Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, the baseball team has its new coach, trivia returns, and the football schedule has its game times announced. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:54] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode three, 392 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. Hope y' all are doing great out there. Gamecocks appreciate the flexibility. I know there was no show last week. I was doing some traveling and things like that. Wasn't able to make it happen. So here we are again. Been a little bit missed, y'. All. Hope y' all missed me. Probably not, but hey, that's okay. And it worked out because last week was kind of quiet. And this week we have some big time news to go over. Talking about the baseball team, talking about the football schedule. Going to go over it all in just a few seconds here. And I'm just excited to be back. And yeah, like, so what, the World cup is on. So what? The Stanley cup is going on. So what? You have a thrilling NBA Finals. We're here to talk Gamecocks. Absolutely here. But before I jump into things, here it is the return of Gamecock facts and trivia. If anyone has been listening to me for quite some time now, you know that during the summer, for additional content on the pod, I have a handy dandy Gamecock calendar that every day has facts or trivia. And going to do those before every episode now until football season. Shout out to my mom for always supplying this year in and year out. Just makes for a good Christmas gift. Little stocking stuffer, but here we go. It is a fact. Today, on this day in 2024, South Carolina women's hoops product Asia Wilson broke the WNBA record for consecutive games with 20 points. It was her first 14th straight game scoring 20, topping the previous mark of 13 set by WNBA legend Diana Tarazzi. I actually remember this. Shout out Asia Wilson. Honestly, face of the wnba, just continuing to level up, continuing to break records and just do things that no WNBA player had done before her. A lot of people paved the way for her and she is paving the way for others after her. Columbia legend, Gamecock legend. Shout out Asia Wilson. Shout out the women's basketball team. Shout out Don Staley.
[00:03:20] But all right, talked about football a second ago here and that's what we are going to touch on. I talked about how we had the first three game times announced and that we would be waiting on the windows for the rest of the season. Those windows were announced. So just Going to go game by game here and just give my thoughts and just what we know right now. There's still a lot of vagueness in here, so it's like they're really just teasing us with this. But Here we go. First game, Kent State, 12:45pm Second game, Towson, 7pm Game three, Mississippi State at 415. We knew those going into it already. So now game four on the road at Alabama. That is going to be a night game.
[00:04:12] Tough. That is a tough first road trip against a team that you've had on the ropes twice now.
[00:04:21] Going to be interesting to see what their team looks like they're reloading with. You know, we're going to have to reload with some talent, but that's a tall task no matter where you're going in the sec.
[00:04:30] Bryant Denny, it's funny, Bryant Denny gets regarded as a really tough place to play, but that's really because they just kicked people's asses for the last however many years with Saban. So not to say it's, you know, impossible, but it's a road game at night in the sec.
[00:04:46] Then you come back home. Game five against Kentucky. This is a flex.
[00:04:52] I replied to Steve Fink on Twitter and he actually got back to me and explained that flex.
[00:04:59] It pretty much means anytime in the afternoon or evening. Like it's going to be either 3:30 to 4:15 or 6 to 8pm so we'll figure out what that looks like then. Then you are going to the Swamp Game 6 at Florida. That is slated as early. So that's probably this 12 to 1 o' clock deal because you can have some like 12:30, 12:45 with the SEC network.
[00:05:25] Then you are on a bye week and you come back home. Game seven, Tennessee hosting them. That is an afternoon kickoff. Love that late October four o' clock kick against Kentucky. Ooh, excuse me, Tennessee.
[00:05:42] Maybe it's a 4:00 clock game against Kentucky.
[00:05:45] Then you're on the road against Oklahoma. That's another flex. So either the afternoon or the evening.
[00:05:51] Then you have come back home against A&M November 7th. That is an afternoon kick, so that's kind of pleasant as well. Then on the road at Arkansas. That is a flex. Nice to see Arkansas back on the schedule. Then Georgia. That is a flex game. Last home game of the year.
[00:06:09] I mean, you gotta be praying for a night game in that one. And then last game of the year at Clemson, still tbd. So yeah, I mean, there's not anything that really screams out to me as negative I think a lot of folks were assuming we would be involved in a lot of these early kicks because the team was just not good last year. But when you look at this, you only got one early slate here. I mean, you have the 1245, then you're an early at the Swamp, the Rex afternoon or flex. So that works out. And you know what, If South Carolina is involved in a lot of 3:30 kicks or 4:00 clock kicks, like, that's fine by me. Especially on the road.
[00:06:54] Really, Y' all all told, I'm looking at here, like live with y'. All. This really isn't all that bad.
[00:07:00] Oklahoma flex on the road, flex at Arkansas. So you're only guaranteed right now one road night game.
[00:07:09] That's pretty nice.
[00:07:10] Clemson game. You know, still tbd. That could. Could end up being at night.
