Vanderbilt hosts South Carolina in SEC baseball Friday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — Vanderbilt hosts South Carolina in a Southeastern Conference baseball series opener Friday at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium.

The Commodores (29-23) and Gamecocks (22-31) meet at 4 p.m. CT. The forecast calls for clear skies and 66 degrees at first pitch.

Vanderbilt enters on a three-game losing streak after dropping the finale at Missouri 4-1 on Sunday. Jacob Faulkner tossed 5⅔ scoreless innings in that start, allowing no hits with three strikeouts. Over his past five appearances, the right-hander has worked 10⅔ innings without allowing an earned run, scattering three hits while striking out five.

South Carolina lost 5-2 to Winthrop at home Tuesday. Reliever Cooper Parks threw two scoreless innings, yielding one hit with two strikeouts. The right-hander has been sharp of late, posting a 0.00 ERA over his last six appearances spanning 9⅔ innings, with seven strikeouts and only three hits allowed.

The teams played Thursday afternoon, with Vanderbilt winning 3-0. The Commodores have taken the last three meetings.

Vanderbilt’s offense has struggled recently, scoring three runs or fewer in four of its past five games. The Commodores are 9-15 in SEC play. South Carolina is 6-18 in conference.

Senior first baseman Chris Maldonado leads Vanderbilt with a .310 average and eight home runs. South Carolina shortstop Gavin Howard paces the Gamecocks with a .290 average and six homers.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-1 Vanderbilt victory, with the Commodores holding a 70 percent win probability per its ELO system.

The teams close the series Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.