One weekend into the season, an injury bug has already hit the South Carolina baseball team.

Center fielder Tanner English broke his nose during Sunday’s doubleheader, although he never left the lineup. He’s not expected to miss any games in the upcoming weekend series against Albany, which begins Friday afternoon at Carolina Stadium.

English went 3-for-9 with three runs scored and one stolen base against Liberty. He also threw out a runner at the plate and made a spectacular diving catch on Sunday.

An injury to backup outfielder Ahmad Christian is more serious, however. He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back Monday and will miss a minimum of four weeks, with a return date of mid-March in the SEC opening series against Missouri the best-case scenario.

In his only two at-bats on the weekend, Christian, who’s also a cornerback on the football team, struck twice Sunday as designated hitter.

- Neil White