Ben Blackwell – Syndication Server

Clemson cruises to midweek win over Upstate

GREENVILLE – Clemson’s baseball team repeated its midweek result Tuesday, giving the Tigers another chance to try to build some much-needed momentum. Clemson put up a crooked number early to propel itself to an 11-2 win over USC Upstate at Fluor …

GREENVILLE – Clemson’s baseball team repeated its midweek result Tuesday, giving the Tigers another chance to try to build some much-needed momentum.

Clemson put up a crooked number early to propel itself to an 11-2 win over USC Upstate at Fluor Field. The win was the Tigers’ first since notching a victory over a top-25 Georgia team exactly one week earlier, but that didn’t carry over to the weekend as Clemson got swept at Notre Dame by a combined score of 21-5.

After scoring their most runs since plating 14 against North Carolina State on April 1, the Tigers (20-12 overall) desperately need to keep the good vibes going when they travel to Wake Forest on Friday if they realistically hope to make a run at a postseason berth. Clemson, which has yet to win an ACC series, is approaching the midway point of the conference slate with the worst league record (2-9).

For one night at least, Upstate (18-15) provided a remedy for Clemson’s ailments.

The Tigers used a five-run second inning to put them on their way to a season sweep of the Trojans, who’ve lost six straight. Ben Blackwell, Cooper Ingle and Tyler Corbitt each drove in runs in the frame while Max Wagner provided the highlight of the inning with an RBI triple to the 420-foot notch in center.

Clemson finished with 14 hits against seven Upstate pitchers. Blackwell went 3-for-3 and scored four runs from the leadoff spot while Wagner finished a homer shy of the cycle as part of a four-hit, two-RBI night. The top four in the Tigers’ lineup combined to go 11-for-19 and drove in all but three of Clemson’s runs.

It was more than enough support for freshman right-hander Billy Barlow, who worked around some trouble in the third inning. Upstate cut into Clemson’s 6-0 lead in the third by plating a pair of two-out runs using the help of a double, a hit batter and an infield single, but catcher Cooper Ingle picked off Jace Rinehart at first to limit the Trojans’ damage in the frame.

It was the final inning for Barlow, who allowed one earned run on four hits while striking out four. But the work for the Tigers’ young arms was just getting started.

Three more freshmen – Casey Tallent, Austin Gordon and lefty Rocco Reid – threw innings in relief. Talent (1-0) faced just one over the minimum in two innings with three punchouts to earn his first win of the season. Gordon and Reid followed with an inning of relief apiece, combining to yield just one hit before Clemson coach Monte Lee made an interesting call to the bullpen.

Right-hander Nick Hoffman, who’s been in the weekend rotation all season, came on to work the eighth on just two days’ rest. Hoffman plunked the first batter he faced before retiring the next three, throwing 18 pitches in his only inning of work. Caden Grice then closed it out with just his fifth appearance of the season and induced a double play to help himself face the minimum in the ninth.

Upstate starter Nate Payne (0-1) was pegged with the loss after allowing one run on three hits in just one inning.

This story will be updated.

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Lee doesn’t rule out more potential lineup changes amid Clemson’s offensive lull

Monte Lee doesn’t want to overreact now that his team is dealing with its first extended bout of adversity. “It’s part of the process,” Clemson’s baseball coach said. “You’re going to go through this because we weren’t going to be perfect throughout …

Monte Lee doesn’t want to overreact now that his team is dealing with its first extended bout of adversity.

“It’s part of the process,” Clemson’s baseball coach said. “You’re going to go through this because we weren’t going to be perfect throughout the season. We knew, at some point, you’re going to go through some tough spells, and we’re going through one right now.”

But there’s been one constant regardless of each outcome of the Tigers’ first 18 games, and that’s a lack of timely offense. It’s starting to catch up to No. 15 Clemson as the quality of competition stiffens.

Clemson lost its opening ACC series as well as its fourth straight game Saturday with a 4-1 setback to No. 23 Miami at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The skid has come on the heels of the Tigers’ 14-0 start to the season, though strong pitching – the Tigers’ staff has a collective 3.09 earned run average – helped Clemson mask its offensive woes even when the wins were coming.

Four of Clemson’s wins have been decided by two runs or less, games in which the Tigers didn’t score more than four runs. With production at the plate falling off even more during the losing streak, which began with a 5-2 loss to Northeastern in last weekend’s series finale, Lee said there could be more changes to the lineup coming.

