Opening Day for baseball, regardless of the level, is always special. But for Gamecock head coach Mark Kingston who loves and respects the game, the words "opening day" are as much about a celebration of the game as it is a competition.
"If you love baseball, those are magical words. Whether it's big-league baseball, little league baseball, college baseball, Opening Day, it just makes the hair on your arms stand up," Kingston said.
"You love it. You love baseball. You love the opening day. You love the gates opening for the first time, you love looking out at our stadium and see the bunting all over like it’s the major league playoffs. You just love everything about it. You love the excitement that the team has and your fans have. As they say 'hope springs eternal' at this point for all teams around the country. So, as a baseball guy, I just love this time of the year. I love the end of the year better when you're good, but this is the next best thing."