Michael Braswell looks to put SEC woes aside and 'make good progress'
Michael Braswell was on top of the world last February. He had just been named the SEC Freshman of the Week and landed an NIL deal with Roc Nation Sports.
Braswell played with a lot of energy and dominated non-conference pitching. He picked up at least one hit in each of his first 17 games. He even found himself closing out some games as a right-handed pitcher.
Then SEC play started.
Braswell batted a measly .214 with 23 hits in 107 at-bats during conference games. He was able to finish last season with a .284/.365/.378 slash line, homering twice and driving in 27 runs. But he did strike out 54 times compared to his 27 walks. Needless to say, his struggles against SEC pitching were concerning.
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As Braswell enters his sophomore season, the expectations will continue to grow.
“I just want to see Michael, like all players, I just want to see him make good progress,” Mark Kingston said. “A lot of times the freshman to the sophomore year is the biggest jump for players, and for ours we’ve seen that with a lot of guys.”
Kingston isn’t necessarily wrong. Sophomore slumps can be a real thing. It’s when a player experiences a decline and fails to live up to expectations.
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But Kingston and his staff have reason to believe Braswell will have all the help he needs to avoid a drought.
“We’ve been doing this a long time. I think we have all the resources in place, all the guidance in place, that players should be getting better each and every year in all areas of your game,” he said.
Braswell started at shortstop for South Carolina last year. However, he might not retain his spot with the new season around the corner. Braylen Wimmer, who slotted at second base last year, moved over to shortstop in the fall where he played well. Along with being a solid bat at the top of the order, he could take over the position moving forward.
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That leaves Braswell in a tough spot. If Wimmer does win the job, he will have to compete with Kevin Madden for third base duties. Madden was banged up and didn’t pick up a bat throughout the fall. This could allow Braswell to slot in assuming Madden isn’t ready to go by opening day.
Regardless of how everything shakes out, he’ll have full support from Wimmer.
“He had a good year last year, he’s got no reason not to have one this year,” he said. “I think he’s going to have a better one. He’s going to play a big role, and we’re going to need him to play his role and have a good year.”
As for Braswell pitching this year, it doesn’t look likely. After dealing with a handful of injuries, the pitching staff is returning to full-strength, making the need for his services not as dire.
And it could be a good thing to get back on track. Braswell’s focus will primarily be on hitting and fielding any position he plays.
“I just want to see improvement in all areas of his game, and just see a good evolution as a player,” Kingston said.
