2019 Hall of Fame Inductee: Derick Urquhart
Derick Urquhart earned a lot of accolades while playing baseball at South Carolina from 1995-1998. Now he’ll be a member of the 2019 Class for the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame sponsored by the Association of Lettermen. Urquhart holds the Gamecock record with 223 runs scored in a career while owning a .332 batting average. He also ranks among the all-time career leaders in doubles (T6th-51), hits (T4th-265), RBIs (7th-180) and total bases (5th).
Urquhart felt that the induction was unexpected, and for the news of it to come from his former coach, and current South Carolina Athletics Director, made it even more enjoyable.
“It was a surprise. Coach (Ray) Tanner reached out to me,” Urquhart said. “The morning he called and shared the news it was special. Being the athletic director now but a coach for me that was really special. It was completely unexpected. Being from the state of South Carolina, being born and raised here, and to be recognized by the college where you spent four big years meant a lot. I had some real fun years there and have a got a lot of great memories athletically, academically, and socially. It’s a reflection of everything. It’s hard to believe it’s almost been 25 years now, but all the great games and memories just came flooding back to me.”
It was meaningful for him to hear the news from Tanner because they had built a relationship early in Urquhart’s career.
“He and I had a relationship prior to when I came to South Carolina,” Urquhart said. “My senior year in high school, he was the head coach at North Carolina State. I was almost set on going there before South Carolina came into the picture. Coach Tanner was interested, and I built a relationship with him during the recruiting process. Fortunately for me, two years later he joined our staff and it worked out for both of us. Coach (June) Raines, who was there my first two years, gave me the opportunity and believed in me as well, and he believed I could play right away”
Urquhart is one of only seven players to hit for a cycle at South Carolina and is the only player to do it twice. He joked about the time he did it without knowing he was the first. “At the time I didn’t realize anything. The late Tom Price, our sports information director at the time, brought it to my attention. He was the historian. He told me I was the first one to hit for the cycle for the university. I had no clue. It happened again my senior year. I think I’m the only one to have done it twice.”
“They got me to the point of being able to be drafted, and I owe a ton to those coaching staffs.”
Many memories came to mind when Urquhart was named in the Hall of Fame class. “I look back as well to my junior year and the crazy game against Clemson. We scored 38 runs and I’ve just never seen anything like that before. That game stands out. Beating your rival is great. Going into my senior year as well, the whole year was just special, because we had not made the regionals the first three years. We had been through a coaching change. We had a lot of players leave.
“We had not been able to experience, by our standards, a truly successful season and make the regionals and a run at a SEC title. So, we got that opportunity our senior year. It just clicked. Peaking at number three in the country at one point and getting lots of national attention. We ended up having a roster loaded with Major League Baseball draft potential guys and All-Americans. We had team comradery. Offensively we had speed and power. We went from middle to bottom half of the SEC my freshman year, to going to a regional and up to the top of the SEC. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. We hoped that it was one of the sparks that led to a few years later the three-year run to the World Series. We were part of that foundation that lead to some special things.”
Urquhart said his experiences as a Gamecock influenced his professional career.
“I was fortunate to play pro-ball for six years,” Urquhart said. “Taking part in spring training with some big teams was special. I got to play and train with some big-name guys. I was part of the Angels organization when they won the World Series. I was in spring training with them that season and the year after, and I knew my role. To be a part of that organization was really fun, but going back, if it wasn’t for the coaches, both Coach Raines’ staff and Coach Tanner’s staff at South Carolina, I would not have had that experience. They taught me the game and improved my game. They got me to the point of being able to be drafted, and I owe a ton to those coaching staffs.”
Currently Urquhart manages the Florence (S.C.) American Legion baseball team. After 14 seasons with them, he is the program’s all-time winningest coach.
“I like where I am, I think I’ve found me little niche,” Urquhart said. “I enjoy the recruiting aspect of the sport here locally. I treat it like a college and recruit the guys that I want. We structure our practices and our games just how we had at Carolina. I’ve enjoyed that. My family is from Florence and I came back home to settle down. I had opportunities in the past to coach professionally, but the timing just wasn’t right. But I’ll never say never.”
For now, Urquhart is looking forward to being back on campus for the Hall of Fame induction.
“It’s also the same weekend as the baseball alumni weekend so a lot of my former teammates and players I got to know over the years will be back in town,” Urquhart said. “We’ll have the golf tournament Friday morning and then our alumni game in the evening. So, I’ll get to see everybody and that’s always fun with a huge crowd. I’m really looking forward to the whole weekend experience catching up with everybody. I enjoy telling the stories, they get a little bigger and further from the truth each year.
“It’s just a tremendous honor. One of the proudest things in pro-ball is when you’re being introduced ‘from the University of South Carolina’. I take a lot of pride from that. I take a lot of pride in my school and where I’m from. My experiences ever since college have been influenced by my four years at Carolina, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”
Derick Urquhart as well as eight others will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 17, at Colonial Life Arena, as well as recognized at the South Carolina-Florida football game on Saturday, October 19.
To read more about the 2019 Hall of Fame class, click here.