He’s already shaken things up the last few games. Sophomore Mac Starbuck got his first career start at second base in Clemson’s midweek loss to Georgia State, though Blake Wright was back in the starting lineup in the series opener against Miami on Friday. Lee moved shortstop Ben Blackwell, normally Clemson’s 9-hole hitter, to the leadoff spot, and J.D. Brock got his first start of the season in left field Saturday in place of Chad Fairey, who’s hit just .213 in the 16 games he’s played.

“Now that the game is over, I’ll look at the pieces and see if there’s something that makes sense to move in and out and those kinds of things,” Lee said following Saturday’s game.

Things haven’t improved much in the first two games against the Hurricanes, who have held Clemson to just five runs in the series. Saturday’s offensive performance was the bleakest it’s been all season for the Tigers, who had a season-low four hits. Blackwell, Wright and Brock combined to go 0-for-12 while preseason All-American Caden Grice, who slid down to the No. 6 spot in the lineup, went hitless in two at-bats to drop his average to .246.

After notching just one hit in 13 at-bats with runners on Saturday, Clemson is hitting just .153 (8 of 52) in that category during its losing streak. The Tigers are 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position so far against Miami and just 3 of 26 over their last four games. Clemson hasn’t scored more than four runs in any of them.

“Typically when you’re not scoring runs, you want to try to run another guy or two in there and see what he can do,” Lee said. “I don’t want to move the pieces to the puzzle all over the place, but we’ll still continue to look at it and maybe tinker with one or two more guys to see if we can find a spark there.”

Regardless of who’s in the lineup, though, Lee said it’s on him and his coaching staff to practice positive reinforcement as their players go through their first extended bout of adversity of the season.

“The psyche of a baseball player, it can be tough,” Lee said. “You’re dealing with a lot of pressure to play at a school like Clemson. You’re dealing with failure constantly, and the players have to feel like you have their back and that you’re the person they can come to that’s going to help them and not shun them. When you have to deal with the amount of failure a baseball player has to deal with, they need somebody on their side.”

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Playing for ‘dream school,’ Blackwell makes memorable first impression at Clemson

Ben Blackwell recorded 411 at-bats during his three seasons at Dayton. With just six of them ending in home runs, he was far from a power threat in the Flyers’ lineup. Clemson’s new shortstop could’ve fooled his teammates, coaches and the 5,279 fans …

Ben Blackwell recorded 411 at-bats during his three seasons at Dayton. With just six of them ending in home runs, he was far from a power threat in the Flyers’ lineup.

Clemson’s new shortstop could’ve fooled his teammates, coaches and the 5,279 fans in attendance during the Tigers’ season opener Friday.

In the bottom of the second inning, Blackwell dug in for his first at-bat as a Tiger against Indiana right-hander John-Biagio Modugno, who figured he’d work ahead of Clemson’s nine-hole hitter with a get-me-over fastball. Blackwell – all 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds of him – had other ideas.

He uncoiled on Modugno’s first offering, depositing it halfway up the left-field seats more than 400 feet away from home plate. It was the only long ball hit in Clemson’s 9-0 win.

“Great environment,” Blackwell said afterward. “Absolutely loved the opportunity.”

Blackwell credited Clemson coach Monte Lee and the rest of the Tigers’ coaching staff as much as himself for the home run with the scouting work they did in preparation for the game. Clemson knew Modugno favored a sinker that naturally ran inside to right-handed hitters, so Blackwell said the plan going in was to look for it on the inner third of the plate. Sure enough, Modugno threw that pitch but left it up in the strike zone, and Blackwell didn’t miss it.

“We talked a little bit about it,” Lee said. “Their starter has a sinking fastball, a fastball that had some arm-side run and was running in on right-handed hitters. And (Blackwell) did a really good job of being on time and jumping on that sinker that was running in, turned on it and smoked it. It was good to see that.”

It was quite the first impression during a day that came up roses for Blackwell even when things didn’t always go exactly as planned. Blackwell got just two at-bats because he laid down a safety squeeze in the fourth inning. He bunted the ball directly back to Modugno as Jonathan French broke from third base, but Modugno fell down as he tried to field it, allowing French to score without a throw.

“He had one heck of a day. Even executed the safety squeeze to perfection,” Lee said with a grin. “Thank God the guy’s feet flipped out from under him.”

