Tag: Billy Barlow

Clemson’s rotation still in flux ahead of another key series

With time running out for Clemson to make a move for the postseason, the Tigers’ search for dependable weekend pitching behind Mack Anglin continues. Clemson coach Monte Lee has yet to decide who will get the ball in the Tigers’ final two games …

With time running out for Clemson to make a move for the postseason, the Tigers’ search for dependable weekend pitching behind Mack Anglin continues.

Clemson coach Monte Lee has yet to decide who will get the ball in the Tigers’ final two games against No. 21 Georgia Tech (27-18, 12-12 ACC) this weekend. Anglin, the one constant in Clemson’s weekend rotation throughout the season with a 3.62 earned run average, will get his usual Friday start in the series opener at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, but Clemson has given the TBA (to be announced) designation for its Saturday and Sunday starters.

Getting depth out of its other weekend starters has been an issue all season for the Tigers, who began the week with a team ERA of 4.45 after giving up 35 runs against Louisville last weekend, including 18 in the Cardinals’ sweep-clinching victory Sunday. Those three losses dropped Clemson (28-17 overall) to 6-14 in ACC play, the second-worst record in the conference.

There are just three weekends left in the regular season, which could be the extent of Clemson’s season if the Tigers aren’t able to put a run together late. Clemson needs to finish with one of the top 12 winning percentages in league play in order to qualify for the ACC Tournament. Duke and North Carolina, which each own a .381 conference winning percentage, would be the final two teams in the tournament if it started today.

Any charge Clemson hopes to make, though, has to start with improvement on the mound.

Freshman right-hander Billy Barlow lasted just 1 ⅔ innings in the series finale against Louisville, allowing five runs (three earned) on three hits with three walks. Barlow, who’s spent much of the season as a midweek starter, moved into the rotation the week before in place of sophomore Nick Clayton, who’s got a 5.97 ERA on the season and hasn’t lasted longer than the fourth inning in any of his last four starts.

Barlow has pitched just 5 ⅓ innings in his first two weekend starts combined. Meanwhile, reliever-turned-starter Geoffrey Gilbert didn’t last long in his second straight weekend starter, yielding six earned runs on four hits and issuing three walks in just 1 ⅓ innings Saturday in the Tigers’ 10-8 loss.

Gilbert was better in his first start against Florida State the previous week, working into the fifth inning and giving up just three earned runs on four hits. His first 13 appearances this season came out of the bullpen before Lee started the sophomore right-hander instead of freshman Jay Dill, who had replaced Nick Hoffman (5.59 ERA) as the Saturday starter against Wake Forest on April 16. But Dill recorded just one out and allowed seven earned runs before getting pulled from that game, prompting Lee to switch it up again a couple of weeks ago.

While Lee could ultimately choose to stick with Gilbert and Barlow or move Hoffman and Clayton back into the rotation, they aren’t the only options.

Lee has mentioned another freshman, Casey Tallent, as someone who could get a crack at a weekend start. Tallent (2.74 ERA) has yielded just seven earned runs in 23 innings this season and didn’t allow an earned run in 2 ⅓ innings in his lone start so far against East Tennessee State on April 20. There’s also sophomore Ricky Williams (1.59), who’s made just seven appearances all season but held Presbyterian to two runs on five hits in 6 ⅔ innings his last time out on April 26.

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Lee addresses Clemson’s pitching situation after latest shakeup

Who will fill in as the midweek starters for Clemson’s baseball team this week? And will the Tigers stick with the same rotation in yet another pivotal ACC series at Louisville this weekend? Those are questions Clemson coach Monte Lee and his staff …

Who will fill in as the midweek starters for Clemson’s baseball team this week? And will the Tigers stick with the same rotation in yet another pivotal ACC series at Louisville this weekend?

Those are questions Clemson coach Monte Lee and his staff find themselves needing to answer after their latest alteration on the mound. A day after changing his Saturday starter for the second straight week, Lee started freshman Billy Barlow in place of Nick Clayton for the Tigers’ series finale Sunday.

With the help of six relievers, Clemson rallied to beat the Seminoles to win its second straight ACC series after dropping the first four. But the decision to start Barlow, the Tigers’ usual midweek starter, means Clemson will have to turn elsewhere for their next game Tuesday against Presbyterian at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson has another game at home Wednesday against No. 25 Wofford, so the Tigers will need a couple of fresh arms to help them get through the midweek. Clayton, who last pitched an inning of relief Wednesday in Clemson’s win over East Tennessee State, is a candidate to start. So is Nick Hoffman, who began the season in the weekend rotation but has made his last four appearances in relief.

