Holbrook: Cullen and Hopkins most improved in the fall

South Carolina sophomores Chris Cullen and TJ Hopkins played important roles for the Gamecocks last season, but USC coach Chad Holbrook expects them to improve in 2017.

Holbrook told The State that Cullen, a catcher, and Hopkins, an outfielder, both improved greatly this offseason.

Cullen played in 50 games with 41 starts in 2016 and hit .238 with one homer, 11 doubles and 23 RBIs. Hopkins played in 43 games with 31 starts and hit .322 with one homer, one triple, five doubles and 26 RBIs.

“I think those guys are ready to take another step,” Holbrook said. “Cullen led our team in extra-base hits in the fall and was one of our leading hitters in the fall as well. He’s a much more confident hitter than he was a year ago.”

Holbrook said several other players are improved from last year, including Danny Blair, John Jones and Hunter Taylor.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The new players’ lounge and media room at Founders Park are still under construction and won’t be complete for the start of the regular season.

The old media room on the first floor of Founders Park is being transformed into a players’ lounge with a variety of seating and tables for studying and recreation.

The new media room is being constructed on the second level and will feature tiered theatre-style seating, as well as video equipment. It can double as a team meeting space.

The total cost of the project is almost $1 million.

“We’re probably about six weeks away from our players’ lounge being completed and maybe six-to-eight on our media room,” Holbrook said. “But it’s going to be great additions to our stadium and will be very nice.”

NEWCOMERS READY

Versatile freshman Carlos Cortes is a newcomer Holbrook expects to be a big part of USC’s team this season.

The Florida native was rated as one of the top 130 overall prospects for the 2016 MLB draft by D1Baseball, MLB.com and Baseball America before being drafted in the 20^th round and opting to attend South Carolina.

Cortes is one of several newcomers who have impressedHolbrook. He also mentioned Jacob Olson, Riley Hogan and Joey Polak.

“I don’t know how many opportunities they’ll get early, but they’ve shown flashes of being really good players for us down the road,” Holbrook said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Holbrook: Cullen and Hopkins most improved in the fall."