Jersey numbers mean a lot of different things to a lot of different players in a lot of different sports.
A lot of the time, players wear the same number—if available—starting as a kid and going through high school, college and professionally as they progress up.
Dallas Beaver’s number means just as much to him, but it’s one he just recently started wearing less than five years ago.
“I had a friend in high school where we played together, we signed together to go to UCF. He passed away before we had the opportunity to do so. I was really close to him and it meant a lot to wear his number,” Beaver said. “I asked his parents and his parents were more than willing for me to wear his number. It was something really special at my old school with Knights on the front and 38 on the back.”
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Beaver, coming out of Osceola High School in Florida, was all set to play with one of his childhood friends and a guy he grew up around in Joe Skinner, who always wore No. 38.
The two grew up together and went to high schools separated by less than 30 miles on Interstate-4.
As Skinner was getting ready to start the MLB draft process, he was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away in April of 2016, a few months before he was supposed to enroll at Central Florida with Beaver.
Beaver still went and turned in a solid four-year career wearing the number Skinner always wore growing up, 38, as he went to a Regional as a freshman before hitting .316/.455/.545 with 12 homers and 56 RBI as a junior last season.
After that year, he opted to transfer and ended up at South Carolina hoping to continue on the tradition.
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“Whenever I decided to transfer I didn’t know if I would be able to continue that on; I’m really grateful to be able to continue to wear his number,” he said.
The only snag in the plan was when he arrived the number was already taken by Wes Clarke, who had wore in all of 2019 as a freshman.
Clarke was already thinking about potentially changing his number and when Beaver approached him about it, Clarke did it without hesitation and moved to No. 28, the same number his dad wore while playing.
“I owe him a steak dinner still. Whenever I asked him, he said he was more than willing,” Beaver said. “I told him the story. He was more than willing to give it up. I think his dad wore 28 so he wanted to switch to 28, too. It worked out well. I still owe him a steak dinner.”
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Beaver now gets to wear No. 38 for the final time in college as he tries to help South Carolina rebound from a disappointing season last year where the Gamecocks missed the NCAA Tournament.
The grad transfer wasn't here for that season but he hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since his freshman year either and wants to get back.
The Gamecocks bring in one of the top 10 recruiting classes in the country with Beaver and fellow grad transfer Bryant Bowen a part of it, and open the season in three weeks (Feb. 14) against Holy Cross.
“We’re ready to get going,” he said. “Omaha’s the ultimate goal but with the year they had last year I know it left a bad taste is some guys’ mouths, especially the coaching staff. We’re eager to get out there and prove we belong. We feel like we have the talent to do so. It’s going to be one pitch and one game at a time.”
