When South Carolina baseball defeated Valparaiso on Sunday, 12-6, there were several strong candidates to get the game ball.
Senior TJ Hopkins hit for the cycle, the first USC player to do that since 2015, and senior Jacob Olson hit two home runs, plus three hits and had five RBIs, all tied for personal bests.
Instead, coach Mark Kingston honored redshirt freshman Ian Jenkins, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a home run, the first of her collegiate career.
Based off stats alone, Jenkins wasn’t the most impressive Gamecock on Sunday.