Bat Cats hope to gain more respect in post-season

[Athens2005]

http://www.amnews.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=22162&format=html


There are some indications, both in this article as well as some other comments I've heard attributed to Coach Cohen, that while it would be nice to win the SEC tourney, UK's priority is to get ready for the NCAA's.

From what I can gather, that means allowing the top starters to rest a little this weekend, so as to make sure the rotation is set for the big tourney, next week.

[BOURBON TOWN CAT FAN]

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/14637396.htm

USC received a little relief this past weekend by earning a spot in the SEC tournament, but the team did little to squash questions about its suspect starting pitching.

The Gamecocks, who waited until Friday to clinch a spot in this week’s conference tournament, will play No. 2 seed Kentucky on Wednesday in the first round of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament.

Outfielder Mark Stanley said the first step in forgetting the Gamecocks’ recent troubles was earning a tournament berth.

“It’s a lot of relief that we’re in,” outfielder Stanley said. “It’s a new season, and we’re ready to play.”

USC’s No. 7 seed could be a sign the team’s luck is headed toward an upswing. The seventh seed has won the SEC tournament two of the past three years.

But that the Gamecocks’ first-round opponent is Kentucky might not be a good sign. It was the Wildcats, after all, that exposed USC’s unreliable pitching in a three-game sweep in April.

Kentucky, which won the Eastern Division championship, scored 37 runs in those three games; the Wildcats’ output led to Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner reshuffling the team’s weekend pitching rotation.

Stanley said the Gamecocks have all but forgotten their first meeting with the Wildcats — with good reason. He added that the team would be wise to forget other recent hurdles, which have led to losing four of its past five SEC series.

“We’ve put that behind us now. We’re just looking to move forward,” Stanley said. “Whatever problems we had in the past are over. We just look forward to playing Kentucky again, and we hope we can do the job this time.”...................


http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/14644494.htm

USC packed 12 reasons it should not worry about its pitching depth.

The Gamecocks, who departed Monday for the SEC tournament, loaded the bus with 12 pitchers — likely more than any of the other seven teams will bring, coach Ray Tanner predicted.

SEC media relations director Charles Bloom said he could not confirm whether USC brought the most pitchers because teams are not required to submit final tournament rosters until today, when practices begin in Hoover, Ala.

If the Gamecocks have over-packed, however, it is because they are trying to solve their most looming weakness. USC, whose 4.35 team ERA is fifth among SEC tournament teams, will audition its latest pitching experiment in a first-round game Wednesday against Kentucky.

Sophomore right-hander Wynn Pelzer, the team’s No. 1 starter the past four weekends, will move back to the bullpen. Freshman Mike Cisco (5-4, 4.19 ERA) will start against the Wildcats. Starting a freshman against us :thumbup