Tag: Blake Wright

Colorado Rockies get a taste of Clemson-South Carolina rivalry

The Rockies selected South Carolina catcher Cole Messina in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft Monday before drafting Clemson slugger Blake Wright in the fourth round.

When it comes to college baseball rivalries, Clemson vs. South Carolina is one of the best in the sport.

On Monday, Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies found themselves on both sides of that rivalry. The Rockies drafted Clemson infielder and slugger Blake Wright with their fourth-round pick at No. 106 overall. That was after the team added South Carolina catcher Cole Messina in the third round with the 77th overall pick.

Wright and Messina met on the diamond this past season when the Tigers and Gamecocks played their annual Palmetto Series. Clemson won both games, 5-4. In the Tigers’ thrilling walk-off victory in 12 innings on March 2 at Segra Park, both Wright and Messina had identical showings: 0 for 6 with three strikeouts apiece.

The next day, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Wright and Messina both homered. Wright had two hits in that game while Messina was 1 for 3 with two walks. Wright’s homer came in the eighth inning, giving Clemson some insurance headed into a ninth inning that saw South Carolina cut the lead to one on Ethan Petry’s two-out home run.

Wright finished the season mashing a team-high 22 home runs (tied with Jimmy Obertop), 75 RBIs and leading the Tigers with a .340 average. Messina posted similar numbers, also leading his team in home runs (21), RBIs (71) and batting average (.326) in 59 games.

Clemson-South Carolina is a rivalry that’s never too far from the minds of either school. Paul Mainieri underlined that point by taking a jab at the Tigers and the Upstate region in his introductory press conference as the Gamecocks’ new coach in June. Mainieri called Clemson “the team up north” and added: “Being in the midlands is a lot better than being in the Upstate. I can promise you that.”

Mainieri and the Gamecocks then proceeded to add two Clemson players to their roster via the transfer portal in outfielder Nathan Hall and INF/OF Nolan Nawrocki.

Hall saw limited playing time in 2024 (12 games) while Nawrocki became a regular in the starting lineup for a while and had some memorable at-bats, including a go-ahead home run against South Carolina in the sixth inning of the Tigers’ win on March 3.

Given that Wright just finished a torrid senior season and that Messina has a slot value of $1.01 million, the two sluggers could soon find themselves on the same team in the lower levels of the Rockies’ minor league system instead of in opposite dugouts of one of college sports’ most premier and intense rivalries.

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Blake Wright goes in fourth round of MLB Draft to Colorado Rockies

Wright was drafted with the 106th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft Monday.

Clemson slugger Blake Wright knew he’d hear his name called in the 2024 MLB Draft. It was only a matter of which team would draft him.

That turned out to be the Colorado Rockies, who made Wright their fourth-round pick with the No. 106 overall selection Monday. The slot value for where Wright was drafted is $689,600.

Wright had a sensational season in his senior year for the Tigers in 2024. As the team’s second baseman, he led the Tigers in batting average (.340), home runs (22) and RBIs (75) while slugging .652.

Wright was the only player to play in all 60 games as Clemson climbed to as high as No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll in the regular season and won its first NCAA Tournament Regional since 2010. The Tigers ended the year at 44-16 overall and finished No. 9 in the final coaches poll.

In four seasons with the Tigers, Wright had 42 home runs and 165 RBIs. He was a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Wright also garnered third team All-American honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).

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Clemson players react to loss to Florida in Super Regional

Hear from Clemson players Blake Wright, Jimmy Obertop and Austin Gordon after Sunday’s game.

The Clemson baseball team’s hopes of reaching Omaha and taking home a national championship in the College World Series ended Sunday in a wild, 13-inning 11-10 loss to the Florida Gators at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers ended their season at 45-16 overall. They got home runs from senior second baseman Blake Wright and senior first baseman Jimmy Obertop in Sunday’s game — the 22nd of the year from each player. Wright had four hits as part of a 4-for-6 game.

RELATED: Florida Gators end Clemson baseball’s season with 13th inning walk-off

Cam Cannarella added four RBIs, including his 11th home run. The Tigers’ centerfielder made a spectacular catch in centerfield to preserve a 9-9 tie in the 10th inning.

After the game, Wright, Obertop and pitcher Austin Gordon met with reporters. Here’s a video of everything the players said.

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Watch as Clemson players, Erik Bakich discuss Tigers’ sweep at Clemson Regional

Here’s everything Clemson coach Erik Bakich and crew had to say after the Tigers advanced to their first Super Regional in 14 years.

