State schedule, May 20-23

As has been customary for several years now, the NCAA Division I conferences in our area begin most final regular-series on Thursday and end on Saturday in order to provide an extra day's rest/turnaround ahead of tournament play beginning next week.

Also, the NCCAA World Series begins Friday in Central and Easley.

A few notes:
* South Carolina (32-18 overall, 15-12 SEC)  has announced that there will be no COVID-19 based attendance limits for its weekend home series with No. 4 Tennessee. The Gamecocks are currently seventh in the SEC overall standings. USC would have to sweep Tennessee and have Vanderbilt (Kentucky), Florida (at Arkansas), Mississippi (at Georgia) and Mississippi State (at Alabama) get swept to finish third or fourth and avoid playing in Tuesday's single-elimination round involving Teams 5-12.
* Clemson hasn't had a losing season since 1957, the year before Bill Wilhelm took over as coach, and its last losing record in ACC play was 2008. The Tigers (24-23 overall, 16-17) play host to Duke this weekend trying to avoid either unpleasantness from happening. Clemson is in a three-way tie for ninth place in the ACC. The Tigers still have a mathematical chance to finish as high as fourth and as low as 12th for tournament seeding purposes.
* Coastal Carolina coach Gary Gilmore got his 1,250th victory Tuesday against Wake Forest. A three-game sweep of Texas State at home this weekend would get him to 1,000 wins with the Chanticleers. Coastal is in sixth place in the Sun Belt East Division standings, but could climb to fourth with the correct series outcomes.
* Wofford has clinched a spot in the Southern Conference Tournament in Greenville next week, but still could finish first, second or third overall. Likewise, Mercer and Samford are assured of finishing no worse than fourth.  East Tennessee State, UNC Greensboro, VMI and Western Carolina still have a mathematical chance of getting the final spot in the four-team tournament.

* Winthrop's win over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday kept alive the Eagles' slim hopes of earning the fourth and final spot for the Big South Conference Tournament.  Campbell has a 1 1/2-game lead over Gardner-Webb and USC Upstate.  Presbyterian is in fourth place, but Winthrop could leapfrog the Blue Hose by sweeping their series this weekend and would take fourth if Radford loses at least two of three games to Gardner-Webb. USC Upstate (at UNC Asheville) must do two games better than Campbell (at home against High Point) and a game better than Gardner-Webb to take first place.
* College of Charleston can't win the Colonial Athletic Association South Division, but the Cougars can enhance their seeding for the six-team conference tournament if they can win two of three at home against Elon this weekend. CofC is percentage points back of the Phoenix for second place in the South. 

Thursday, May 20

Western Carolina at The Citadel, noon

Charleston Southern at Longwood, DH, 1 p.m.

Presbyterian at Winthrop, 3 p.m.

Mercer at Wofford, 4 p.m.

USC Upstate at UNC Asheville, 5 p.m.

Duke at Clemson, 6 p.m.

Elon at College of Charleston, 6 p.m.

Texas State at Coastal Carolina, 6 p.m.

Tennessee at South Carolina, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 21

Western Carolina at The Citadel, DH, 10:30 a.m.

Charleston Southern at Longwood, DH, 1 p.m

Presbyterian at Winthrop, DH, 1 p.m..

USC Upstate at UNC Asheville, DH, 1 p.m.

Elon at College of Charleston, 2 p.m.

Mercer at Wofford, DH, 2 p.m.

Duke at Clemson, 6 p.m.

Texas State at Coastal Carolina, 6 p.m.

Tennessee at South Carolina, 7 p.m.

NCCAA World Series
J.B. "Red" Owens Complex, Easley
No. 3 Columbia International vs. No. 6 College of the Ozarks, 10 a.m.
No. 2 Concordia (Mich.) vs. No. 7 Kansas Christian, 1 p.m.
No. 3 Columbia International vs. No. 10 Toccoa Falls, 4 p.m.
No. 2 Concordia (Mich.) vs. No. 6. College of the Ozarks, 7 p.m.

Dr. C. Keith Connor Field, Central
No. 4 Judson vs. No. 5 Ecclesia, 10 a.m.
No. 1 Southwestern Christian vs Carolina University, 1 p.m.
No. 4 Judson vs. No. 9 Alice Lloyd, 4 p.m.
No. 1 Southwestern Christian vs. No. Ecclesia, 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 22

Tennessee at South Carolina, noon

Duke at Clemson, 1 p.m.

Elon at College of Charleston, 1 p.m.

Texas State at Coastal Carolina, 2 p.m.

NCCAA World Series
J.B. "Red" Owen Complex, Easley
No. 8 Carolina University vs. No. 9 Alice Lloyd, 10 a.m.
No. 1 Southwestern Christian vs. No. 9 Alice Lloyd, 1 p.m.
No. 5 Ecclesia vs. No. 8 Carolina University, 4 p.m.
No. 1 Southwestern Christian vs. No. 4 Judson, 7 p.m. 

Dr. C. Keith Connor Field, Central
No. 7 Kansas Christian vs. No. 10 Toccoa Falls, 10 a.m.
No. 2 Concordia (Mich.) vs. No. 10 Toccoa Falls, 1 p.m.
No. 6 College of the Ozarks vs. No. 7 Kansas Christian, 4 p.m.
No. 2 Concordia (Mich.) vs. No. 3 Columbia International, 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 23
No games scheduled