here. Blake Jackson two for four with three RBI, Ethan Petri two for four with two RBI and then Tyler Casey two for four with one RBI. Which brings us to game three where the Gamecocks completed the sweep and recorded a no hitter. That is right, a no no for the Gamecocks as they went on to win 14 nothing. But that is correct. They no hit Miami with five pitchers to record the 8th no hitter in school history. Just awesome. Just a fantastic, fantastic moment and team effort there. Roman Kimball got the start first time he has pitched in quite some time, but he looked good. Went for just two innings but recorded five strikeouts. And then you had Ty good, Tyler Pitzer, Parker Merlot and Tyler Dean all chipping in to complete the no no and just a very, very cool moment in this young season. I spoke about the depth of our bullpen before this series started and here you have it on display. But a huge congrats to the team and especially these pitchers as that is something that they can hang their hats on forever. Just a fantastic moment for the team offensively. This got started the right way with the guy scoring seven runs in the first inning. Multiple runs walked in, but it was Dylan Brewer with the two run single. And then in the fourth inning the Gamecock scored five runs with Cassis bringing home two with a double. Player highlights. You had Cole Messina one for three with three RBI, Dylan Brewer two for two with two RBI, and then Gavin Cassis two for three, excuse me, with two RBI. So, I mean, yeah, all in all, just a great opening weekend for South Carolina. There certainly will be some bumps along the way, especially with some of these new faces, freshmen, transfers, et cetera. But again, each game this weekend especially, they looked better and better. So hopefully that is a trend that continues. And it's just great to start the season that way. Sweeping. I mean, winning a series, sweeping it like that's how to do it. Especially opening day. You looked around college baseball, there were some upsets that happened, and it's a long season. Losses, of course, happen in baseball, but you want to start off on the right foot. And that is exactly what Mark Kingston and company did here. Up next for the Gamecocks is a midweek game Tuesday afternoon at home against Winthrop. I believe it's 04:00 p.m. For first pitch midweek games, especially early for this team, will be critical to take advantage of, and it will be interesting as to who we see start some of these games. But it feels great to have Gamecock baseball back in our lives. But with that y'all that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter or X is Cox Gamecocks? Instagram is just the name of the show, Cox talking Gamecocks. And please like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'all. Go Cox.