Clemson is headed to the Super Regional.

The Tigers (44-14 overall) defeated Coastal Carolina, 12-5, Sunday evening at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to win the school’s first NCAA Tournament Regional since 2010.

Clemson totaled 14 hits in the game and got three RBIs atop the lineup from Alden Mathes and Jacob Hinderleider, plus home runs from Cam Cannarella and Jimmy Obertop. Blake Wright had two hits and an RBI, as well.

RELATED: Tigers head to first Super Regional in 14 years after winning Clemson Regional

Ethan Darden started and pitched 4 2/3 solid innings to put the Tigers in a good spot as they built a 6-2 lead midway through the game. After Coastal Carolina (36-25) cut the lead to 6-5 in the top of the eighth, Clemson put the game out of reach a half-inning later by tallying six runs on five hits.

Austin Gordon got the final out of the eighth inning and pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.

Afterwards, Hinderleider, Wright and Gordon joined Clemson coach Erik Bakich to discuss Sunday’s victory with reporters. Here’s everything Bakich and the players had to say.

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Tigers walk off High Point in Clemson Regional

Tristan Bissetta hit a walk-off RBI single to give the Tigers a 4-3 win over High Point in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Tristan Bissetta hit a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning off Adam Grintz, and top-seeded Clemson defeated fourth-seeded High Point, 4-3, in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers (42-14 overall) advanced to the winners’ bracket and will face No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday. The Chanticleers defeated No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, 13-3, earlier in the day Friday.

After Blake Wright led off the ninth with a double down the right field line, Panthers (34-26) coach Joey Hammond signaled for an intentional walk to Cam Cannarella.

Jimmy Obertop struck out before Bissetta came through with the winning hit. He lined a sharp single just past the glove of a diving Brayden Simpson at second to score Wright for the Tigers’ 25th come-from-behind victory this season. The ball left Bissetta’s bat at 109 mph, according to data provided by TrackMan.

Clemson out-hit High Point 10-7 in a game that featured plenty of good pitching — and missed opportunities. The Tigers and Panthers each stranded 11 runners on base.

Clemson broke a scoreless tie in the third inning thanks to a clutch two-out RBI single from Cannarella for a 1-0 lead.

After High Point grabbed a 2-1 lead a half-inning later, Bissetta doubled to lead off the Tigers’ fourth. Jack Crighton followed with a single to advance Bissetta to third.

With Jarren Purify batting with one away, coach Erik Bakich called for a squeeze. Purify laid down a bunt, and when High Point starter Gus Hughes tried to make a play by using the web of his glove to flip the ball home to catcher Eric Grintz, the ball sailed over Grintz’s head to allow Bissetta to score without a tag and tie the game at 2-2.

High Point went back ahead at 3-2 in the sixth when Peyton Carr singled to lead off the inning and came around to score.

Clemson starter Tristan Smith left in the sixth after allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He finished with nine strikeouts after retiring the first nine batters he faced and striking out five of the first six.

The Tigers answered in the bottom of the sixth. Jacob Jarrell doubled to put runners in scoring position with no one out. Purify dropped an RBI single into shallow center on an 0-2 count to tie the game at 3-3.

Purify’s single moved the potential go-ahead run to third, but Alden Mathes flied to shallow center and Jacob Hinderleider struck out swinging. Wright then grounded sharply to third to end the inning, giving Clemson nine runners left on base through six innings.

Reed Garris, Lucas Mahlstedt, and Austin Gordon combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief the rest of the way. The trio held High Point to just one hit.

Gordon (2-2) earned the win after stranding the potential go-ahead run at third when he retired Patrick Matthews on a routine fly to center to close out the top of the ninth.

Hughes pitched seven innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits in a gutsy 118-pitch performance. Grintz (2-1) suffered the loss after pitching the final inning and a third for the Panthers.

Clemson got two hits apiece from Bissetta (2-for-4), Crighton (2-4) and Purify (2-3) in the 6-8 spots in the lineup.

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Aidan Knaak, Blake Wright, Cam Cannarella earn ACC honors

Aidan Knaak, Blake Wright, and Cam Cannarella were recognized by the ACC Monday.

Three Clemson Tigers baseball players received All-Conference Team recognition by the ACC Monday.

