Hollins Ready to Make Bigger Impact

Beau Hollins comes from a competitive family. So, it’s no surprise that the sophomore switch-hitting first baseman for South Carolina baseball had a successful rookie season last year and intends to make a greater impact this spring.

“As a freshman last year, I was just getting my feet wet and learning how things were in college baseball,” said Hollins, who batted .308, with 6 home runs, and 24 RBI as a freshman. All six of his long balls came in SEC play. “Now I have a feel for it, and I’m more comfortable. I worked hard all summer to get stronger, faster, bigger, and better. I came in expecting to win that first base job and play because I have high expectations for myself. There’s always room to grow and get better.

“Baseball is everything to me. I wake up thinking about what I have to do to get better that day. I get my sleep and recovery. I eat well. Everything revolves around it. I love every aspect of the game. It teaches you how to be a man as well. I’ve been playing since I was four or five years old. I grew up around a baseball family. I grew up around club houses and MLB and college guys.”

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. His father, Dave, played for South Carolina from 1985 to 1987 and later played 12 years of Major League Baseball, which included an All-Star appearance and a trip to the World Series in 1983 with the Philadelphia Phillies. His uncle, Paul, also played for the Gamecocks from 1978-1981. The competitive nature doesn’t end there, but as the son of a Major Leaguer, Hollins wasn’t living in his father’s shadow.

“I learned to take what some people call pressure and turn it into fun,” said Hollins, who is the youngest of five children with one brother (Bubba), who also played professional baseball in the Miami Marlins organization, and three sisters who played college tennis. “Everybody knows how hard the game is. My dad told me he was always hard on himself, and he told me to be the opposite and to have fun and enjoy the game. It’s a blast.”

Hollins also played tennis, football, basketball, and hockey growing up in Buffalo, New York before moving to Lexington, South Carolina, but he knew baseball was his future, and his dad had a big impact on his life.

“I grew up wanting to be like him,” said Hollins, who is studying sports media. “I wanted to be a switch hitter and play in the big leagues. He was tough on me as a kid in trying to get me to be the best version of myself and not have any regrets. I loved that. He was always there for me, even when he was working. Between him and my brother, I spend a lot of time picking their brains and listening to what they have to say.

“With this game, you’re going to fail a lot. If you hit .300, that means you’re getting out seven out of ten times. You have to know that going in. I think my faith in Jesus helps with that a lot and understanding that it’s a game. You have to trust all the work you put in during the offseason. Some days, it’s just not going to work, and you’re going to go out there the next day and give it all you’ve got.”

While he doesn’t like to look too far ahead, he does have his eyes set on the future this spring as well as beyond baseball.

“Obviously, we want to get to Omaha for the College World Series,” Hollins said. “We want to win. For me, I just want to stay consistent and not look too far ahead. I want to get as many RBIs and hits for the team and play the best defense that I can. I’m going to go out there every day and give it all I’ve got. I have faith in our team. I see the way these guys work every day, and I see how bad my teammates want to win. It’s a good feeling.

“After I’m done playing, I want to follow my dad’s footsteps. He was a coach and a scout. I would love to be a college head coach one day. Seeing how my coaches here work, that seems like something I’d really like to do.”