South Carolina Baseball: Former Gamecock star retires

Grayson Greiner was one of the greatest catchers to ever come through the South Carolina baseball program. He arrived on campus after the Gamecocks won two straight national titles and was an important piece on the team that made it to a third-straight championship series. Greiner also provided multi-year stability to a position that had seen lots of players rotate in and out since Landon Powell’s graduation a decade earlier. He hit in the middle of a batting order with players like Christian Walker and Joey Pankake.

On Monday, Greiner announced his retirement from professional baseball.

After graduating from South Carolina, Greiner played nine years in professional baseball, including five as a Major League player. One of the tallest catchers in baseball history at 6’6″, Greiner defied the odds to have a solid pro career in which he had several stints as the starting catcher with the Detroit Tigers. His retirement comes at 30 years old after a short Minor League run in 2023.

While in college in Columbia, Greiner was a middle-of-the-order bat and an exceptional catcher who started immediately upon arrival to the Gamecock Baseball program. One of his best performances came in a two-homer game against rival Clemson during his freshman year. Greiner racked up the accolades while in garnet and black, as well, including making the Freshman All-American team, two All-SEC teams, and an All-Defense team. No three-year Gamecock catcher has as many home runs, RBI, hits, or runs as Greiner.

As a pro, Greiner was primarily a backup but spent some time as the starting backstop for the Detroit Tigers. His best stretch of play came as a rookie when he hit three home runs in a span of just eleven at-bats.