Blackwell isn’t exactly filling small shoes with his new team. All-ACC shortstop James Parker left Clemson two years early after the Seattle Mariners made him the Tigers’ highest-drafted player last summer. Parker was Clemson’s leading hitter a season ago with a .324 average.

While Lee praised Blackwell’s defense during the preseason, whether or not he can be a consistent offensive threat against ACC pitching remains to be seen, though he hit .349 in 51 games for Dayton last season. It’s the highest clip of his career so far.

But what made Friday’s performance even more special for Blackwell is the fact that he did it at what he called a “dream school” for him. The Fairfax, Virginia, native has family in the area, but Blackwell said it was more than that that sold him on Lee’s program being the one with which he wanted to finish his collegiate career.

“Honestly, the family here, the fan base and the school itself is just incredible,” Blackwell said. “I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity, but also getting to play under coaches like Coach Lee and working with (assistant coach Bradley) LeCroy every single day is just unbelievable. You couldn’t ask for better coaches ad better people to learn from each and every day.”

Blackwell also couldn’t have asked for a much better start to his time at Clemson.

“Honestly, just enjoying every moment,” he said. “I’m happy (my first at-bat) happened the way it did.”

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Anglin, Tigers pitch shutout in season-opening win

Mack Anglin set the tone on the bump. Clemson’s offense took care of the rest. And the Tigers got their 2022 season off to a fast start Friday. Clemson got five shutout innings out of its sophomore right-hander, and the Tigers cruised to a 9-0 win …

Mack Anglin set the tone on the bump. Clemson’s offense took care of the rest.

And the Tigers got their 2022 season off to a fast start Friday.

Clemson got five shutout innings out of its sophomore right-hander, and the Tigers cruised to a 9-0 win over Indiana in both teams’ season opener at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Anglin combined with relievers Ty Olenchuck, Billy Barlow and Alex Edmondson to spin a three-hitter in the Tigers’ fifth straight season-opening win.

Clemson (1-0) will go for the series win when head coach Monte Lee gives the ball to sophomore Kyle Clayton for Saturday’s 3 p.m. start. The fellow right-hander will be following up a dominant outing from Anglin, who didn’t allow a hit and struck out eight to notch the win against an IU team that’s made three of the last four NCAA Tournaments.

Only three baserunners reached against Anglin (1-0), who retired the first five batters he faced. A hit batter followed by a walk in the second inning was the only time IU got a runner in scoring position against him. He worked three clean innings, including a 1-2-3 fifth that ended his day after 82 pitches.

The Hoosiers didn’t record their first hit until Bobby Whalen singled against Olenchuck with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Clemson had already built a 6-0 lead by that point.

The Tigers quickly went to work in getting Anglin some run support, plating three runs in their first at-bat of the season. Clemson sent eight batters to the plate in the home half of the first against right-hander John-Biagio Modugno with five of the first six reaching on singles.

Cooper Ingle, Chad Fairey and Blake Wright each had RBI knocks in the frame, and Dayton transfer Ben Blackwell added to Clemson’s lead in the second with a solo home run in his first at-bat as a Tiger. Blackwell, who’s replacing James Parker as Clemson’s shortstop, homered just six times in three seasons with the Flyers.

First baseman Caden Grice, the Tigers’ top returning hitter from last season, went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs. Ingle and Blackwell each drove in two runs for Clemson, which finished with nine hits.

Clemson chased Modugno (0-1) with two more runs in the home half of the fourth that stretched its lead to 6-0. Modugno, who allowed eight hits and walked two while striking out four, left with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the frame, but reliever Reese Sharp got Bryar Hawkins and Grice swinging after a sacrifice fly to limit the Tigers’ damage.

Clemson had a hard time solving Sharp, who struck out seven in three innings before leaving with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the seventh. The Tigers struck out 17 times but also took advantage of an overall lack of command among Modugno, Sharp and left-hander Ryan Craft, who combined to issue eight walks and throw multiple wild pitches.

Clemson tacked on two more runs in the seventh, which was more than enough cushion for Olenchuk, Barlow and Edmondson.

Olenchuck tossed two innings of three-hit relief, getting a groundout and a double play to strand four IU baserunners. Barlow, a freshman right-hander, worked a clean eighth in his first appearance as a Tiger, and Edmondson did the same in the ninth to cap a strong debut for this year’s Clemson squad.

