South Carolina was supposed to be one of the top teams in the nation this season, and in addition to a strong pitching staff, Alex Destino was a big reason why the Gamecocks were picked to reach the College World Series.
The junior was the leading returning hitter for the Gamecocks after batting .321 a season ago, and he led USC in homers with 10 and RBIs with 59 in 2016 as Carolina advanced to a Super Regional.
Through the first five weeks of the season, the outfielder/DH was hitting .315, was tied for the team lead in homers with four and led the Gamecocks in RBIs with 18.