After a tough weekend that saw Gamecock pitchers labor through innings, struggle to find the strike zone, and ultimately drop a critical SEC series, Tuesday night’s matchup against The Citadel wasn’t just another midweek game. It was a chance to reset, to reestablish rhythm on the mound, and to rebuild confidence for a team that still believes its best baseball lies ahead.
That message was delivered loud and clear in Columbia, where South Carolina shut out The Citadel 6-0 in a sharp, no-nonsense victory at Founders Park. The win moved the Gamecocks to 24-13 on the year and served as an important tune-up before the next SEC gauntlet. More importantly, it showed that the pitching staff, much maligned over the weekend, still has the tools and the depth to be a force down the stretch.
Six South Carolina arms combined to throw a six-hit shutout, striking out nine while issuing just two walks. It was the kind of performance head coach Mark Kingston had been waiting for—efficient, crisp, and clean.
“That’s more like it,” Kingston said after the win. “We challenged our guys after Sunday. There was no hiding from it—we weren’t good enough on the mound against Kentucky. But tonight was a step in the right direction. Everyone who took the ball tonight gave us exactly what we needed.”
That effort started with freshman right-hander Owen Washburn, who made his first career start and delivered two scoreless innings to set the tone. Washburn worked quickly, attacked hitters, and flashed a sharp breaking ball that kept Bulldog bats guessing. He exited after just 25 pitches, part of a pre-planned bullpen game for the Gamecocks.
From there, it was a parade of arms—Tanner Thach, Ty Good, Garrett Gainey, Chris Veach, and Eli Jones—all of whom executed with precision. The group scattered six singles and leaned on their defense to convert outs behind them. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective, and for a pitching staff that had given up 25 runs in three games over the weekend, it was the kind of outing that can change the tone inside the clubhouse.
“Everyone had a role, and everyone did their job,” said Veach, who worked a clean eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts. “We talked about it as a staff—flush the weekend, get back to competing, and trust our stuff. It’s a new week. We needed that.”
Offensively, the Gamecocks didn’t light up the scoreboard, but they didn’t need to. They played clean, situational baseball, worked counts, and came up with timely hits. South Carolina scored one in the first, two in the third, another in the fifth, and tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and eighth to methodically pull away.
Gavin Casas led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. Freshman outfielder Austin Brinling added a pair of RBI, while senior shortstop Michael Braswell continued to flash his all-around value with a hit, a stolen base, and several smooth plays in the field.
“It was a clean game,” Kingston said. “We didn’t beat ourselves, we executed on the mound, and we found ways to push runs across. That’s how we have to play if we want to be successful in this league.”
The win may not jump off the page in terms of national significance, but inside the South Carolina locker room, it meant something. It was a reset, a chance to breathe, and perhaps most critically, a step back toward the kind of baseball that has defined Kingston’s program in recent years: tough, disciplined, and reliable.
There’s no denying the importance of momentum in college baseball, especially as teams enter the final month of the regular season. For South Carolina, a group that has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled with consistency, putting together complete performances like Tuesday night’s could be the key to making a deep run in May.
The pitching, for all the scrutiny it’s received in recent weeks, still holds promise. Veteran arms like Jones and Veach have proven they can compete in the SEC. Younger arms like Washburn and Thach are starting to find their footing. And the return of Good, who transferred in with high expectations but has battled minor injuries this spring, offers another potential high-leverage option.
“It’s about building trust,” Kingston said. “Trust between the coaching staff and the pitchers, trust between the pitchers and the catchers, and trust that we’re going to come out and throw strikes. When we do that, we’re tough to beat.”
Tuesday’s game was also a reminder of South Carolina’s defensive capabilities. Braswell, as steady as they come at short, made multiple plays on the move to erase would-be singles. Brinling tracked down several balls in the gap. And catcher Cole Messina helped control the running game with a strong throw in the fourth that cut down a Citadel baserunner trying to steal second.
Those little things, Kingston noted, are often the difference in close games.
“It’s not always about the three-run homer,” he said. “Sometimes it’s the 6-3 groundout that keeps a guy at second. Or the sac fly that gets the job done. That’s winning baseball.”
The Citadel, to its credit, put runners on in five of nine innings, but could never deliver the big hit. Bulldog hitters finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. South Carolina pitchers didn’t allow a single extra-base hit, and the few times they found themselves in trouble, they tightened the screws and made pitches when it mattered.
With a critical series against Florida looming this weekend, the timing of the pitching turnaround couldn’t be better. The Gators, despite their own ups and downs this season, remain one of the most dangerous lineups in the country. To compete with them, South Carolina will need more of what it saw Tuesday night—aggressive arms throwing strikes and staying ahead in counts.
“This is the SEC—it’s a grind every week,” Veach said. “But nights like tonight show what we’re capable of. We’ve got the arms. We’ve got the bats. We’ve just got to keep believing and keep working.”
The Gamecocks have been here before. Last year’s squad caught fire down the stretch and made a run to the NCAA Super Regionals. This year’s group has the talent to do the same, but the margin for error is small, and the road is never easy in the SEC. Games like Tuesday’s may seem routine on the outside, but inside the walls of Founders Park, they matter.
They build confidence. They reinforce habits. And they remind everyone that the pieces are still in place.
As the night wound down and the players filed back into the dugout after the final out, there was no dogpile, no champagne celebration—just handshakes, high-fives, and a quiet focus.
A midweek win, yes. But more than that, a step forward.
“We’re not where we want to be yet,” Kingston said. “But we’re moving in the right direction. And tonight was proof of that.”
For South Carolina, the next few weeks will determine how this season is remembered. The tools are there—a deep pitching staff, a versatile lineup, a defense that can make plays. Tuesday night was a glimpse of what that combination looks like when it all comes together.
Now, it’s about doing it again. And again. And again.
Because in this conference, one night is never enough.
But it’s a start. And for a team that needed to find its edge again, it came just in time.