As others have said, baby snakes are naturally defensive. It is how they protect themselves in the wild, where they make tasty appetizers for bigger predators. It isn't anything personal. Most of them outgrow it in time, and with gentle handling they can come to even recognize you and not ball up at all.

It is generally advised that to limit the amount of stress of the snake, you leave it alone for a week or so prior to handling it. Also, limit your handling to 5 minutes (approx.) to start. You can slowly raise the amount of time you have the snake out over the next few months, up to a half hour or thereabouts. At least, I've found a half-hour to be plenty – more for him than me!