South Carolina baseball has had a slow start to the 2026 season under head coach Paul Mainieri. So far, the Gamecocks are 12-10 (0-3 SEC) and recently suffered a series sweep against No. 23 Florida.
Despite the season's uneventfulness, the emergence of true freshman infielder Will Craddock has provided a bright spot for the South Carolina offense, which currently sits dead last in the SEC, with a team batting average of .260.
Ever since Craddock arrived on campus over the summer, Mainieri has spoken very highly of Craddock and his abilities and personality in the dugout.
“I love Will Craddock now,” Mainieri said. “I think he’s got a very bright future. When you watch batting practice, he hits it as far as anyone does. He obviously has the physical tools to do it, and he’s very versatile.”
In his first start on Feb. 18 against Gardner-Webb, he reached base five times, with three hits and four runs. Since then, Craddock has made it hard for Mainieri and the staff to leave him out of the lineup.
In his 17 games so far, Craddock leads the team with a .393 batting average, paired with five home runs, five doubles and 15 RBI.
High impacts from Anderson to Columbia
The Anderson, South Carolina, native was a dominant player who spent six years in the T.L. Hanna High School baseball program. A three-year varsity starter for the Yellow Jackets, Craddock was an All-Region selection each year, as well as an All-State selection in 2024 and 2025.
In his senior year campaign, Craddock hit .442 with 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and eight doubles. That performance helped him to earn South Carolina 5A Player of the Year honors.
During his time at T.L. Hanna, Craddock was coached by Daniel Crenshaw, who admitted he was not surprised at Craddock’s early success at Carolina.
“He’s always had a calm, even professional-like demeanor about him the whole time he was here,” Crenshaw said. “He was always prepared, he was always confident in his ability, and that’s transferring to what he’s doing at Carolina right now.”
Coming up through the program at T.L. Hanna, Craddock played as a shortstop. With South Carolina already having another talented shortstop in sophomore KJ Scobey, Craddock used his experience at other corners of the infield to find playing time.
The true freshman has made starts at first base, second base and as a designated hitter for South Carolina. In his junior and senior years at T.L. Hanna, Craddock had an arm injury that led to Crenshaw moving him to both sides of the infield.
“Being a true shortstop, which is what he is, it gives him the athleticism to be able to play at any of the infield spots,” Crenshaw said.
One other aspect of Craddock’s experience in high school that has helped early on in his college career is his familiarity with batting leadoff, making 12 starts so far this season in that role. Craddock was moved to the leadoff spot during his sophomore year at T.L. Hanna and was what Crenshaw called “a threat right from the beginning of the game.”
Comparisons to a former Gamecock great
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Craddock has already garnered comparisons to a former Gamecock, Ethan Petry, who stood at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. Petry was a three-year starter for South Carolina and was a second-round draft pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Petry, like Craddock, did not start on Opening Day of his freshman year, but later became a key player in the everyday lineup for the rest of his collegiate career.
While Craddock’s transition from high school to college baseball has not proven to be too much for the true freshman, he mentioned how he has received guidance from teammates. Fifth-year catcher Talmadge LeCroy, who also hails from the Upstate, is someone Craddock mentioned as a mentor.
“All the guys are awesome. They’re all like brothers to me,” Craddock said. "Talmadge is probably the closest one. There are all the infielders, all the hitters. We’re a very tight group, so I appreciate all of them.”