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Texas A&M Softball vs. South Carolina Preview: Round 1 of SEC Tournament

No. 2 Texas A&M is set to face No. 7 South Carolina after the Gamecocks defeated No. 10 Alabama.
Olivia Sims|
May 10, 2024; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies outfielder Kramer Eschete (91) catches a ball for an out against the Florida Gators at Jane B. Moore Field. Mandatory Credit: Julie Bennett-Imagn Images
May 10, 2024; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies outfielder Kramer Eschete (91) catches a ball for an out against the Florida Gators at Jane B. Moore Field. Mandatory Credit: Julie Bennett-Imagn Images | Julie Bennett-Imagn Images

No. 2 Texas A&M is set to play game one of the SEC tournament against No. 7 South Carolina after a double bye. The Aggies and Gamecocks were not on each others regular season slate, so it should be interesting to see how these two programs match up.

The Aggies are heading into the SEC tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Oklahoma, but landed the No. 1 overall seed heading into the postseason. Coming off of a road series win against then-No. 2 Tennessee, the Aggies look to bring that momentum into the postseason.

The Aggies drew No. 7 South Carolina for their first game, after the Gamecocks defeated the Crimson Tide 6-2. Alabama was able to plate their two runs in the top of the first, but that was all they could get before the bats starting swinging for the Gamecocks.

May 10, 2024; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies starting pitcher/relief pitcher Emily Leavitt (25)
May 10, 2024; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies starting pitcher/relief pitcher Emily Leavitt (25) pitches against the Florida Gators at Jane B. Moore Field. Mandatory Credit: Julie Bennett-Imagn Images | Julie Bennett-Imagn Images

Offensively, the Gamecocks were led by junior Arianna Rodi, who hit two home runs in the game and recorded four RBI. The other 2 RBI came from senior Ella Chancey who had two doubles in the game.

The Aggies have been incredibly impressive on the road this season, posting a 12-2 record with losses in Knoxville, Tennessee and Columbia, Missouri. As far as playing in Athens, Georgia, the Aggies won both of their games, 8-0 and 12-5, shaping them up for a great SEC tournament.

The Gamecocks rally behind two pitchers, junior right-hander Jori Heard and sixth-year right-hander Sam Gress. They've taken the bulk of the season, pitching in 37 and 38 games, respectively, out of the Gamecocks 54 total games.

Gress struggled in the matchup against Alabama, giving up two early runs and was relived by Heard, who recorded her 16th win of the year, moving her record to 16-3 on the season. For the Aggies, they rally behind senior left-handed pitcher Emiley Kennedy who has been an ace this year for the Aggies with a 19-4 record.

Game 1 of the SEC tournament for the Aggies is set to play 35 minutes after the final of No. 11 Ole Miss vs No. 3 Texas.

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Olivia Sims
OLIVIA SIMS

Olivia Sims is an ambitious writer covering for Texas A&M Aggies on SI. Olivia is a junior communications student at Texas A&M, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree and a certificate in social media. Olivia was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, into a diehard sports family where she grew up going to Spring Training for baseball each year and spending endless Saturdays on the couch watching college football. Her love for covering A&M athletics comes from the dedicated sports fan she is, as well as the love and respect she has for A&M as a whole.

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