But they’re not the only ones. While most of their appearances have come out of the bullpen, freshman Casey Tallent and sophomore Ricky Williams have each started a game this season. Williams (0.87 earned run average) has allowed just one earned run in 10 ⅓ innings while Tallent (2.37), who got his first career start against ETSU last week, has held opposing batters to a .224 average in 19 innings.

Lee said following Sunday’s game he and his staff will talk it over before making a decision at some point today.

“We have options between Ricky Williams, Clayton, Tallent,” Lee said. “So we’ll talk it over as a staff and try to figure out how to piece 18 innings there together in the middle of the week.”

As for the weekend, Lee said he will take the same approach when deciding whether or not he’ll keep the back end of the rotation the same against Louisville, which begins the week tied with Notre Dame atop the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings.

Sophomore right-hander Mack Anglin (3.24) has been the constant for Clemson all season in the Friday night spot, but the rest of the weekend has been a bugaboo for most of the season. Clemson had not had a Saturday or Sunday starter work past the fourth inning since its ACC-opening series against Miami until Gilbert did so this past Saturday. In his first start of the season, Gilbert limited FSU to three runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings.

On Sunday, Barlow yielded three runs in the first inning before settling in to get through the first 3 ⅔ frames on 82 pitches. Asked if Barlow has earned another weekend start against the Cardinals, Lee was non-committal.

“He’s not going to be available in the middle of the week, so it certainly makes sense to potentially start him again next weekend,” Lee said. “But obviously we’ll discuss that as a staff before we make any sort of decision on what we’re going to do there.”

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Bullpen helps Clemson outlast Florida State for key series win

Clemson’s baseball team once again got a short outing from its Sunday starter. So did Florida State. That turned the teams’ series finale at Doug Kingsmore Stadium into a bullpen duel – one that tilted in the home team’s favor late to give the …

Clemson’s baseball team once again got a short outing from its Sunday starter. So did Florida State.

That turned the teams’ series finale at Doug Kingsmore Stadium into a bullpen duel – one that tilted in the home team’s favor late to give the Tigers an all-important victory.

Clemson plated three runs in the eighth inning, helping the Tigers outlast the ninth-ranked Seminoles in an 8-5 win that saw the teams use 13 pitchers and combine for 10 errors. The win – the Tigers’ seventh in their last nine games – clinched Clemson’s second straight ACC series win, which also helps the Tigers (26-14, 6-11) keep pace in the race for a spot in next month’s ACC Tournament.

“A critical win for our team,” Clemson coach Montee Lee said. “During this time of year, it’s just a critical series. I think we know where we’re at and what we’ve got to do.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to put ourselves in position to play baseball as long as we can. You’ve got to win series at this point. Just really proud of our guys and the way we fought.”

The Tigers would still be on the outside looking in if the tournament started this week, though their two wins over FSU (24-15, 11-10) improved their conference winning percentage to .352. Duke, with its 8-13 ACC record (.380 win percentage), is slightly ahead of the Tigers for the final spot in the conference tournament for the time being after winning a series over Georgia Tech this weekend.

Clemson still has four conference series left starting with a trip to Louisville on Friday.

“The last two weekends were big,” said second baseman Blake Wright, who had two of Clemson’s six hits, both doubles. “I think we’ve been playing a lot better baseball of late. We’re just going to have to keep that rolling. Have some good opponents coming up.”

Lee made his second change to the rotation in as many days, giving the start to freshman Billy Barlow instead of Nick Clayton, who hadn’t gone deeper than the fourth inning in any of his previous three Sunday starts. It looked like Barlow might not last long after the Tigers’ usual midweek starter threw four innings in Clemson’s win over Georgia on Tuesday.

The right-hander needed 41 pitches to get through the Seminoles’ three-run first inning, one of which came around to score on shortstop Ben Blackwell’s throwing error that extended the frame. But Barlow needed just 31 pitches to get through the next two innings and returned to the mound to start the fourth before a hit batter and Tyler Martin’s two-out single ended his day.

Barlow finished with 82 more pitches after throwing more than 60 five days earlier. He scattered four hits, walked two and struck out five in the first weekend start of his career.

“He was on four full days of rest. He was certainly recovered enough to be able to start,” Lee said of Barlow. “We wanted to run somebody out there that had the ability to get through a lineup twice, and Billy has done that now several times over the course of this season. We felt like we was the right guy to run out there.”

