HOOVER, Ala. — South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston interrupted a question intended for Ethan Petry that implied starting infielder Gavin Casas, who left Friday's game with an injury, might not play again this season.

"Let me answer that question before Ethan does, because it's not official that it's a done deal," Kingston said after the Gamecocks beat Kentucky 6-5 on Friday.

SEC Network reported during its broadcast that Casas left the game with a serious injury to his hamate bone, which is located on the lower edge of the hand.

The senior Vanderbilt transfer slugged a three-run homer against third-seeded Kentucky in the second inning Friday, helping the 10th-seeded Gamecocks book a place in the SEC tournament semifinals against No. 11 LSU on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

In visible discomfort, he was removed from the game in the middle of a fifth-inning at-bat. Talmadge LeCroy replaced him at third base, and should slot into the lineup for the Gamecocks (36-22) if Casas misses time.

Casas holds a .260 batting average and hit 10 home runs this season. Last year, he went deep 19 times.

"We're not going to say that Gavin's season is over yet until we exhaust all things that might get him on the field," Kingston said. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but we're not going to be of the mindset yet that it's over."

GAME STORY: South Carolina baseball walks past Kentucky into SEC Tournament semifinals

Kingston drew a comparison to former South Carolina star Christian Walker, who played the 2011 College World Series championship series with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist. He went 4-for-9 at the plate in that series.

Walker, now a big-league regular with the Arizona Diamondbacks, helped lead the Gamecocks to national titles in 2010 and 2011.

"Our official doctors still need to look at it," Kingston said. "We could potentially have a Christian Walker situation, and all the Gamecock fans know what that means."

And if Casas can't go?

"Next guy up," Petry said.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Gavin Casas injury: South Carolina baseball's Mark Kingston on outlook