Game Preview: Presbyterian at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Interstat) — The South Carolina Gamecocks look to build momentum from a tight series against a ranked opponent when they host the struggling Presbyterian Blue Hose in nonconference baseball action Tuesday night at Carolina Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 74 degrees.

South Carolina (19-22) enters after a taxing weekend series against Mississippi State, which culminated in an 11-inning, 4-3 loss on Sunday. The Gamecocks showed resilience in the defeat, with reliever Alex Philpott delivering four shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Philpott, a key player to watch, has been effective in recent outings, including three scoreless appearances against Missouri and Texas.

Presbyterian (9-31) seeks to snap a five-game skid, having dropped the final two games of its series at Longwood over the weekend. The Blue Hose fell 6-5 on Sunday despite a strong start from Tristan McGregor, who pitched five no-hit innings but was charged with three earned runs. McGregor, another player to watch, has shown flashes of dominance mixed with inconsistency this season. In his last six appearances, he has three outings allowing zero hits but also several plagued by high earned run totals.

Offensively, Presbyterian’s Amari Dewberry provides power, coming off a two-hit, two-RBI performance Sunday that included a home run.

The Gamecocks hold a distinct advantage in record and strength of schedule, having faced a gauntlet of Southeastern Conference foes. Presbyterian has found wins scarce, with only two victories in its last 10 games.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is South Carolina 4, Presbyterian 3.

Following this midweek contest, South Carolina prepares to host Kentucky in a crucial SEC series starting Friday. Presbyterian opens a Big South Conference series at home against Radford on Friday.