[00:07:14] But yeah, nonetheless, that is your game window. Start. Start planning your trips. I know I am using this to dictate what games I'm going to make my way down to try and organize. Big friend trip. Yeah, absolutely. That's a lot of fun, but. All right, let's talk about the news that has captured Gamecock Nation that broke earlier this week. Our long and not so long wait is over, and South Carolina has a new baseball coach. The suspected top candidate, the fan favorite, Kevin Schnall from Coastal Carolina was hired. And I know I played a little bit of Devil's advocate previously on this show, but the reality of this is that this is a smart hire. This is a good hire. This is sensible and pun intended. I think Donati hit a home run with this one.
[00:08:06] That's a baseball pun for you. For some quick background here, Schnall was the associate head coach at Coastal for eight years, and then two years he was the head coach these past two seasons. Had a winning percentage of 72%, including a college World Series runner up in his first season as the head coach. So he has a lot of experience. Right. You know, you're effectively the bench coach. And then you moved up, you got the head job, and now the stars align for you to go to usc. And I'm going to touch on this in a little bit here, but this is a big deal for him to come to South Carolina. Like, he is a Coastal guy. That was home for him. Right? That's the job he wanted. But you build relationships in the state. You're involved in college baseball.
[00:08:55] You know what South Carolina means to college baseball and to the state. And when you have the opportunity, when the iron is hot, you got to strike everything Aligned. You had Donati involved in this, obviously, you had the president of the university involved in this. You had Coach Beamer involved in this. It was full court press to get Chanel to Colombia. And I think he felt the love and I think that's going to pay dividends with him coming to Columbia. Similarly, you know, he has been involved in college baseball in this region and in South Carolina for years, and I think that's going to pay dividends. When we talk about recruiting, you're talking about a guy here in Schnall who has fully embraced advanced analytics, which is just so great to say. It's music to my ears, especially when we talk about the resistance to some of that that we had the past regime here. And he has his own system of ev evaluating players, what they look for in recruits and in the portal and what they want to do during the games. So no doubt that that system and philosophy is going to come with him to Columbia. I would suspect you're going to have an assistant or two who are in charge of these analytics and whatnot are going to come to Columbia as well. But just at the surface, like, he's going to be bringing a passion and energy that the dugout hasn't had in years. Right. Like, I don't even want to bring up the past coach's name, not the interim coach, not Monty Lee, who actually is going to College of Charleston to be associate head coach with Holbrook. Kind of a full circle moment, but nonetheless, like there just wasn't any juice and life and passion in in the Dugout. Right. Like, you know, maybe there's like flare ups and things like that, but you know what I'm talking about, like the cult just was not there these past two seasons. And I would argue that the culture was really iffy under Kingston as well. Like, I think he was putting together teams and if it clicked, then that team had a good culture, but it was not. This is the way we as Gamecocks do this. Like, doesn't matter what year it is. Schnall is going to bring that and he's going to push his players to get developed and to bring out the best in them for the university.
[00:11:25] And it's just so exciting. You know, I think this hire is also going to re engage and re energize the fan base. And I mean, reading his statement on social media did that, you know, and he alluded to, and he said as much, like what I just said that it was going to take a lot for him to leave Coastal, but he understands that the fan base and the passion behind this historic program, this championship winning program is what made him want to do that and to take this leap, he's betting on himself. Like, make no mistake about this, this is an exciting hire. This is a great hire. Sensible, smart, correct.
[00:12:06] This is still a jump in big time competition that he's used to. He has been used to coastal, their conference, their level of competition. And yes, he's had success in the postseason, right where you're going against some of the power schools. But an SEC schedule is different. And I fully expect him to bring in some coaches who have experience in the SEC as well. But it's also just so cool to see that the university is also fully embracing this change and this era. There's the whole welcome party going on Friday night at Founders Park. Like we're having a welcome party for the baseball coach. Like, that is something that we hadn't seen ever, right? I mean, that that's something new and exciting that Donati and his team are putting out together.
[00:12:59] And it's just signaling that, hey, this is a new era with the. With the sole focus is the future of this program. I talked about it before, but it felt like Ray Tanner was chasing ghosts of the past. Like, almost like chasing himself in a way that, like, we have to get that, you know, late aughts, you know, early 2010, 2011, like, we got to get that feel back, right? Like, Schnall is bringing his own brand, he's bringing his own energy. It's a new chapter, new era, new leadership at the university.
[00:13:35] And I think all of this is signaling that, right? So when we talk about Kevin Schnall and we talk about Schnall ball, like, what should we expect? So I'm not going to sit here and say I watched a ton of Coastal Carolina baseball, right? I knew that they are winning at a good clip. You know, they've had a formidable baseball program for a while.
[00:13:55] It was neat to see them make that run to the College World Series. But everything that I've read and caught up on is Schnall is all about, like, putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the defense. I think these past two seasons, you saw a lot of just grasping at straws for players that had power or that, you know, had flashed it at their previous stops. Schnall wants to get guys on base. He wants to try and push the envelope with base running and stealing bases. He wants to put the bat on the ball. He's not afraid to call bunts, and he ultimately Wants to put the player pressure on the defense and make them think, which is a fantastic brand about baseball. Almost said basketball. Probably talking about higher this time next year, but nonetheless, like, there's, of course, different philosophies.
