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South Carolina Baseball: Looking back at the Gamecocks career of Jackie Bradley Jr

By Matt Melton

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 29: Jackie Bradley, Jr. #19 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with the Championshop trophy after defeating the UCLA Bruins in game 2 of the men's 2010 NCAA College Baseball World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 29, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Gamecocks defeated the Bruins 2-1 in eleven innings to win the National Championship. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - JUNE 29: Jackie Bradley, Jr. #19 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with the Championshop trophy after defeating the UCLA Bruins in game 2 of the men's 2010 NCAA College Baseball World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 29, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Gamecocks defeated the Bruins 2-1 in eleven innings to win the National Championship. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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A three-year player in Columbia, Jackie Bradley Jr is likely remembered most by South Carolina Baseball fans by the impact the star outfielder had during two of the best seasons in Gamecocks history. One of the greatest hitters that South Carolina has seen in recent memory as well, where does Bradley rank among the Gamecocks all-time greats?

Looking back at the South Carolina Baseball career of Jackie Bradley Jr

A prep outfielder from the state of Virginia, Bradley would originally commit to South Carolina in the Class of 2008 where he attended Prince George High School. An instant-impact player with the Gamecocks, Bradley would go-on to have success as a freshman in Columbia as one of South Carolina’s top hitters, batting for a .349 AVG with 11 HR and 46 RBI to earn honors such as SEC All-Freshman Team and a consensus 2009 Freshman All-American.

That success would continue for Bradley during the 2010 season as a sophomore, batting for a phenomenal .368 AVG with 13 HR and 60 RBI to help lead South Carolina Baseball to their first national championship in program history. Also holding a phenomenal .993 FLD% defensively, Bradley would receive numerous honors once again as a sophomore that included Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team, as well as being named Most Outstanding Player and All-Tournament Team at the College World Series.

Following that phenomenal season, Bradley would go-on to play in only 42 games during the 2011 season due to an injury, batting for a .247 AVG with 6 HR during that span. A top collegiate MLB Draft prospect, Bradley would be selected with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft at seasons end by the Boston Red Sox, beginning his professional career.

Looking back at his time at South Carolina however, Bradley would appear in a total of 172 games with the Gamecocks, batting for a combined .331 AVG with 30 HR, 133 RBI, and 17 SB. Of Bradley’s 67 career extra-base hits, 33 went for doubles, while he also held a career .986 FLD% in the Gamecocks outfield.

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Since making his MLB debut with Boston in 2013, Bradley has spent all but one year of his 10-year major league career with the Red Sox (2021 with Milwaukee Brewers). Across Bradley’s 1,000+ career games at the major league level up to this point, the former South Carolina outfielder’s career accolades include one All-Star appearance, one Gold Glove, a one-time World Series champion, and the 2018 ALCS MVP.

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