Right-hander Aidan Knaak was named a First Team All-ACC selection, as well as being named to the All-ACC Freshman Team for his performance during the regular season. Knaak wrapped up a stellar freshman season by going 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA in a team-best 13 starts.

Second baseman Blake Wright received Second Team All-ACC honors. Wright led the Tigers in batting average (.341), home runs (21) and RBIs (70) during the regular season. He was the only Tigers player to play in all 53 games. Wright was recently named a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.

Centerfielder Cam Cannarella was received Third Team All-ACC recognition. After a sensational freshman season in 2023, Cannarella followed it up with a strong 2024 campaign in which he batted .332 with nine home runs, 16 doubles, 51 RBIs, and a .411 on-base percentage in 51 games. Cannarella’s .332 average was second-best on the team.

Of the major individual awards announced by the ACC Monday, Florida State’s James Tibbs III took home Player of the Year honors. Wake Forest’s Chase Burns, the NCAA Division I strikeout leader (169 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched), was named Pitcher of the Year.

Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress was named Freshman of the Year, and North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt earned Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

North Carolina’s Scott Forbes was named Coach of the Year. The Tar Heels won the ACC regular-season championship and are the No. 1 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament. Clemson is the No. 2 seed and will face Miami in the Tigers’ tournament opener Thursday in Charlotte.

Blake Wright named Golden Spikes Award semifinalist

Blake Wright has been named a semifinalist for the annual Golden Spikes Award.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior infielder Blake Wright was named one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award on Monday. The accolade is presented each year to the top amateur baseball player in the nation by USA Baseball. Earlier this month, Wright was named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is also presented to the national player-of-the-year.

Wright (Belleair, Fla.) has split time at third base and second base in 2024. The team co-captain is hitting .341 with 21 homers, two triples, eight doubles, 70 RBIs, 62 runs and a .677 slugging percentage as the only Tiger to play all 53 games. He has a .961 fielding percentage, committing only six errors in 153 chances.

In his career, he is hitting .301 with 29 doubles, two triples, 41 homers, 160 RBIs, 131 runs and nine steals in 169 games (162 starts).

–via Clemson Athletic Communications

Clemson baseball wins 40th game by sweeping Boston College in regular-season finale

Clemson baseball sweeps Boston College to close out regular season with 40th victory.

Aidan Knaak struck out a career-high 11 batters in his final tune-up before postseason play, and No. 4 Clemson scored 10 runs in the final four innings Saturday to win its regular-season finale, 10-0, over Boston College in eight innings at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers earned their 40th win in their regular-season finale to finish the season 40-13 overall and 20-10 in the ACC.

It took a while for the Tigers’ bats to get going. After being shut out through four innings, Clemson finally broke through in the fifth by plating two runs courtesy of small ball.

Nolan Nawrocki was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then stole second and advanced to third on an error. Nawrocki scored the game’s first run on a wild pitch from Boston College starter Michael Farinelli.

Later that inning, Blake Wright drove in a run with an RBI sacrifice fly to center for a 2-0 lead. Wright was one of 12 Clemson seniors honored in an on-field ceremony before the game as part of the team’s Senior Day festivities.

Jacob Jarrell sent an RBI single up the middle to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the sixth off Eagles reliever Kyle Kipp. Nawrocki followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to score Tristan Bissetta to make it 4-0.

On Travis Lane’s first pitch of the seventh, Wright hit his team-best 21st home run and 70th RBI for a 5-0 lead. The Tigers tacked on two more runs that inning. Bissetta added an RBI single and Jimmy Obertop scored on a double play for a 7-0 lead.

In the eighth, Clemson loaded the bases on three consecutive walks from reliever Aidan Crowley to start the inning. Cam Cannarella then lined a two-run single to right off Beck Milner that made it 9-0.

Clemson coach Erik Bakich came out of the dugout to announce a pinch-runner for Wright, who received a standing ovation from the home crowd and a warm greeting from everyone on the Tigers’ bench. Teammates met Wright before he reached the dugout steps for a round of handshakes and high-fives.

After an intentional walk to Bissetta loaded the bases, Jarrell then drew a walk on four pitches to score the winning run for his 22nd RBI of the season. It was the Tigers’ sixth run-rule victory of the year.

Clemson totaled eight hits in the victory with Wright (2-for-2), Cannarella (2-5) and Bissetta (2-4) picking up two hits apiece. Wright reached base four times, finishing with two hits and two walks. Bissetta reached base three times.

On the mound, Knaak (5-1) bounced back to earn his fifth victory in one of his most dominant outings of the year.

