Hurst finding his home on football field after baseball career

Hayden Hurst’s story began long before his first practice as a Gamecock, before taking his first class in college, before playing on Saturdays in the SEC.

Before he was racking up almost 1,000 yards as a tight end at South Carolina, before being named to a preseason All-SEC, Hurst was a minor league baseball player.

Hurst, taken in the 17th round of the MLB Draft in 2012, played first base and pitched in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization for two years, in what was an eye-opening experience for a 19-year-old righthander out of high school.

He played two seasons for the Pirates’ rookie Gulf Coast League team, playing in 16 games over his career. He hit .245 and registered two RBI while pitching just one-third of an inning and giving up an earned run while walking five batters.

“It’s not what everybody assumes it is, it’s not professional baseball,” he said at SEC Media Days. “There are bus rides and peanut butter sandwiches and the pay isn’t what you think it would be. I think more than anything what that did for me was humble me.”

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The minor leagues aren’t the glitz and glamour of the major leagues with long bus rides to games, cheaper hotels and small meals given to the players in the clubhouse after games.

He takes away from that experience a lifetime of memories, one of which includes meeting one of baseball’s all-time greats one day as he was walking into a stadium while another team was taking batting practice.

“The closer you get you see the No. 2 and pinstripes, and it’s Derek Jeter,” Hurst said, flashing a grin. “We all got to our dugout and he was one of the nicest human beings ever. You never expected that it was Derek Jeter. He went down the line and shook everybody’s hand.”

But, even going through the struggles he went through, Hurst found a new outlook on life that he brings to a South Carolina team where the majority of players on it are years younger than the almost 24-year-old Hurst.

“I think riding on the bus in the minor leagues helps you, too,” head coach Will Muschamp said. “Those things you go through in life, you mature and you learn.”

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Hurst found greener pastures after baseball, heading to Columbia for a fresh start under then-head-coach Steve Spurrier and now Muschamp.

Almost three years after giving up his professional baseball career, Hurst has seemingly found a home on the football field instead of on the diamond.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, Hurst was one of the breakout tight ends last year in the SEC, catching passes for 616 yards and a touchdown while breaking the school record for catches in a season by a tight end with 48.

He’s won over his teammates, building a bond with the majority of the team, including starting quarterback Jake Bentley who’s almost five years younger than Hurst.

“It was a little bizarre to walk onto campus as a 21-year-old freshman. The guys have kind of taken me in even though I’ll be 24 in August, so it’s a little weird. I feel like I’ve gained their respect and trust,” Hurst said. “It’s been a good experience.”

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The Gamecock offense is loaded with returning players, bringing back the six players who led the team in receiving last year including Hurst and starting wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards.

He’s come a long way from a wide-eyed teenager in Single-A baseball, and he was named to the preseason Second-Team All-SEC team heading into this season. Last year, he was named one of the team’s permanent captains, a title he’ll retain this year.

“He brings an element of maturity to the group, and because baseball didn't work for him, he chose another avenue,” Muschamp said. “So to have that maturity on our football team, to see his work ethic and the example he sets for the younger players is invaluable for me as a coach.”

Heading into his junior season, he’ll turn 24 a little over a week before the Gamecocks start their season against NC State Sept. 2.

As he prepares to lead the Gamecocks into what they hope is a second-straight season ending in a bowl game, he takes with him the experiences and the lessons he’s learned from his stint in baseball.

It’s something that’ll stick with him for the rest of his life, and something he’ll be forever grateful for.

“I didn’t have the success I’ve had here, so I kind of felt what the bottom’s like,” Hurst said. “I don’t get too high on the highs and too low on the lows. As tough as it was, it was probably the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.”