How South Carolina is working through defensive struggles after error-filled week in Hoover

There’s no need to sugarcoat it. South Carolina’s defense is a mess right now.

In a week that otherwise went pretty smooth, the Gamecocks committed 12 errors in five games at the SEC Tournament last week. 10 of them came in the final three games, two of which turned potential wins into gut-wrenching losses.

And it’s not exactly like this issue just came out of nowhere. South Carolina is 8-9 in games where it made at least two errors. In total, the team has made 59 errors this season, second most in the SEC.

“Look, sometimes it just happens,” head coach Mark Kingston said. “Sometimes you hit great, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you play great defense, sometimes you just get into a little bit of a rut. It is what it is. And our guys will come out ready to go again. We field .979, which is good as we’ve ever done in this program in the SEC. So sometimes it just happens.”

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And while Kingston has continued to harp on his defense having a .979 fielding percentage, that’s actually not the case. The Gamecocks have actually fielded .971 this year, second lowest in the conference.

All that said, there is a major problem with defensive mistakes, and it’s costing the team games down the stretch. As South Carolina now enters win or go home games, cutting down on the errors is of the utmost importance.

“We will focus on the fundamentals, I promise you that we will review everything that matters. And we will get the guys the reps that they need,” Kingston said. “It’s a fine line, though, because we just had five grueling days in the heat there. And so we’re going to work on it enough so as to feel like we’re sharp, but we’re not going to do it so much to where guys are worn out.

“I was on the phone with another SEC coach that has had a lot of long runs in the SEC Tournament, and he’s gone on to have great NCAA Tournaments. And then sometimes where they felt like they were burned out by the time they got to the regional. So I’m very, very cognizant of the fact that I want our guys to be sharp. But we don’t want to work so hard over the next three days and forget that we just emptied the tank at the SEC Tournament. So there’s a fine line.”

It’s also not as easy as waving a magic wand to make the bad play in the field go away. South Carolina also has a glaring hole at third base. Starter Gavin Casas probably won’t play this weekend in the Raleigh Regional after suffering a hamate bone injury against Kentucky last week.

“It’s still not looking great,” Kingston said. “But we’re going to try to exhaust all avenues and see if there’s a chance, but it’s not looking great at this point.”

Kingston said losing Casas for the foreseeable future is a big blow, especially after finding somewhat of a groove offensively. But defensively, it’s not as impactful. Casas leads the team with 10 errors this season, splitting time between first base and third. Still, he will have to find someone capable of making plays after Talmadge LeCroy and Lee Ellis both had their share of issues at the position.

“It’s got to be a next man up mentality. We’re more than a one man team. It takes all these guys to win games,” Kingston said. “And so we just have to support each other and pick each other up and find other ways to win games other than Gavin hitting a three-run homer like he did the other day. Just have to make the adjustments.”

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One option Kingston shared was bringing Tyler Causey back into the fold. However, Causey hasn’t played since April 20. And when he has, he’s primarily been the designated hitter or first baseman when Casas needed a day off.

“He’s an infielder with a lot of power,” Kingston said. “He’s played first, second, third. And he’s played all those positions. So he’ll get a lot of run there this week. When all is said and done, we’ll make the decisions we think make the most sense.”

Regardless of who Kingston runs out at third base, or in the field for that matter, players have to make plays. If the defense figures it out, a long postseason run is definitely in the cards.

“We just need guys to play well and play to their abilities,” Kingston said. “We have guys that can play well there but they need to do mentally, physically be there and be at the top of their game because we have the guys that can do it and whoever we play over there, they’ll be able to do it. It’s just a matter of them doing it.”

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