He started for USC baseball in 2018. A former Gamecock great just gave him a job

Matt Williams just finished up his playing days with South Carolina baseball by starting for most of an NCAA Tournament run this spring.

He’s now joined a team heavy on Gamecocks influence that spent time as the No. 1 team in the country in 2018.

North Greenville’s baseball Twitter account posted the news Williams was added to the team as a graduate assistant. The Crusaders are coached by South Carolina baseball legend Landon Powell.

Williams started 33 games as a junior and 37 as a senior. He hit . 214 his final season with three home runs and 21 RBIs. He started for most of USC’s NCAA Tournament run and was credited for his steady defense at first base.

At one point this season, USC coach Mark Kingston said of Williams, “He’d be a tremendous coach. He’s smart; he has a very even keel demeanor about him. He knows the game inside and out, he has good instinct.”

The Crusaders became a resurgent program this year under Powell, who as a player led South Carolina to the 2002 College World Series finals and played 123 major league games with Oakland. North Greenville went 46-10 and won the Conference Carolinas title.

They finished the season as the top-ranked team in the country, but got knocked off in the first weekend of the Division II NCAA Tournament. NGU’s top hitter was Williams’ former USC teammate John Jones.

Many of Williams’ 2018 teammates have already found their first jobs, as South Carolina had a record number of players drafted this spring.

This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 8:39 AM with the headline "He started for USC baseball in 2018. A former Gamecock great just gave him a job."