The former Charleston Southern outfielder who lost his mother in the Charleston church shooting in June 2015 was on-hand to give his message of strength and positivity as the Gamecocks get ready for opening day Friday.

Chris Singleton has turned unbelievable tragedy into something special, and Wednesday he was able to deliver that message to the Gamecock baseball team.

“I thought it was well worth it. I’m glad he came,” infielder Madison Stokes said. “I thought it was very neat experience. He’s a great man. He’s been through a lot and to see his internal strength, mental strength and the way he came out of that really taught us a lot.”

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Singleton played for Stuart Lake at Charleston Southern, which is how he ended up coming to Columbia for a day to talk to the team.

After his mother died, he finished his career as a Pirate, starting all 51 games and hitting .276 with 21 RBI.

And, after all the struggles he went through as a college student still trying to mature, he was drafted in the 19th round by the Chicago Cubs and is currently in the team’s minor league system.

It was an inspiring story, and one that will stick with this South Carolina team for a while.

“The way he’s responded to that is amazing,” pitcher Adam Hill said. “His mental strength in baseball and in life is amazing. It was great getting to talk to him.”

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Singleton’s been in the news since that day in mid-June, and he hasn’t shied away from sharing his message of acceptance and positivity.

After the families of the victims in the shooting forgave the shooter, Dylann Roof, Singleton was the subject of an E:60 feature on ESPN.

The same feature that head coach stumbled on again just a few days before the now professional player was scheduled to come to his ballpark.

Kingston said he watched the piece maybe four or five times the other day, bringing his wife and kids in to the room to make sure they could see it too.

Then, it was his turn to hear Singleton’s message of not giving into hate in person.

“He chose to go the other way, to make something positive out of it,” Kingston said. “To meet this individual was a true honor for me, one of my highlights.”

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Singleton’s message to the team applied to not just baseball, but to life.

It focused on having the inner strength to push through obstacles and make sure they don’t give in.

That was good for a team getting ready to start it’s season to hear, Kingston said.

“You will be tested,” he said. “The mental toughness you have to have to get through the tough times can only come from within. That message was tremendous for our team to hear.”