The scene may not have been written in a Hollywood script. But for College of Charleston infielder/outfielder Trotter Harlan, the moment was no less gratifying.

The Fountain Inn, South Carolina native grew up down the street from a special needs child named Trey Halloran. Harlan, the 2019 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, went to Hillcrest High School with Trey’s brother. 

On February 22, 2020, Harlan was playing against Youngstown State as a College of Charleston freshman. In a game that featured two six-run innings by the Cougars during a 14-4 rout, Harlan scored three times and hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run blast. It would turn out to be his only homer that season, but Trey and his family were there to witness it.

Harlan didn’t make one of those feel-good promises to hit a homer for Trey before the game. But there was no need. The best moment for Harlan was the look of excitement on Trey’s face.

“It was something that just happened,” Harlan recalled. 

“It would have been pretty cool if I had promised him. It’s always cool when he can come down to a game.”

The fact there was no fanfare isn’t all that surprising. Harlan prefers to keep a low profile, stay true to himself, and let his play on the field set the tone for the rest of the team.

“Trotter’s more of a quiet kid when he plays,” Cougars head coach Chad Holbrook said. 

“He’s extremely focused when the game’s going on.” 

That'll work Trot. Cougs strike first.#comeCus x @TrotterHarlan pic.twitter.com/Wm5dXXHNLT

— CofC Baseball (@CofCBaseball) April 12, 2022

James Trotter Harlan was named after his father, but goes by his middle name to avoid confusion. He became passionate about baseball around age 10, thanks to his dad, who played high school ball and remained a big fan of the game. It was during his middle school years that Trotter began to realize playing at an elite level was a possibility.

At Hillcrest, Harlan batted .565 with 10 homers and 33 RBI as a senior, and was named a Preseason Under Armour All-American. He stole 29 bases without being caught, and posted a 4-3 record on the mound with two saves and 53 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.

Despite those impressive numbers, the Gatorade POY Award came as a surprise to him.

“It was a huge accomplishment,” Harlan said. 

“I never honestly thought that it would happen. I had a really good senior year and it ended up working out. I don’t think it ever really sunk in.”

Harlan was recruited by several area schools including Clemson and South Carolina. Prior to his arrival at College of Charleston, Holbrook was the head coach at South Carolina for five seasons. He led the Gamecocks to three appearances in the NCAA Regionals and two in the Super Regionals. Before that, he spent four seasons as the program’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under Ray Tanner, and was a part of the team’s back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011.

Holbrook first saw Harlan while still at South Carolina. Upon taking the job with the Cougars, recruiting him became a top priority.

“We knew he was a really good player,” Holbrook recalled. 

“I think there was a comfort level and familiarity with each other. We knew we were getting a really good kid.” 

Harlan can’t help but get a little more pumped against teams that recruited him. The Cougars routed Clemson in back-to-back seasons, winning 11-2 in 2020 and 13-6 last season. In a tough 2-1 loss to the Tigers this past February, Harlan drew a career-high three walks to extend his reached base streak to 16 games. He also stole two bases. 

“Those are definitely big-time games that you want to win, especially going up to Clemson,” he said. 

“It’s kind of like a home game. You want to beat them every time you go up there.” 

Harlan started 14 games his freshman season, hitting .321 with a homer, five RBI, two doubles and two triples. He had the misfortune of starting his collegiate career in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the remainder of the season. The Cougars were 12-2 before the stoppage occurred.

Last season, Harlan started 51 games, batting .291 with five homers, 24 RBI, 11 doubles and 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts. He finished the season on a 12-game hitting streak, including a homer against William & Mary in the CAA Tournament. The Cougars finished 27-25 overall, 12-12 in conference play.

“Last year, I was a little up and down,” Harlan said. 

“Things weren’t going my way all the time. I was fluctuating in my head, stuff like that, trying to focus. I don’t know if I ever really got too comfortable… It was a difficult season with everything going on.” 

In high school, Harlan didn’t spend much time in the weight room. He spent the majority of this past offseason lifting more weights and getting more leverage out of his swing.

“The swing feels much better than it has in the past,” he said. 

“Physically, I’m getting a little bigger. I probably need to put on some more weight, but we’re working on that.” 

Through 31 games this season, Harlan is batting .308 with a .514 slugging percentage, four homers, 24 RBI, 22 runs scored, 24 walks and 13 steals in 14 tries. In a 7-3 victory over CAA preseason favorite Northeastern to open conference play, he reached base five times and smacked a two-run homer.

Harlan is always a threat to steal when he’s on base, something he takes great pride in.

“It makes it fun when you get to swipe a bag and help a teammate out, maybe get him an RBI,” Harlan said. 

“Pitchers tend to be creatures of habit. They’ll do the same thing over and over sometimes. If you can catch onto that, you can count it out in your head, get a good read on it.” 

Harlan alternates between second and third in the batting order, so having additional speed near the top of the lineup is a bonus.

“One of our plays we put on a lot is a run-and-hit, because we tend to have some of our good hitters up when Trotter’s on base,” Holbrook explained. 

“It’s important for us to have a guy up in the lineup that can run and that we’re comfortable with putting in motion. Trotter’s ability to run the bases and his knowledge of the game creates other opportunities for other teammates.”

Harlan arrived at CofC as a shortstop, but has played multiple infield and outfield positions. It’s a juggling act, but he knows being versatile is an important part of reaching the next level.

“It’s kind of relaxing, to be out in the field sometimes,” he said. 

“You just play as hard as you can every pitch.”

As for his hitting, Harlan is developing what Holbrook calls a “professional plate approach,” not chasing pitches out of the strike zone, forcing the pitchers to throw strikes and create favorable fastball counts. Over time, he’s learned the art of hitting is more than just swinging a bat.

“I just try to calm myself down, not let the moment get too big,” Harlan explained. 

“It’s you versus the pitcher. You don’t ever want to lose that.”

When he’s away from the game, Harlan loves the outdoors.

“I go hunting, fishing, whatever,” he said. 

“It definitely relaxes you, the fresh air. You kind of get away from everyone and just be to yourself.”

The MLB draft has changed over the years, but Holbrook is confident Harlan will get his shot in due time.

“We know the type of kid and player he is,” Holbrook said. 

“Hopefully, as a team, Trotter can lead us to a championship, and individually he achieves great things on the field, maybe sets a few records here at the College of Charleston. Then, ultimately, (he can) get a chance to play pro baseball.”