Despite scattering eight hits over six innings, the freshman right-hander overwhelmed Eagles hitters early by striking out seven of the first 10 batters he faced.

Knaak ended his day by striking out Vince Cimini to end the sixth inning. He threw 81 pitches (62 strikes) over six scoreless frames. Knaak did not allow a walk. His 11 strikeouts broke his previous high of 10 (on March 30 at Miami and April 14 vs. NC State).

Lucas Mahlstedt worked two scoreless innings in relief of Knaak.

Farinelli (0-6) suffered the loss for Boston College, which ended its season 22-31 overall and 8-22 in conference play.

The Tigers, ranked seventh in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll and fourth in D1Baseball’s Top 25, will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament at Truist Field in Charlotte. North Carolina earned the No. 1 seed as the regular-season conference champion.

Blake Wright, Jimmy Obertop lead Clemson to series win, ACC Atlantic Division title

The Clemson Tigers clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title Saturday and assured themselves of no worse than a No. 2 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

Blake Wright went 4-for-5 at the plate and hit his 20th home run of the season, Jimmy Obertop drove in four runs, and No. 4 Clemson defeated Boston College, 11-6, Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The win clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title for Clemson (39-13 overall, 19-10 ACC) and a series victory in the Tigers’ final regular-season set ahead of next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

After Boston College (22-30, 8-21) jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a second-inning home run from John Collins off Tristan Smith, Clemson responded for nine unanswered runs over the next three innings.

The Tigers manufactured a run in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Jacob Jarrell, and in the third, Wright’s 20th home run off Boston College starter A.J. Colarusso tied the game.

Cam Cannarella and Jimmy Obertop followed with back-to-back doubles to put Clemson ahead, and Tristan Bissetta added a run-scoring single as part of a three-run inning that made it 4-2.

The Tigers erupted for five runs in the fourth, beginning with Wright’s second run-scoring hit of the afternoon — an opposite-field RBI single that made it 5-2. Later that inning, Obertop cleared the bases with a three-run homer, his 18th of the season to up the score to 9-2.

Clemson tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning. Bissetta picked up his second RBI of the day with a double down the right field line, and Jack Crighton followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to cap the Tigers’ scoring and make it 11-3.

The Eagles got an RBI double from Kyle Wolff and a two-run single from Adam Magpoc off reliever Chance Fitzgerald in the eighth for the game’s final runs.

Billy Barlow (6-1) earned the win in relief with three solid innings after Smith started and received a no-decision. Smith pitched four innings and gave up two runs on four hits to go with four walks and two strikeouts.

Drew Titsworth recorded the final six outs in relief, retiring all but one of the seven batters he faced without allowing a hit. He struck out four and walked one. Fitzgerald allowed all three Boston College runs in the eighth without recording an out.

In addition to Wright’s four hits, Clemson got three-hit games from Obertop (3-for-5) and Bissetta (3-5). Cannarella (2-3) stayed hot by notching two hits and scoring three runs. Jarren Purify (2-5) also had two hits.

Colarusso (3-8) suffered the loss for Boston College, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

The series concludes Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon EDT. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

Clemson’s Blake Wright earns ACC Player of the Week honors

Clemson Baseball: Blake Wright was 6-for-11 (.545) with three homers, a double, 11 RBIs, six runs, a 1.455 slugging percentage, walk, two hit-by-pitches, a .600 on-base percentage and no errors in eight chances at third base.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior infielder Blake Wright (Belleair, Fla.) was named ACC Player-of-the-Week, announced Monday by the league office. He joined Wake Forest’s Chase Burns, who was named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week, in receiving conference accolades. ACC baseball weekly honors are determined by a vote of a select media panel and are announced on Mondays throughout the regular season.

It marked his second ACC Player-of-the-Week honor in 2024, as he received the accolade on March 25.

In only three games on the week, all in a series win against Georgia Tech, Wright was 6-for-11 (.545) with three homers, a double, 11 RBIs, six runs, a 1.455 slugging percentage, walk, two hit-by-pitches, a .600 on-base percentage and no errors in eight chances at third base.

He went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday, then went 4-for-5 with two homers and a career-high seven RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday. Nine of his 10 RBIs on the day were two-out RBIs.

On the season, he is hitting .335 with 55 runs, eight doubles, two triples, 19 homers and 65 RBIs in 46 games.

–via Clemson Athletic Communications