Tyler Causey gains a new perspective for baseball after missing last year
The path to SEC baseball is a unique one for senior infielder Tyler Causey. Despite having the game he grew up loving taken away from him, Causey developed a new perspective for baseball.
“Not playing for a year, I just got to see a whole new perspective of the game. I kind of found my love for the game again. There was a time where I really didn’t have it and being away from it,” Causey said. “Coming back to it makes you want to work that much harder.”
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As a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill, Causey saw his first year cut short by the Coronavirus after appearing in only 10 games. In the following season, Causey batted .250 with two home runs and six RBIs.
Just as things were looking up in Causey’s baseball career, a injury to his shoulder caused major setbacks. However, even after rehab, Causey missed the 2022-2023 season and hung up his cleats.
Causey thought that this would be the end of his time as a player. But instead of giving up, he entered the transfer portal for a fresh start.
“It was definitely tough, that year of not playing baseball and then thinking you might be done forever,” Causey said.
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Monte Lee and the Gamecocks took a chance on Causey and recruited him from the transfer portal. In just a few games, the future for him as a Gamecock is looking bright.
“I mean that hurt and being given an opportunity here was just an absolute blessing and I can’t thank the coaching staff enough,” Causey said. “I can’t thank the guys on this team for allowing me to come in and just be the player that I am.”
Opening weekend against Miami (Ohio), Causey had three hits and one RBI. Emphatically, just four games into the 2024 season, he hit his first homer as a Gamecock against Winthrop on Tuesday. Also against Winthrop, he scored three runs off of two hits.
“Having it taken away from you, you know how they say you don’t love something until you’ve lost it or whatever the saying it, that’s kind of the case,” he said.