Caden Grice got those runs back for Clemson in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer into the seats in left, helping chase FSU starter Carson Montgomery after an inning. But Clemson couldn’t muster much against reliever Wyatt Crowell, who held the Tigers to just two hits over the next five frames.

Meanwhile, Barlow’s early exit left the Tigers’ bullpen with more than four innings to work for the second straight day. But six Clemson relievers combined to yield just one earned run on four hits over the final 5 1/3 innings.

“After giving up a big inning in the first, if you give up one earned run for the rest of the game, you would sign up for that,” Lee said. “I would say the bullpen was outstanding.”

Fellow freshman Jay Dill kept FSU at bay for 1 ⅓ innings with some help from the Tigers’ rollercoaster defensive performance. Treyton Rank beat out Wright’s throw on a slow roller with two outs and two on in the top of the fifth, but first baseman Bryar Hawkins threw out Brett Roberts trying to score from second to keep the game knotted at 3.

The Seminoles got to Grice the next inning. The sophomore left-hander, making just his seventh relief appearance of the season, threw wide of first on Alex Toral’s leadoff bunt before issuing a walk. Jordan Carrion then cleared the bases with a double down the third-base line to end Grice’s day after retiring just one of the four batters he faced, leaving another freshman, Austin Gordon, to finish the inning.

Clemson’s first hit since the second came on Wright’s double to start the home half of the frame. Wright scored when Logan Lacey threw away Max Wagner’s grounder, and Wagner moved to third on Tyler Corbitt’s bunt, though Crowl fanned Grice and induced a popup from Dylan Brewer to strand him there.

Clemson brought on its fifth and sixth pitchers of the day after FSU’s one-out single in the seventh. Left-hander J.P. Labriola retired the only batter he faced before Corbitt chased down Colton Vincent’s drive toward the left-center gap to keep the Tigers’ deficit from growing. 

Jackson Burmeister relieved Crowl in the home half of the frame but walked two of the three batters he faced, prompting FSU skipper Mike Martin Jr. to call on lefty Jonah Scolaro to face the heart of Clemson’s lineup. Scolaro got Cooper Ingle to fly out, but the Tigers drew even again when Wright delivered a two-out RBI double to left. The Seminoles intentionally walked Wagner to load the bases for Corbitt, who faced right-hander Davis Hare ahead 2-0 in the at-bat. But Corbitt grounded Hare’s first offering into a fielder’s choice to keep the game tied going to the eighth.

Clemson committed a pair of errors in the eighth, though a heads-up play by Wright after booting Jaime Ferrer’s grounder up the middle helped keep things even. Wright chased down the ball in the shallow outfield and nabbed Martin trying to advance to the third for the second out. Lefty Ryan Ammons came on and walked cleanup hitter James Tibbs but got Lacey swinging to preserve the tie.

“I think we just have a bunch of dogs in our bullpen that are all looking to get in there,” Grice said. “I know nobody’s afraid to be taken out, but nobody wants to be taken out. Everybody wants to keep going and keep rolling, but we all have trust in each other. And I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Clemson caught a break to begin its half of the frame when Grice reached on a dropped third strike. He advanced to third on Hawkins’ ensuing single and scored the go-ahead run on Hawkins’ stolen base. The Tigers tacked on two more insurance runs with the help of another error later in the inning, and Ammons (1-2) retired three of the four batters he faced in the ninth to polish off his first win of the season.

“We threw the ball very, very well today in my opinion. We didn’t help ourselves early in the game. Felt bad for Barlow in the first inning. We could’ve helped them a little bit there but ultimately we kept grinding it out. … We kept chipping away and won the back half of the game, and we won the series.”

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Clemson’s offense breaks out, pitching concerns still linger midway through ACC slate

Clemson’s ACC baseball season got a much-needed jolt over the weekend, but do the Tigers have enough pitching to make a postseason push in the last month of the season? That’s still the most pressing question facing the Tigers with the first half of …

Clemson’s ACC baseball season got a much-needed jolt over the weekend, but do the Tigers have enough pitching to make a postseason push in the last month of the season?

That’s still the most pressing question facing the Tigers with the first half of the conference slate in the books. Clemson (22-13, 4-10 ACC) ended it on perhaps its highest note of the season so far, taking two out of three at No. 23 Wake Forest for its first league series win.

“Really proud of our guys, the way that we fought and the way that we swung the bats (Sunday),” Clemson coach Monte Lee said. 

