Last season the SEC had two teams in the World Series championship while the Big 10 hasn’t advanced out of a regional since 2014. So can Ohio State buck the Big 10 trend or will fall to perennial power South Carolina? The Buckeyes will see if they can match the Gamecocks at 2 p.m. Friday in the Greenville Regional.
Game Odds
BetDSI Sportsbook has released odds, which you can view below, for this matchup.
Ohio State Buckeyes -130
South Carolina Gamecocks -110
Spread -1.5
Over/Under 12
Game Preview
While the Big 10 has some strong teams, top the bottom it can’t stack up with strength of the SEC and one of the strongest teams in the conference is South Carolina.
The Gamecocks boast a solid .274 batting average as a team led by Madison Stokes (.342, 40 RBIs and 10 home runs), Justin Row (.338, six home runs), LT Tolbert (.320, 49 RBIs, six home runs and nine steals) and Jonah Bride (.302).
But the Buckeyes swing a strong stick with the No. 50 batting average in the nation (.287). Noah McGowen (.359, 55 RBIs and nine home runs), Kobie Foppe (.344 and eight steals), Dominic Canzone (.329, four home runs and 15 steals) and Tyler Cowles (.327, 49 RBIs and eight home runs) are the big bats in the lineup, but Ohio State can go deeper than just those four.
So when two teams with strong lineups meet, the outcome is decided with pitching.
Prediction
When you compare the aces, they nearly mirror one another.
South Carolina sends Cody Morris (7-3, 3.80 ERA) while Ohio State will trot out Connor Curtis (7-4, 3.81). Morris recorded 76 strikeouts and 26 walks on the season to Curtis’ 73 and 29.
The Buckeyes have one of the best closers in the nation with a 1.49 ERA and 15 saves, but the question is can Ohio State give him the ball in the ninth inning for the win. If so, the game goes to the Buckeyes.
But the Gamecocks bullpen goes much deeper with the likes of Sawyer Bridges (1.29), TJ Shook (2.33) and Gage Hinson (3.18).
The difference between these two pitching staff is that one put up the same numbers in a much tougher conference and that gives the edge to South Carolina.
