Cock-A-Doodle Brew 5/9: Tickled to death

Today: A preseason Top 25 ranking, a decade in the books, and more.

Good morning. CBS Sports released its post-spring Top 25! Check out where the Gamecocks landed and why Dennis Dodd says “life couldn’t be better” for Coach Beamer’s crew.

What else is stirred up in today's Brew?

 On par
🏈 Tickled to death
🤙 And much, much more

🎥 GAMECOCKS+

A Decade Done. The 10th season of Gamecock Beach Volleyball is officially in the books. We sat down with the two coaches who have been here from the beginning, Moritz Moritz and RJ Abella, to look back on the last decade of beach volleyball in South Carolina: how it all began, what they’ve done so far, and where it’s all going next.

📈 STOCK UP

​🔼 On Par. The Gamecock women’s golf team is through the first 18 holes at the NCAA Regionals in Athens and finished the day well-positioned in third place after going +1 on the day. South Carolina, the region’s top seed, is competing against 11 other teams, and the top five advance to the NCAA Championship later this month. The Regionals wrap up on Wednesday after 54 holes of play.

🔼 On The Diamond. Gamecock baseball checked in at No. 6 in the D1 Baseball poll as the team gets ready for a busy week ahead. The squad is back on the field this afternoon, taking on North Florida at home with the first pitch slated for 4 p.m. ET. James Hicks will be on the mound for the Garnet & Black.

Then, South Carolina hits the road for another massive match-up as they’ll battle No. 3 Arkansas in a three-game weekend series starting Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. All four games this week are streaming on SEC Network+.

🔼 Tickled To Death. If anyone knows new defensive line coach Travian Robertson, it’s his former defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, who coached Roberston for four seasons in South Carolina. Johnson is loving the addition to the Gamecocks’ coaching staff. 

“I was just tickled to death. I think it’s a great hire by Shane,” Johnson said. “I think this is a really good fit for Carolina….I think he’s more than ready. And I think he’s a great fit for the situation. And I think Carolina just got better.”

🔼 Preseason Progress. The WNBA preseason is in full swing! Former Gamecocks Tiffany Mitchell and Brea Beal took the court for the Lynx on Friday, with Mitchell tallying nine points and six assists and Beal adding 17 minutes off the bench. In her 16 minutes for the Fever on Sunday, Aliyah Boston went 4-5 for eight points, while Destanni Henderson added four points and three assists and Victaria Saxton scored four points in 14 minutes.

We’re just 10 short days away from the start of the regular season!

🤔 GAMECOCK TRIVIA

Over The Wall. Gavin Casas and Ethan Petry come into this afternoon’s game with some eye-popping home run numbers: Casas is up to 19 on the season, while Petry has tallied 21. The duo has a chance to become the first pair of Gamecocks to hit 20 homers in a single season since which two former players?

Think you know? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the right answer!

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Derick Urquhart + Tim Angiolini

Urquhart and Angiolini did it in 1998.

Have a good Tuesday, y'all.