Those bats nearly carried the Tigers to a sweep. Clemson combined to score 19 runs over the final two games of the series with Max Wagner and Caden Grice providing most of the fireworks in the series finale.

Tabbed as a preseason All-American by some publications, Grice (.245 average, six HR, 21 RBIs) has struggled to find a rhythm at the plate for much of the season. But the Tigers’ power-hitting sophomore launched two home runs Saturday and drove in three runs. Meanwhile, Wagner continued his power surge with another homer – his 11th of the season – and four RBIs in Clemson’s 10-8 win.

“That one felt really good all around,” Grice said of the offense’s performance Sunday. “We had 13 hits and scored 10 runs. On offense, you really couldn’t ask for a better day than that.”

Yet the Tigers had one less than 24 hours earlier when the lineup pounded out 15 hits to rally from a 9-2 deficit in Saturday’s game. Clemson plated five runs in the seven and eighth innings to send it to extras before Wake Forest notched a 12-9 victory in 10 innings.

The Tigers could have used a win there, too, since there’s still plenty of work to do if Clemson hopes to not only avoid missing an NCAA regional for the second straight season but also being left out of the ACC Tournament, which is limited to 12 teams (highest conference winning percentages regardless of division). Since that 14-0 start, Clemson is just 8-13 in its last 21 games with series losses to Miami, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State and Notre Dame. Clemson has the second-worst record of any ACC team in league play and is just one game in the win column above Boston College – a team that’s lost 15 of its first 18 ACC games – at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings.

In other words, Clemson, which sits at No. 46 in the latest RPI rankings, needs to start racking up wins in a hurry if it wants to be part of any postseason, which means the Tigers need to get something figured out on the mound Saturday and Sunday.

Mack Anglin (3.18 earned run average) helped Clemson get off on the right foot against Wake Forest in Friday’s series opener with another strong outing. The sophomore right-hander hurled six scoreless innings to combine with Geoffrey Gilbert for a 1-0 shutout, but it’s the remainder of the weekend that’s been problematic for the Tigers’ rotation.

Nick Hoffman and Nick Clayton, the Tigers’ usual Saturday and Sunday starters, both have ERAs north of 5 on the season. And neither has been working deep into games, putting plenty of stress on the Tigers’ bullpen.

The relievers answered the bell Sunday after Clayton lasted just one inning, his third straight start working fewer than four frames. Clemson faced a 3-0 deficit once Clayton’s day was done, but five Tiger relievers held Wake Forest’s offense at bay long enough for the offense to help out. Lee called Jackson Lindley the “MVP” of the day after the right-hander held the Demon Deacons scoreless over the final 2 ⅓ innings to preserve the win.

“I just tried to go out there and be the biggest competitor on the field,” said Lindley, who didn’t allow a hit and struck out three. “Go out there and be aggressive, throw strikes and put myself in a good place to win.”

Lee didn’t stick with the same two starters for the series’ final two games. After hinting that a change to the rotation could be coming earlier in the week, Lee gave freshman Jay Dill his first career start in place of Hoffman on Saturday. But the bullpen was taxed for nine innings after the young right-hander gave up seven earned runs in Wake Forest’s first-at bat. The Demon Deacons combined to score 13 runs in the first four innings of the series’ last two games.

Clemson’s team ERA now sits at 4.45 on the season, though that’s tame compared to how the Tigers’ arms have collectively performed against ACC competition. Clemson has a 6.31 ERA in league play, fourth-highest in the conference.

It won’t get any easier for the Tigers either. Next up is a road trip Tuesday to take on No. 14 Georgia followed by another midweek game Wednesday against East Tennessee State. Then Clemson will host Florida State, winners of four straight, beginning Friday.

With series against No. 11 Virginia, Georgia Tech and Boston College still on the schedule, too, Lee could make more tweaks on the mound. He recently mentioned midweek starter Billy Barlow (4.40 ERA in 10 appearances) and fellow freshman Casey Tallent (2.70 in 16 ⅔ innings of relief) as viable candidates to potentially get a start on the weekend.

Clemson doesn’t have any more time to waste.

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Change coming to Clemson’s weekend rotation?

On the surface, the moves were strange. Freshman right-hander Billy Barlow got the midweek start for Clemson against USC Upstate just like he has all season. Barlow had lasted at least four innings all but two of his previous seven midweek starts, …

On the surface, the moves were strange.

