Clarke Schmidt’s junior season was going along just as he had hoped when he took the mound against Florida on April 20.
The Georgia native was 4-1 with an SEC-best 1.31 ERA, and the Gamecocks were ranked in the top 20.
Yes, USC had dropped a couple of series in a row, but this was a chance to make a statement on the road against a top 10 Gators team and for USC to get back on track.
Schmidt fully expected to finish off his All-American type season by leading South Carolina to Omaha while being drafted in the first round of Monday’s MLB draft.