There has been a tremendous show of talent on the field for Clemson so far this baseball season. It seems as though each week there’s been a different player to step up to the plate and lock in the win for the Tigers.
Jonathan French was one of those key playmakers in the game against USC Upstate.
Caden Grice has been known to be in those shoes. When asked about Grice and the rest of the Tigers’ lineup performance, French answered, “I think it shows that we compete one through nine every pitch we’re in there. Everyone’s in the dugout locked in every single game, every single pitch, and we all have that mindset that it’s going to be me that day.”
Even though there might be extra weight on a single player for a couple games, or a weekend, French knows how much pressure it can be to constantly lean on the same person. In an effort to avoid that, he stated, “We’re still going to go up there and try to put together good at-bats and find ways to change the game ourselves.”
When the Tigers needed it most, French came up clutch in the bottom of the eighth to slam a ball left for a home run, giving the Tigers an 8-5 lead against USC Upstate.
French was confident that once the ball left his bat it was going to be the play he had hoped for. He took a quick glance at his first home run on the season while jogging outside the box to take his victory lap to home
plate
“The home run was amazing,” French said. “Great feeling, and I connected with the ball. Stuck to my approach. Just a great experience.”
It was a two-out count, and French took his coach’s advice.
“Coach Lee gave me the ‘stay on your pitch,’ and that would be a fastball right down the middle,” he said. “And I told myself, if I get it, I’m not going to be late on it, I’m going to be on time and put a good swing on it, and that’s just what happened.”
The Tigers needed this momentum, leading to Dylan Brewer adding a two-run homer soon after.
Clemson is now 8-0 on the season. It’s a big weekend for the Tigers as they hope to stay undefeated against the South Carolina Gamecocks.