Your guide to the NCAA baseball Columbia regional – The State
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Game 1: No. 2 UNCW vs. No. 3 Duke, 1 p.m.
Probable pitchers: UNCW- Ryan Foster (12-1, 2.41 ERA); Duke- Brian McAfee (7-4, 3.40 ERA)
Game 2: No. 1 USC vs. No. 4 Rhode Island, 7 p.m.
Probable pitchers: USC-Clarke Schmidt (9-3, 2.96 ERA); RI-Tyler Wilson (12-1, 2.08 ERA)
SATURDAY
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, Noon
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
SUNDAY
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, Noon
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m.
MONDAY
Game 7: If necessary, 6 p.m.
TICKETS
NCAA booklets costs $70 and include tickets for all games in the regional. Single game tickets are $15 each. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by calling the Gamecock ticket office at 1-800-4SCFANS, and by visiting the Colonial Life Arena box office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Tickets will also be available at the Founders Park box office on the day of the game.
WATCH AND LISTEN
The games will be streamed on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com or WatchESPN app), with USC games broadcast on 107.5 FM.
WEATHER
Warm and potentially unsettled. Friday and Saturday highs will be near 95. Chance of storms goes from 30 percent the first two days to 60 percent Sunday. If there is a Monday game, the forecast is for partly sunny conditions, with a high near 86.
ATMOSPHERE
Because it’s an NCAA game, there will be no walk-up songs and no “2001” or USC hype videos.
NAME THAT SCHOOL
It’s UNCW, not UNC Wilmington or UNC-W.
Pictured: Rhode Island’s Friday night starter Tyler Wilson.
STORYLINES
1. Lineup changes
Don’t be surprised if TJ Hopkins replaces John Jones in USC’s lineup. The Gamecocks are better defensively with Hopkins in the outfield as opposed to Alex Destino, and Jones has struggled at the plate lately.
2. Ace dealing Ks
Rhode Island ace Tyler Wilson (12-1) will start Friday vs. USC. He struggled in early season games at FSU and Winthrop but has been stellar since. He has a 2.08 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings.
3. Blue Devils are back
After a drought of 55 years, Duke is in the tournament for first time since 1961, when John F. Kennedy was president.
4. Power display
UNCW’s offense is averaging nearly 9 runs per game, and sophomore catcher Nick Feight’s 21 home runs, 90 RBIs and 171 total bases are the most in this year’s tournament.
5. Lefty vs. lefties
USC’s top three hitters, Gene Cone, Dom Thompson-Williams and Alex Destino, are lefties. Opponents are hitting .141 against Wilson, who is especially good vs. left-handed hitters.
Pictured: UNCW catcher Nick Feight, whose 90 RBIs are the most in the country.
NUMBERS
1: The number of runs allowed by Rhode Island ace Tyler Wilson since April 15. He is 6-0 with a 0.17 ERA in his last six starts.
8, 26, 33, 113: Official NCAA RPI for South Carolina, Duke, UNCW and Rhode Island, respectively.
16: Number of trips USC had made to the NCAA Tournament in the last 17 years.
23-9: Duke’s record since losing six straight games in late March. The Blue Devils have won nine of their last 11.
25: Seasons as head coach of UNCW for Mark Scalf.
117, 115: Strikeout totals in 2016 for USC’s Braden Webb and Clarke Schmidt, respectively, first and second in the SEC.
.333: Team batting average for UNCW, which is eighth-best in the nation.
Pictured: Duke pitchers practice a fielding drill at Founders Park.
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