COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Wofford baseball team will make its first ever NCAA regional appearance this Friday, June 1 against Columbia regional host South Carolina at 7 p.m. at Sarge Frye Field. The game will pit the top two home run hitting teams in the nation against one another, as Wofford leads the country with 106 and the Gamecocks are second with 104.
Wofford is coming off one of the most impressive tournament runs in Southern Conference history as the Terriers took their first tournament championship in their 10-year SoCon history. The road to Wofford’s first ever SoCon championship began with a 5-3 win over No. 8 seed Furman and continued with a 19-6 upset of No. 1 seed College of Charleston, a 12-5 triumph over No. 5 seed UNC Greensboro and back-to-back wins of 6-2 and 4-2 over No. 7 seed The Citadel. The Terriers received an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals with the tournament victory and earned a No. 4 seed in the Columbia regional.
Wofford pounded 10 home runs over the tournament to overtake South Carolina for the most home runs in the nation. Five of the long balls belonged to first team All-American third baseman Brandon Waring, who was unanimously named the tournament’s most valuable player. Waring batted .560 over the five-game spread with five homers, 16 RBIs, nine runs scored and a .560 on base percentage. The five homers brought Waring’s season total to 27 which ties him with Texas slugger Kyle Russell for the most in the nation. Waring had back-to-back multiple home run games against College of Charleston and UNC Greensboro and tied two school records with five hits and five runs against the Cougars. His final home run of the tournament came in the championship game against The Citadel and gave Wofford a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish. The long ball also gave Waring his conference-record 27th homer of the season.
Second baseman Eric Sturkie was also named to the all-tournament team along with shortstop Michael Gilmartin and pitcher Ben Austin. Sturkie belted two homers in the tournament to knock in seven RBIs and score five times. Gilmartin batted .417 with seven runs scored and picked up the save in the championship game against The Citadel. Austin notched a pair of victories in both of his starts while allowing only three runs over 12 2/3 innings of work.
Senior Austin Redwine also claimed two victories in as many starts, including his 20th career win in the championship game against The Citadel. Redwine gave up only four hits and a run through 6 2/3 innings against The Citadel on only two days rest. Classmate Charles Vartanian recorded a pair of saves in back-to-back games while not allowing a single earned run. The school’s all-time saves leader struck out seven hitters while allowing only five hits and a walk through six complete innings.
Wofford’s defense was superb in the tournament, as the Terriers turned nine double plays and committed only four errors. Right fielder Sterling Dye hosed two runners at the plate and also turned a double play after diving for and catching a line drive in the outfield. Waring made several phenomenal plays at third base and did not commit an error in 17 chances. Senior center fielder Bradford Eaves tracked down every ball hit his way and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while also batting .450 at the plate.
No. 9 South Carolina was knocked out of the Southeastern Conference tournament by Arkansas after the Razorbacks handed the Gamecocks losses of 6-0 and 3-2. The Gamecocks still remain the favorite in the Columbia regional, however, and earned the No. 1 seed and home field advantage.
Third baseman James Darnell leads the South Carolina offense with a .338 batting average and is tied for the team lead with 18 home runs. Darnell has driven in 60 runs this season and crossed the plate 53 times. Second baseman Travis Jones and first baseman Justin Smoak have also belted 18 long balls while the two have combined for 128 RBIs. Designated hitter Phil Disher has also contributed at the plate with 14 home runs, 56 RBIs and .335 batting average.
Gamecock ace Harris Honeycutt will take the mound for South Carolina against Wofford. The right hander boasts a 7-5 record with a 3.78 ERA on the season. He has struck out 97 batters over 83 innings while giving up only 72 hits and 35 earned runs.
Austin will take the mound for Wofford in hopes of earning his 12th victory of the season. With a 4.03 ERA and an 11-5 record, Austin has emerged as the clear cut ace of the Terrier staff after making the switch from the outfield in the preseason. Austin leads the team with 90 strikeouts and is holding opposing batters to a meager .258 batting average.
Following Friday’s game, Wofford will take the field on Saturday, June 2. With a win, the Terriers will face the winner of No. 2 seed North Carolina State and No. 3 seed Charlotte at 7 p.m. With a loss, the Terriers will face the loser at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
There will be no live TV coverage of the Columbia regional, but Terrier fans can follow all the action on ESPN 1400AM with play-by-play and commentary provided by Steve Shutt and Lenny Mathis. Fans can also view live stats by accessing the “LIVE STATS” link on the Wofford baseball homepage.
