Schmidt Embraces Ace Role For South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C.—Clarke Schmidt walked off the mound in the eighth inning Friday night to a standing ovation from the 7,511 fans at Founders Park. The sophomore righthander pointed to the sky before disappearing into the first base dugout, another successful start in the books.

Schmidt struck out a career-high 11 batters in seven innings and held No. 17 Arkansas to four runs, as South Carolina defeated the Razorbacks, 10-6, on opening night of Southeastern Conference play.

“He was great again,” coach Chad Holbrook said. “I know he was probably not happy with four earned runs, but he was special in my eyes.”

Schmidt has been special all season. With the victory Friday, he improved to 5-0, 1.27 with 43 strikeouts and six walks in 35 1/3 innings this season. He has established himself as the Gamecocks ace and appears to be ready for the rigors of taking the ball every Friday night in the SEC.

Schmidt said he embraces the challenge of being the Friday starter.

“I want to go out there and I want to help the team win and compete, keep us in the game,” he said. “So I’m happy I was the guy they went to and I’m happy to be that guy they go to.”

While Schmidt has long shown promise, he has taken a step forward this year. Holbrook said Schmidt worked hard in the weight room in the offseason, and the strength he added has translated into more velocity on his fastball. Where he was throwing 89-91 as a freshman, he is now sitting comfortably in the low 90s with his fastball and capable of reaching 94-95 mph consistently.

“(The increased velocity is) a big difference with the ball running all over the place,” Holbrook said. “And on top of that, he likes the ball in his hand. He’s a heck of a competitor, so he gives us a chance.”

Schmidt also works in two breaking balls—a power curveball and a slider—as well as a changeup. He has done a good job of throwing strikes with his whole arsenal all season, and has walked just two batters in 29 1/3 innings since Opening Day.

Holbrook said part of Schmidt’s improvement this year also comes from being more mature. Some of that is a natural progression from a player’s freshman to sophomore year. But Schmidt also went through a difficult family experience, as his older brother Clate, a pitcher at Clemson, battled cancer last year before making a recovery and returning to the diamond this spring.

“Clarke’s a different guy this year than he was a freshman,” Holbrook said. “He’s different in many respects. He’s gone through a lot, his family has gone through a lot. He’s very mature.”

Clate was also on the mound Friday, the first time the brothers had started on the same day in college. Like Clarke, Clate also set a career-high with 11 strikeouts in Clemson’s 6-2 victory against Boston College.

With the brothers pitching on the same day, Clarke said his family had to split up to be at both games, taking place about two hours apart in South Carolina.

But in Columbia, the attention was on the younger Schmidt brother. His strong start to the season gives a young South Carolina pitching staff a reliable anchor as it begins conference play, where runs are often hard to come by on Fridays.
Sophomore outfielder Alex Destino said he is confident when Schmidt takes the ball.

“I’m going to keep saying this: I think he’s one of the best pitchers in the country, not just in the SEC,” Destino said. “When he goes out there, we’ve got a really good chance to win. If we’re swinging the bat like that, I mean, we should be trouble Friday nights.”

Holbrook said he believes Schmidt has what it takes to be an ace in the SEC.

“He’s a legit Friday night guy in this league,” Holbrook said. “(I’m) glad he’s on our team.”