Freshman right-hander Billy Barlow got the midweek start for Clemson against USC Upstate just like he has all season. Barlow had lasted at least four innings all but two of his previous seven midweek starts, and the two that were cut short were because he got tagged early in the Tigers’ losses to Georgia State and Coastal Carolina.

But Barlow needed just three innings to strike out four Spartans on Tuesday at Fluor Field, scattering four hits and allowing just one earned run in those frames. Yet after 58 pitches, Barlow’s night was done. Clemson coach Monte Lee went to the bullpen, where fellow freshmen Casey Tallent, Austin Gordon and Rocco Reid combined for four innings of shutout relief.

Then Lee gave the ball to Nick Hoffman, who has been a part of the Tigers’ weekend rotation all season and made his latest (albeit brief) start three days earlier at Notre Dame. But the sophomore right-hander came on to work the eighth inning Tuesday, facing just one batter over the minimum in his first relief appearance of the season.

Having a quick hook for his usual midweek starter as well as bringing Hoffman on in relief during the latter stages of a blowout win for Clemson (20-12, 2-9 ACC) appeared to be odd decisions by Lee until he explained afterward that he’s considering a change to Clemson’s weekend rotation.

“I would say that’s a discussion we’ll have (Wednesday) in regards to the weekend,” said Lee, whose team will head to No. 23 Wake Forest starting Friday still searching for its first ACC series win. “We’ll hopefully solidify things (Wednesday) in the office as far as what we’re going to do Saturday and Sunday.”

Mack Anglin (3.66 earned run average) is entrenched as Clemson’s Friday starter, but Hoffman has seen his ERA balloon to 5.66 as the Saturday starter. Hoffman has allowed 12 earned runs in his last three starts, none of which have lasted more than four innings. Things also haven’t gone all that well for the Tigers’ other weekend starter, Nick Clayton, who’s got a 5.06 ERA and walked five batters in just three innings his last time out against the Fighting Irish.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest, which has won five straight games and nine of its last 10, enters the weekend hitting .321 as a team, the fourth-highest clip in the ACC.

“We know we’re going into a tough place to play against a really good club,” Lee said. “We need to pitch, defend and put together good at-bats.”

As for who could move into the rotation against the Demon Deacons (26-7, 9-6) this weekend, Lee said Barlow and Tallent are the most likely candidates. Lee said he had a tentative plan for the freshmen duo to throw five or six innings Tuesday in order to get one last look at both before making a final decision while also keeping their pitch counts low enough to where both could still be available against Wake Forest if that’s the route Lee decides to go.

He also wanted to see Hoffman out of the bullpen again in case Lee decides to move him back there, a role in which Hoffman had success last season. Hoffman posted a 3.83 ERA in 49 1/3 innings a season ago with 13 of his 17 appearances coming in relief.

Barlow and Tallent didn’t hurt their chances of moving into the rotation, combining for five innings of two-run ball. Tallent pitched the fourth and fifth innings without yielding a hit and struck out three, dropping his ERA to 2.57 in 14 innings this season. His longest outing to this point is three innings against Coastal Carolina on March 22 when the right-hander allowed two runs and struck out five.

Barlow has yielded three runs or fewer in seven of his eight midweek starts with the five first-inning runs he gave up to Coastal Carolina being the outlier that has his ERA sitting above 4 for the time being. But Barlow has allowed just four earned runs in his last 12 innings, which includes five innings of one-run ball in Clemson’s win over a top-25 Georgia team last week.

“Barlow has been very good for us,” Lee said. “He’s got a good enough fastball to where he can beat anybody with his fastball because of the amount of sink and run he has on his fastball. Tallent is another guy that’s thrown outstanding here lately. He’s a true three-pitch mix guy. And that’s what we like to see with a guy that we’re going to potentially start. Both of those guys could be candidates to start this weekend.

“We look for guys that can get through a lineup twice and have a three-pitch mix.”

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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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Coastal Carolina puts Clemson away early

Clemson, S.C. – Coastal Carolina jumped all over the Tigers in the first inning and cruised to a 16-7 victory. The Chanticleers scored ten in the first and five in the third to take a 15-0 lead. Billy Barlow got the start for the Tiger and left very …

Clemson, S.C. — Coastal Carolina jumped all over the Tigers in the first inning and cruised to a 16-7 victory.  The Chanticleers scored ten in the first and five in the third to take a 15-0 lead.

Billy Barlow got the start for the Tiger and left very early.  Barlow gave up two hits, five runs, five earned runs and didn’t record an out.  Lindley, Dill, Tallent, Labriolla and Gordon all pitched in relief.

