Dom Thompson-Williams eager to prove he belongs in the SEC

Dom Thompson-Williams had aspirations of playing in the SEC coming out of high school in Iowa. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the initial opportunity.

A couple of stellar seasons at Iowa Western CC landed him at South Carolina, and he is eager to prove he belongs on the field playing against the best competition in the country.

“Being from Iowa the SEC doesn’t come knocking on your door unless you throw 96-97,” Thompson-Williams said Friday. “Out of high school I wanted to play in the SEC. I didn’t have any SEC looks. I barely had D1 looks so I decided to go to junior college. Fortunately we won the national championship my freshman year and it opened up a lot of doors.”

Thompson-Williams has been nothing but impressive since arriving on campus in Columbia. He had an outstanding fall before a minor injury sidelined him, and he is slated to bat in the middle of the Gamecocks’ lineup this season.

“I think he has a chance to have a special year for us,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said. “He doesn’t have to carry us. He doesn’t have to be an All-American, even though he has the ability to do that. I’m just excited for him to get out there and get an opportunity to play in the SEC, which has always been a dream of Dom’s. I have a feeling he’ll do a lot of special things for us this year.”

Thompson-Williams has also been impressive off the field. In only a few months in Columbia he has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches.

“He’s been a presence in our locker room. It’s very rare for newcomers to come in here and resume a leadership role, but I think everyone in our locker room respects Dom. All of them might be half afraid of him too,” Holbrook joked. “He comes from a winning program, that’s all he knows. He’s one of our most explosive athletes… I’m glad he’s on our team.”

While Thompson-Williams has been impressive in Columbia, Columbia has also impressed him. He said there is a big difference between playing junior college baseball in Iowa and playing at one of the best programs in the country.

“Coming from a junior college in Iowa, it’s heaven,” Thompson-Williams said. “You come from 20 degree weather and playing 18 innings a day, it’s a big difference. We get pampered here as players, and the facilities are the best in the country. They’re top notch. You just try to wake up every day and not take that for granted.”

Still, Thompson-Williams said his time in Iowa helped make him the player he is today.

He appreciates the opportunity he has at South Carolina even more after spending two seasons at junior college.

“Do I wish I would’ve been in the SEC right out of high school? Yes. But do I regret going to JUCO? No shot. It made me who I am today and it made me what I play for,” he said. “You wake up every day, you’re lifting, you’re practicing two times a day. You can practice up to five hours a day in an afternoon. You eat, you study, you go back to bed and then you wake up and do the same thing. You come here and that’s all what it was for. Everything that I did in JUCO those two years, this is what I worked for. I’m finally here. It’s time to produce and it’s time to come out and play ball.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Dom Thompson-Williams eager to prove he belongs in the SEC."