[00:14:43] You know, you want the bloop in the blast. You know, you play for the contact.
[00:14:49] The point is, Schnall has an identity, he has a philosophy, and he recruits players to that philosophy, and he's going to find guys that fit that he wants to play good defense and put the ball in play.
[00:15:04] And you know what? That works for me. I think if nothing else, it's going to make for a. For. It's going to make us a strong opponent because we're going to be putting that pressure on you. I think Kentucky has played like this a lot and they're a tricky bunch to play.
[00:15:23] So, yeah, if you can picture, all right, we're going to get guys on base, we're going to try to knock them over, we're going to steal and we're going to try to force errors like, yeah, hell yeah, sign me up. And then, yeah, you hit some home runs along the way. You hit your doubles and your triples, sure.
[00:15:37] But let's put that pressure on opposing, opposing teams and let them make the mistakes instead of us, which is what we've been used to these last couple seasons.
[00:15:46] Also coming to Columbia is pitching coach Matt Williams. Welcome back home, Matt Williams, as he is making a return to Columbia. I liked this. I was a of his when he was with the program. He's been with Schnall and they have a great rapport. So he's coming back. Absolutely love to see it.
[00:16:02] And then along with coach Williams, we already have portal additions. I think that's the first thing you think of nowadays when you hire a coach is are you going to bring some players over? And the answer is yes. And this is crucial because plenty of guys from this year's roster have hit the Portal.
[00:16:21] We'll see if some will be welcomed back.
[00:16:24] I think you'll see a good bit of them be welcomed back. I mean, I. Again, Schnall has his system. He's gonna want to have guys who can fit that. And some guys have already committed elsewhere, but I think you had players entering the Portal in the midst of a coaching change to keep their options open.
[00:16:43] And so I'm sure they'll have, you know, interviews and things like that. But nonetheless, let's see who is coming from Coastal Carolina to Columbia. I'm calling them the Coastal Cox here.
[00:16:55] Right now, we have Pitcher Hayden Johnson. He was sidelined for a little bit this year with an injury, but he has strong stuff. He was set to be a weekend starter for the Chance.
[00:17:06] Pitcher Daniel Parker. He's a good young pitcher who throws hard. Pitcher Colby Richardson. More of a bullpen guy, but nonetheless, we'll take you.
[00:17:14] Catcher Bryce Estep.
[00:17:17] Sorry, I'll get it right eventually. Will be a big player for Carolina. He's a veteran player. One season left.
[00:17:26] Always happy to have a veteran catcher. Infielder Walker Mitchell. This was a fantastic pickup here. He had a.900 OPS this past season. He's a guy that has been with Schnall. He's been a coast for a while. He's a veteran player, knows what he wants on and off the field. I expect him to be a leader in the clubhouse for Carolina. Kind of set the tone type guy. Also plays very strong defense. I've seen him high on some draft boards as well. First baseman Jackson Weiner, big power hitter. Young player, can also pitch too. And then pitcher Luke Jones. He went 8 and 4 with 25 starts in two years. So to put a bow on this all, I'm very excited.
[00:18:08] It's a good hire. You went out and got your guy and now you can let the rest fall into place. Let the dust settle, let him go to work.
[00:18:17] I think year one expectations have to be tempered a little bit. I certainly would think we're going to be more competitive than we have been the last two years, but you got to rebuild this thing. I've talked about that at length. You know, he inherited a really good program at Coastal Elevated it, sure, but he inherited a good program.
[00:18:39] Now we have to see if he can build one up and that can take time. Right. So maybe temper some of the expectations right out of the gate. But I do think he is the caliber of coach who can certainly bring this team back to super regionals and beyond once he gets things in place. So welcome home, Coach Nall. Very excited to have you. And I just want to have a quick shout out to Jeremiah Donati, new ad. I think our entire fan base was dealing with the scars of botched and bungled hiring cycles that Ray Tanner had over the years. And we were just assuming that was going to happen this year. That didn't happen. This was the first big time hire that Donati had to make and he nailed it.
[00:19:23] I don't care if you had two or three top guys, Schnall was easily included in that. It really seemed like it was. It was Schnall. Maybe you kicked the tires on Forbes at unc, but that was gonna. That's a long shot, right? So you did your due diligence, you made one or two other calls, you worked it out with Schnall, you got it done in a timely fashion, and you bring him home like, well done, Jeremiah Donati. He also had his fingerprints all over the Kendall Briles offensive coordinator hire.
[00:19:54] Jury's out on that, right? We haven't played a game yet, but that's a good, smart, sensible hire. A guy with a track record and he's done a fantastic job raising funds for the stadium renovations and things like that. So very early into his Gamecock tenure, Donati seems to be doing a pretty good job. So shout out to him really quick, but all right, 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.
