How to watch, stream No. 11 Gamecocks’ Top 25 baseball showdown with Missouri
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The No. 11 South Carolina baseball team has so far passed every test thrown its way this season.
Mark Kingston’s Gamecocks (20-2, 3-0 SEC) went undefeated in non-conference weekend play, won a series over rival Clemson and swept Georgia on the road last weekend in their first SEC series.
Now, the Gamecocks will play their first home SEC series, and they’ll take on a No. 22 Missouri team (17-3, 3-0) that is red hot in its own right. The Tigers travel to Columbia having won six straight games, including a home sweep of Tennessee last weekend that vaulted the Tigers into D1Baseball’s Top 25. The teams will open play 7 p.m. Friday at Founders Park.
“They’re a complete team,” Kingston said Thursday. “They’re a very balanced offense — they have left, right, they can run the bases, they have power. They play good defense, and they can really pitch, so it’s just a complete team and got to give them a lot of credit.
“They put together a really good ballclub this year. So I don’t think their first weekend was a fluke. I just think it’s a team that can do a lot of different things. And they don’t beat themselves. And so it should be really good fundamental baseball on both sides this weekend.”
In contrast to the mighty USC lineup — which leads the country with 56 home runs — the Tigers are more contact-oriented and rely on a deep pitching staff fronted by senior ace Chandler Murphy. Mizzou ranks seventh in the country with 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings and 17th nationally with a 3.49 team ERA, presenting a challenge for USC’s hitters.
The Gamecocks are coming off a quiet offensive game in Tuesday’s 6-2 road loss at Charlotte — just the second loss of USC’s season. But newcomers like Gavin Casas, who leads the team with 12 home runs, and stud freshman Ethan Petry will look to get back on track against the Tigers.
Starting shortstop Braylen Wimmer said the offense’s confidence remains high — and the Gamecocks are eager to prove they can sustain their hot start to the season against a ranked opponent.
“I’m excited,” Wimmer said. “They’ve got a pretty good team this year, it looks like, and that’s why we came here to play in the SEC — to get to do this on the weekends playing the best teams in the country.”
How to watch USC-Missouri baseball series
——Game 1——
Where: Founders Park in Columbia
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Watch: SEC Network (TV) and ESPN app (streaming)
Probable pitchers: RHP Will Sanders (South Carolina) vs. RHP Chandler Murphy (Missouri)
——Game 2——
Where: Founders Park in Columbia
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Watch: Streaming only on SEC Network Plus/ESPN app
Probable pitchers: RHP Noah Hall (South Carolina) vs. LHP Ian Lohse (Missouri)
——Game 3——
Where: Founders Park in Columbia
When: 12 p.m. Sunday
Watch: SEC Network (TV) and ESPN app (streaming)
Probable pitchers: RHP Jack Mahoney (South Carolina) vs. TBA (Missouri)
