Cone Extends Special Season, And Hit Streak

COLUMBIA, S.C.—Gene Cone wasted no time Saturday in extending his program-record hitting streak to 29 games. The South Carolina right fielder jumped on Florida lefthander A.J. Puk’s third pitch of the game, ripping a double to right field.

Though Cone was soon thrown out trying to steal third base, it was just the start of another spectacular game for the junior. In the seventh inning, facing lefthander Kirby Snead, Cone hit what proved to be the game-winning home run, as No. 6 South Carolina defeated No. 1 Florida, 2-1, to even their series.

Cone finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk. His 29-game hitting streak is tied for the longest in the country this season, matching Florida Gulf Coast shortstop Matt Reardon. Cone also has a 32-game on-base streak, which is the longest in the Southeastern Conference.

Coach Chad Holbrook said Cone’s success all starts with his approach at the plate.

“If there is such a thing as a professional approach, that’s what Gene’s got,” Holbrook said. “Because he makes it very difficult on the pitcher, because he’s not going to chase pitches out of the strike zone and he’ll take his walks. When they throw it in there, he has such a short swing, he has a tendency to put the barrel of the bat on the ball.

“On top of that he has a lot of confidence right now, his bat speed is terrific. He’s just dialed in.”

Cone, a lefthanded hitter, faced two tough lefthanders Saturday in Puk and Snead. Puk, a candidate to be the first overall pick in June, struck out 10 batters in six strong innings. But he retired Cone just once in three plate appearances, getting him to pop out in the fifth inning. Snead, Florida’s top lefthanded reliever, had not allowed a home run in 29 1/3 innings coming into Saturday.

Cone said the key to his success against Puk and Snead was coming to the plate with an attacking mindset.

“You’ve just got to be aggressive and you cannot let them control the count or any at bat, like, at all,” Cone said. “You can’t let them do that.”

Holbrook said he doesn’t worry about the platoon advantage against Cone.

“I mean he’s locked in and obviously I have as much confidence when he’s in there, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a lefty or a righty,” Holbrook said. “I feel like he can hit anybody. If you throw it over the plate, his swing is so short and compact, he has a chance to make solid contact.”

Cone went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks in Friday’s 5-4 loss to the Gators (37-7). After watching him from the opposing dugout for the last two days, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan has been impressed by Cone.

“He’s got a flat swing, it stays in the zone forever and kind of gets things going for them,” O’Sullivan said. “He swung the bat good, and against, obviously, really good pitching.”

As Cone streaks into the South Carolina record book, his profile is on the rise. The junior is hitting .382/.485/.559 this season, ranking him fourth in the SEC in batting and second in on-base percentage. How high he goes in this year’s draft remains to be seen. He lacks the power of a prototypical corner outfielder (Saturday’s homer was the fifth of his career) and the plus speed professional teams seek in center fielders.

For now, however, Cone is invaluable to the Gamecocks (34-9). And he’s enjoying the special season they are putting together.

Saturday’s victory ensures South Carolina will finish the weekend at least tied for first place in the SEC. With three weekends left in the season, the Gamecocks are on track to be a national seed in the NCAA Tournament after missing regionals completely last year.

Cone and the rest of the Gamecocks said they understood how important Saturday’s win was for them.

“This is huge, this is easily our biggest win and our biggest game of the season,” Cone said. “Hopefully we just keep this momentum that we got today, take it into tomorrow and, hopefully, the rest of the season.”