DC Arendas using senior season as teaching tool

DC Arendas may not have the biggest bat or the loudest mouth, but when his quiet voice does decide to pipe up, his teammates listen.

“He doesn’t come across as the loudest guy on the field, but he definitely has an impact on all of us,” freshman infielder LT Tolbert said. “He’ll talk to you whenever nobody’s looking.”

Arendas, a second baseman, is one of only three seniors on the roster. He’s also the one of two seniors to play all four years at South Carolina.

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This is his last rodeo in the garnet and black and as one of the oldest players on the team, he’s enjoying his role as the seasoned vet among a squad of 25 freshmen and sophomores.

“It’s a lot of fun. You get to meet some new guys,” Arendas said. “I think everyone’s getting more and more on the same page every day; you get to develop a relationship on a deeper level, something you start trying to build in the fall, and it’s exciting to see that start carrying over in the Spring.”

And carry over to the spring the chemistry has. The Gamecocks have bolted off to a 24-5 start behind the combination of senior leadership and solid play from newcomers like Tolbert, John Jones and Dom Thompson-Williams.

Throughout the season, the team has boasted winning streaks of 13- and 10-game winning streaks. Peppered between that were series losses to Clemson and Vanderbilt along with a midweek loss last Tuesday to College of Charleston.

But those losses don’t mean a lot to Arendas, who’s seen his fair share over three years. In fact, he even said those can help the team in the long run.

“The great thing about the season is you face adversity,” he said. “That helps you go to a deeper level as well.”

While Arendas hasn’t been the most consistent on offense this season—he’s batting .241 with an OBP of .344—his defense (and .989 fielding percentage) is what keeps him a mainstay in the lineup.

And that kind of consistency in the field speaks volumes for young players like Tolbert.

Tolbert, who is the closest in proximity to Arendas on the field at first base, said seeing him over there is really important. He said the two talk after every play and Arendas keeps him calm during games.

And throughout the season, Arendas has tried to teach Tolbert and the newcomers anything he can.

“He really shows his best leadership skills in the dugout,” Tolbert said. “He’s really not a real vocal guy on but that’s okay. That’s how he is. He’s vocal when he needs to be. He’s done tremendous things for me.”

Arendas joked heading into SEC play there hadn’t been much of a learning trying to keep up with the young and lively players. But as a player who’s been around the block in the SEC a time or two (or three), he knows what it takes to be successful in the league.

And he’s going to take every opportunity to show that to the young players under his wing.

“Everything they’re going through is not new; it’s the same game they’ve been playing so I just want to continue to reach out to them in whatever way I can—on or off the field—and be there for them, whatever it is.”

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