Beau Hollins worked with Gamecock great in offseason. How it prepared him for 2026
Beau Hollins had a big freshman season with the Gamecocks. Afterward, he turned to one of the best power-hitting players in South Carolina baseball history to get ready for year two.
Hollins spent a lot of time working over winter break with former Gamecock and current Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker . Walker was part of three straight College World Series teams for South Carolina from 2010-12 and finished his career with 30 homers and 117 RBIs.
Walker was a fourth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles and is entering his 12th season in Major League Baseball.
“Worked a lot with Christian Walker,” Hollins said at USC’s media day last month. “We did everything. Worked on power, did some fielding, defensive work. It was a good time.”
Hollins tried to soak in all the advice he could from Walker, a three-time Gold Glove winner at first base.
Walker used to hit a lot with Hollins’ older brother Bubba, who played in the Miami Marlins organization. He said Walker being a first baseman and also former Gamecock are big plusses .
“That’s my guy,” Hollins said of Walker in a radio interview in 2025. “... I’m a huge fan of him. He’s a great guy. I love watching him play. Gold Glove, plays my position — he’s a good guy to look after. And he’s a Gamecock, so that’s pretty cool.”
Hollins, the son of former Gamecock and major-leaguer Dave Hollins, is expected to have a big role in Paul Mainieri’s second season with the Gamecocks and should be the team’s everyday first baseman. The USC coach mentioned Hollins during his preseason press conference about wanting to see more power numbers from his first baseman.
Hollins hit .308 with six home runs and 24 RBIs in 46 games (42 starts) last season for the Gamecocks.
“I hate to put a number on him ... but into the double digits, then he’s going to be more of a run producer for us, and that makes him a middle-of-the-order hitter. I’ve seen him hit balls a long way, but he’s got to just be more consistent and do it on a more regular basis,” Mainieri said. “I mean, hit .300 last year. So you know he’s got the talent to put the bat on the ball. ”
Hollins has been sidelined with an injured shoulder over the last few weeks after landing on it while catching a foul ball. But he played in the Gamecocks’ scrimmages over the weekend and is trending toward being back in the lineup.
USC opens the season this weekend and is coming off a disappointing 28-29 record in which it missed out on the postseason.
“We didn’t have the year we wanted to,” Hollins said. “But we built a team around hard work and discipline so it is exciting. I think with the guys we have on the team this year, it gives me fuel to want to go out there and play.
“... I am just trying to perfect my game to the max, build team camaraderie and I think we have done a good job of that so far.”
