Five USC baseball players to watch this fall

DC Arendas, Sr., Inf – As one of only four seniors on the team, Arendas will be counted on to provide leadership in addition to hitting and fielding. He will look to get back to his sophomore form after hitting a disappointing .215 as a junior.

Alex Destino, So., 1B/DH/P – Rated as one of the top players in the country coming out of high school, Destino had an up-and-down freshman year. He got off to a hot start but finished the season hitting .251. The Weaverville, N.C. native did blast six homers and add 35 RBIs. He has a chance to replace Kyle Martin at first base and could also pitch some.

Adam Hill, Fr., P – The freshman from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson “turned down a fair amount of money to come to school,” according to Chad Holbrook. He’s one of several guys competing for a spot as a weekend starter.

Clarke Schmidt, So., P – He will look to work on his consistency after showing flashes of greatness as a freshman. The Georgia native pitched well at the end of last season and will try to build on that as he looks to earn a spot as a weekend starter.

Dom Thompson-Williams, Jr., OF – Holbrook searched for junior college prospects ready to help right away after a down year in 2015. Thompson-Williams should be able to provide immediate help. He hit .407 with 20 stolen bases and 44 RBIs last year at Iowa Western Community College and has USC’s coaching staff excited to see what he can produce.