COLUMBIA, S.C. — There is a good chance Friday's four-inning scrimmage at Founders Park will be the only outdoor workout for the Gamecock baseball team this weekend.
With rain in the forecast through the weekend, Carolina took advantage of Friday's cloudy but dry conditions to get in some work as the regular season is a week away. Saturday's forecast did cause the cancellation of Fan Fest but the Ladies Clinic is still set for Saturday morning starting at 9:00 a.m. at Founders Park.
South Carolina, picked fourth in the SEC Eastern Division, has gotten some preseason recognition from D1baseball.com. That publication has South Carolina ranked 23rd in its preseason Top 25.
While the Gamecocks did not have player named Preseason All-SEC, pitcher Will Sanders has not gone unnoticed. He has been named to the watch list for the Golden Spikes award which is presented by USA Baseball to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
Sanders, who was named Preseason All-America second team by three different organizations, was 7-3 with a 3.43 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched as a sophomore in 2022. The righthander finished fifth in the SEC in innings pitched and 10th in both ERA and strikeouts. He tied a Founders Park record with 14 strikeouts against Clemson on March 4 and had 11 strikeouts in seven innings of work in a win over Vanderbilt on March 25. Sanders struck out 10 batters in the SEC Tournament game against Florida (May 24), allowing just four hits and an unearned run in seven innings of work.
Sanders enters 2023 with 13 career wins, a 3.47 ERA and 145 career strikeouts.