South Carolina looking to 'find something to play for' with postseason hopes all but over

One of the first things Monte Lee prioritized when he took over as South Carolina’s interim head coach in mid-March was to establish a new sense of energy in the dugout. He wasn’t going to tolerate any negativity; he wanted to see his players competing hard and having fun, even through tough times.

For the most part, Lee has met that goal. Almost immediately, there was a noticeable difference with better vibes all around. But as the season has worn on, reality has set back in that this is shaping up to be another disappointing year for the program, likely ending the year without going to the postseason.

On top of that, frustration has started to set in, not just for the players, but for Lee as well. It was a word he used repeatedly throughout what was an awful weekend for South Carolina in Baton Rouge, where the Gamecocks were swept by an LSU team that had not won an SEC game in almost a month.

In a series where they were outscored 20-4, Lee felt the team was playing to the scoreboard rather than simply competing regardless of the situation. By the sixth inning of Sunday’s 7-0 loss, he could sense a shift in their body language, one that never improved the rest of the game.

“We need to get back to the drawing board and figure some things out. Get the guys in the right frame of mind, work on some things that we need to improve on, and just reset,” Lee told GamecockCentral after the series on Sunday. “This weekend was just a bad weekend. That’s the bottom line. I got to do a better job of preparing these guys, getting them in the right mindset to play competitive baseball for nine innings, regardless of the outcome of the game.”

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With seven games left in the regular season, South Carolina won’t have much left to play for beyond trying to improve its positioning for the conference tournament, where it will all but certainly be playing on the first day. Any postseason aspirations are now out of reach until then following an 0-4 week, which included a shutout loss to The Citadel last Tuesday.

Part of the focus will now be on getting ready for Hoover. Lee wants to get his pitching set up over the next two weeks so that when the tournament begins, they’ll have everything in order. He also would like to figure out what his starting lineup needs to look like and if any tweaks need to be made.

“We’ve got to make some decisions on, ‘Okay, what are we going to do with our lineup — the nine guys, but also the batting order that we’re going to put them in?'” he said. “I’m always trying to make small adjustments if I feel like we’re not doing what we need to do offensively. But at some point, ‘These are the guys we’re going to play. This is the order we’re going to go with. Now, go out and play.'”

Just as importantly, Lee is hoping the Gamecocks can find something to play for, something that can keep them motivated over the next few weeks.

“That’s the big thing, too. We’ve got to find something to play for right now,” Lee said. “We just got to keep playing. That’s the bottom line. We got to play competitive baseball with heightened awareness and focus for nine innings, regardless of the outcomes of the games.”

What will that be? Lee didn’t mention anything in particular, but if it’s not going to be the postseason, it may end up being avoiding history for the wrong reasons.

Just last year, South Carolina endured the worst season in program history, finishing 28-29 with a 6-24 record in SEC play. While this year’s team has won more conference games, it could still finish with a worse overall record, currently sitting at 22-27 (7-14 SEC).

The Gamecocks will open their final homestand of the year on Friday against No. 19 Alabama, then wrap it up with Winthrop next Tuesday before hitting the road to Vanderbilt next Thursday ahead of the SEC Tournament.

“I’m going to pull out all stops,” Lee said. “I told them before the game (on Sunday), ‘I’m not going to give in; I’m not going to stop coaching you. I’m going to keep pounding it every day, doing my very best as their leader.’ But they’ve got to do it, too.

“Whatever’s important to me, it’s got to become important to them if we’re going to find a way to turn this thing around and play better baseball.”

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