It is no secret that Clemson baseball had its fair share of struggles last spring, ultimately ending the 2021 season with the program’s first losing record (25-27 overall, 16-20 ACC) since 1957.
While last season was hard to swallow, it’s time for this year’s squad to turn a new page and prepare for what this season may hold.
For Caden Grice, it’s an opportunity to take last season and build upon the foundation that the sophomore built in his first season as a Tiger. In his freshman campaign, Grice accounted for 15 homers and 53 RBIs through 51 games, batting .317 on the year as well as being Clemson’s top offensive player.
“Honestly there’s always places to make improvement,” Grice said. “I kept swinging it, trying to get to certain pitches that I wasn’t able to hit, but mainly, just my defense. I know my defense was my low point, so I worked a lot over the summer and over the fall when I could to get to where I need to be.”
The Greer (S.C.) native spent the summer on the Cape with the Chatham Anglers. And while he dealt with some nagging injuries through the summer and well into the fall, Grice feels that the time he spent honing in on his defensive skills at first base will pay dividends, once the Tiger’s season opens up next month.
“I feel like defensively it was night and day,” the first baseman said. “The fields aren’t as nice as here when you go up to summer ball, so I think playing on those tough fields and surfaces, it definitely helped me out a lot.”
In addition to his many accolades including first-team freshman All-America and second-team All-ACC honors that surround Grice coming into this season, the former two-way player has chosen to focus solely on his roles as a power hitter and first baseman in his sophomore campaign. Now with more time to dedicate to being a position player, Grice is confident in the potential for growth this spring.
“No doubt. Just focusing on my swing and focusing on my defense because there were times where I’d have to go throw a bullpen or do something else and I wouldn’t be able to work on ground balls or I wouldn’t be able to get extra swings in the cages,” Grice said. “I feel like there is a possibility that it’ll help me excel hitting wise and defensively.”
As for his own goals for the upcoming season, Grice just wants to put as many games in the win column for the Tigers as possible, keeping the rich winning tradition at Clemson alive.
“Just win,” Grice said. “We want to win every game we can and make it as far as we can.”
Clemson opens its 2022 season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday, February 18, when they host Indiana for the first weekend series of the year. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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