Most baseball programs build their recruiting classes around highly ranked high school seniors who sign with them instead of turning pro, but South Carolina has always had a knack for mining the junior college ranks. Players like L.B. Dantzler, Elliott Caldwell and Steve Pearce all joined the South Carolina program as junior college transfers and turned into stars during their time in Columbia. New Gamecock outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams from Iowa Western Community College looks to carry on that tradition.
Thompson-Williams hit over .400 in both seasons at Iowa Western and was rated the No. 35 junior college prospect by Perfect Game. Thompson-Williams emphasized that Coach Holbrook's staff made a priority in targeting him.
"I had other looks out of JUCO, but, you know, none of them really wanted me as much as here," he said. "When I came here, I've seen the best facilities in the country and the coaching staff and the past history. It all came together and made my decision pretty easy."
Thompson-Williams has a beautiful natural swing from the left side and is an explosive athlete, but he still anticipates the challenge he will face in his transition to hit SEC pitching.
"That's kind of the reason why I came here. I wanted to play in the best conference in the world," he said.
Thompson-Williams has a football background, and it's easy to tell by looking at him. He was a standout wide receiver and initially signed to play football at Iowa Western. In addition to the physicality his football career gives him, Thompson-Williams sees the crossover between the two sports while in the outfield and on the bases, saying that it translates to "running to go catch a ball in the outfield and ... making a quick cut to second, and just trying to get a good jump."
On his approach at the plate, Thompson-Williams tries to keep it simple. "I am just looking to find the barrel," he said.
South Carolina has really focused on revamping their outfield since last season and Coach Holbrook will have plenty of options when filling out his lineup card, but Thompson-Williams looks like he will play a big role for the Gamecocks in 2016. He has all the natural tools and the work ethic to become a special player if he can make the transition to SEC play.