Palmetto State Baseball team of the week, April 20-26: Coker

Coker (3-0 for the week)

(went 3-0 vs. Tusculum)

Coker entered the final week of the regular season on the outside looking in at the South Atlantic Conference tournament field.

Coach Fico Kondla's squad was in 10th place, with only eight teams qualifying. So, the Cobras went to work, sweeping Tusculum to move past the Pioneers head-to-head. Meanwhile, Anderson was losing two of three to second-place Wingate and also tumbled out of the tournament field.

The Cobras entered the season off back-to-back winning seasons, the first time that's happened in Hartsville in more than a decade. But they started the year 1-13 and never could get on the positive side.

Granted, their strong finishing kick earned them a first-round tournament game with regular-season champ Catawba, which has been a top 10 team nationally much of the season.

But as the old lottery commercial used to say, "you can't win if you don't play."

Up next: at Catawba in the SAC Tournament, 2 p.m. Friday

Also considered

Benedict (2-1)
Erskine (2-2) - won series at ranked Young Harris

Florence-Darlington Tech (4-0)

Francis Marion (3-1)

Lander (4-0)

North Greenville (2-1) - winning streak hit 17

South Carolina (3-1)
Spartanburg Methodist (3-1)
The Citadel (3-1)

USC Sumter (5-0)

Previous winners
Jan. 23-Feb. 1: North Greenville
Feb. 2-8: Anderson
Feb. 9-15: Francis Marion 

Feb. 16-22: Charleston Southern
Feb. 23-March 1: Benedict
March 2-8: Clemson

March 9-15: Coastal Carolina
March 16-22: Florence-Darlington Tech

March 23-29: Winthrop

March 30-April 5: North Greenville
April 6-12: Wofford
April 13-19: Winthrop