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Transfers headline Clemson baseball’s potential impact newcomers

Clemson’s baseball team has some experience returning from last season, but the Tigers also have some personnel losses they will have to effectively replace if they’re going to have the turnaround they’re hoping for this spring. That’s where …

That’s where newcomers could make the biggest impact for Clemson coach Monte Lee, who’s tasked with getting Clemson back on track in his sixth season at the helm after the Tigers suffered their first losing season since 1957 last spring.

Clemson has some key pieces back in the fold headlined by right-hander Mack Anglin, power-hitting first baseman Caden Grice and third baseman Bryar Hawkins, but All-ACC shortstop James Parker and outfielder Kier Meredith have moved on to the professional ranks. Veteran second baseman Sam Hall opted to use his final season of eligibility at North Carolina State as a graduate transfer, and there are also weekend rotation spots behind Anglin that have to be shored up ahead of the Tigers’ Feb. 18 season opener against Indiana.

Younger holdovers who haven’t seen much playing time to this point may contend for more significant roles, but Lee will also be relying on his most recent crop of signees to help, including a couple of transfers primed to be inserted into the starting lineup immediately.

“We have a number of guys that I think are going to make a big impact,” Lee said.

Tyler Corbitt and Ben Blackwell could be the Tigers’ next middle infield tandem after starting their careers at other schools. Corbitt transferred to Clemson from The Citadel, where he was an all-Southern Conference second baseman. He hit .376 last season as a third-year sophomore for the Bulldogs with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 23 games.

“He’s a tough kid,” Lee said of Corbitt, who hit .333 or better in all three of his seasons as a starter for the Bulldogs. “Knows how to play the game. Can hit with two strikes. A good situational hitter.”

Meanwhile, Blackwell joins the Tigers this season after beginning his collegiate career at Dayton, where he hit .349 as the Flyers’ everyday shortstop a season ago. He has arguably the biggest shoes to fill.

Parker was Clemson’s leading hitter (.324) while starting all 52 games last season before being taken by the Seattle Mariners in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. But Lee feels like Blackwell’s game is well-rounded enough to handle it.

Blackwell posted a .913 fielding percentage with the Flyers last season, which was comparable to Parker’s .929 clip.

“A really good defensive player,” Lee said. “I feel like he is an above-average defensive shortstop. He’s going to be a really good player for us.”

Freshman Billy Amick has impressed enough with his bat that he could get early playing time as the Tigers’ designated hitter. The Batesburg native could also play a corner infield position, Lee said, though Amick didn’t participate in fall ball because of an arm injury he sustained in high school.

How Amick progresses with that injury will dictate whether or not he could play in the field, but Lee said Amick has the kind of power he’d like to get in the lineup sooner rather than later.

“He’s going to an impact hitter,” Lee said. “He’s going to be a middle-of-the-order type of hitter in my opinion in the future and could be this year depending on how he progresses once he starts getting live at-bats.”

Another DH candidate is fellow freshman David Lewis, who got Lee’s vote as the team’s Most Valuable Player of the Orange & Purple scrimmages that concluded fall practices. A prep standout at Blue Ridge High in Greer, Lewis went 6 of 11 in the three scrimmages with two home runs, a triple and six RBIs for the Purple team.

“He’s got some power, can use the whole field and is a good hitter,” Lee said.

Will Taylor is another freshman worth monitoring as he works his way back from the knee injury he suffered with the Clemson football team in the fall. Taylor, a receiver and punt returner in football, sustained a torn ACL in early October. Barring any setbacks in his recovery from surgery, Taylor, who’s started running again, could log some innings in the outfield as early as March, though Taylor’s exact timetable for a return won’t be known until that month gets closer.

On the mound, Lee mentioned Jay Dill, Casey Tallent, Rocco Reid and Billy Barlow as freshmen pitchers who impressed him in the fall and could compete immediately for innings out of the bullpen. In Barlow’s case, Lee said the 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander from Myrtle Beach has the makeup to potentially be a starter at the back end of the weekend rotation or in a midweek role.

“(Barlow) has got a really good sinker, and his fastball, this is a guy that’s been up at 95, 96 (miles per hour) as well,” Lee said. “He’s a little bit of a different look from the other guys because the ball moves so much. And he’s an ultra, ultra competitive young man.

“We feel like he’s going to be a guy that pitches a lot for us.”

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