What to Know About USM Baseball's Latest JUCO Signee, Brock Clayton

The Golden Eagles landed a versatile JUCO left-handed batter in Brock Clayton last week. Where will he end up in the lineup?

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. - With the return of redshirt-senior catcher Tucker Stockman, senior catcher Lawson Odom, and redshirt-freshman Cade Adams, along with the addition of freshman catcher/utilityman Shaun Cover, who was the 2026 Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year, it seemed as if the Golden Eagles might stay put in the catcher department.

That was not the case, however, as the Golden Eagles landed one of the top catchers on the junior college level in Brock Clayton, who recently committed to Southern Miss after playing last season at Northwest Florida State College.

Clayton By The Numbers

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Growing up in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Clayton played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Gulf Breeze High School, where he appeared in 23 games. After two years, he transferred to Pensacola Catholic High School, where he was elected to the 2024 Prep Baseball Florida First Team All-State team with a .466 batting average, along with four home runs and 28 runs batted in.

After redshirting his freshman year of college at the University of Florida, Clayton transferred to Northwest Florida State College. In 49 games played, Clayton held a .353 batting average with nine home runs and 42 runs batted in on the year. From behind the plate, he caught ten runners stealing, ranking tenth in the country out of all catchers. Originally, Clayton was committed to the University of South Carolina. After coaching changes occurred, he reopened his recruitment and committed to the Golden Eagles.

What Position Will Clayton Play?

Josh House

As previously mentioned, the return of Stockman and Odom makes this commitment very interesting. Over the past two years, Stockman has served as the solidified starting catcher with Odom as his backup. This past season, Stockman held a .239 batting average with seven home runs and 33 runs batted in while Odom held a .125 batting average with one home run and six runs batted in.

Now, let's be reasonable: going into the fall, Stockman will be the starting catcher. He's earned it over the past two years with many clutch moments in big spots for the Golden Eagles. But there's certainly nothing wrong with some added competition. Can Clayton create a true competition for either the backup or starting catcher position? Perhaps. But at the very least, he'll be in the running for the designated hitter spot in the lineup: a spot that was unfortunately a revolving door for the Golden Eagles during the 2026 season. Although Clayton throws right-handed, he bats left-handed, so he could potentially be a valuable lefty bat in next year's lineup. He can also play in the outfield, from what we've been told, so that's another area to keep an eye on going into next season.

While the move may come as a surprise, at least from the standpoint of Clayton's primary position, it's essential for a team looking to get back to Omaha to have maximum value at the catcher position. Throughout the fall, it'll be interesting to see how Clayton competes with the other experienced catchers who remained on the roster and where head coach Christian Ostrander and his staff end up placing him when it's all said and done. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more offseason coverage of USM baseball, basketball and football in the coming weeks.