Coastal Carolina put ten runs on the board in the top of the first inning.  That ties the most ever given up by Clemson in the first inning of a home game.

In the top of the third Coastal Carolina plated five more runs to extend the lead to 15-0.

Clemson got on the board in the bottom of the third.  Camden Troyer walked to leadoff.  With one out Benjamin Blackwell hit a two-run homer to left to make it 15-2.

In the fourth inning Max Wagner doubled down the left field line.  With one away Dylan Brewer crushed a two-run homer over the Cajun Cafe and the Tigers trailed 15-4.

Brewer hit another home run to leadoff the bottom of the sixth.

With two outs in the seventh Wagner hit a solo home run to left center and the Tigers trailed 15-6.

The Chanticleers added another run in the eighth.

Cooper Ingle hit a leadoff home run to right in the ninth.

With the loss the Tigers fall to 15-5 on the season.  Clemson battles Winthrop Wednesday night at 6 PM.

 

Clemson working to solidify weekend rotation ahead of season

Clemson’s baseball team is less than a month from playing its first game of the 2022 season, and the Tigers are still looking for an answer to their most pressing question heading into the new campaign. Who will make up the weekend rotation? That’s …

Clemson’s baseball team is less than a month from playing its first game of the 2022 season, and the Tigers are still looking for an answer to their most pressing question heading into the new campaign.

Who will make up the weekend rotation?

That’s what Clemson coach Monte Lee and his staff will be working to nail down once the Tigers begin team practices Friday in preparation for their season opener Feb. 18 against Indiana at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Lee said he’s still evaluating six primary candidates for those three weekend spots, though a familiar name is leading the pack.

Right-hander Mack Anglin is once again in line to be the Tigers’ Friday night starter after taking over that role last season as a redshirt freshman. Despite his 2-6 record, Anglin was solid in his first season as a weekend starter, posting a 3.99 earned run average while allowing 48 hits and striking out 75 in 56 ⅓ innings. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder limited opponents to a .227 average.

It was good enough for Anglin to be taken by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft over the summer, but Anglin decided to return to school in an effort to improve his stock. Anglin went on to have three strong starts in the Cape Cod League for the Wareham Gatemen, hurling 12 ⅔ innings without allowing an earned run while striking out 16 and walking just three.

“Mack has dominant stuff,” Lee said. “Has a chance to be a top 3 round draft pick type of guy, but he needs to have that Sam Weatherly type of junior year, that transition from bullpen guy to being a dominant Game 1 guy. That’s kind of what we envision with Mack. Mack has a chance to be that guy, but we need him to take that next step in terms of consistency. So Mack definitely, I would say right now, would be the frontrunner to be our No. 1 starter.”

While things get a little more fluid after that, Lee said he feels “pretty confident” that another third-year sophomore, Nick Hoffman, will join Anglin in the weekend rotation. Hoffman went back and forth as a starter (four appearances) and reliever (13) a season ago, recording a 3.83 ERA in 49 ⅓  innings. The right-hander pounded the strike zone with an 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Perhaps the stiffest competition will be for the third and final spot. Lee mentioned fellow sophomores Geoffrey Gilbert, Ricky Williams and Nick Clayton and junior Jackson Lindley as the other pitchers vying for their place in the rotation.

Should one of them earn it, it would be a shift in roles. Gilbert, Williams and Lindley were primarily relievers last season. Of the trio’s 52 combined appearances, only two were starts (one apiece for Clayton and Williams).

“We need Nick Clayton to be a guy that can be in the mix on the weekends,” Lee said.

As for Lindley, Lee said the 6-4 right-hander is “much, much improved” after yielding 12 earned runs in a small sample size last season (4 ⅓ innings). Lee is also high on the potential of Williams, who was limited to just seven innings in six appearances last season.

“Ricky’s got electric stuff,” Lee said. “He was up to 95 (miles per hour) in the fall. Really good breaking ball. Ricky is going to be in the mix as a weekend guy.”

True freshman Billy Barlow is someone else who could compete to be a midweek starter if not Clemson’s Sunday starter, Lee said. Regardless who ultimately wins those jobs, the group will try to help the Tigers rebound from a subpar season on the mound. Clemson’s pitching staff finished last season with a collective 5.00 ERA.

“When you look at the teams that, at least that I’ve coached, have been successful, successful teams are consistent. And consistency starts on the pitching side,” Lee said. “I think being able to have a weekend rotation that’s consistent and solidified throughout the course of the year is pretty dang important.”

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