Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Clemson celebrated senior day Saturday as the Tigers downed Boston College to sweep the series. Check out some pictures from the day at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in TCI’s Photo Gallery. Photos courtesy Dawson Powers.
Clemson celebrated senior day Saturday as the Tigers downed Boston College to sweep the series.
Check out some pictures from the day at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in TCI’s Photo Gallery.
Photos courtesy Dawson Powers.
The 2022 Tigers are still undefeated thanks to a great pitching performance from Mack Anglin and the bullpen and a late rally. Bryar Hawkins got the clutch hit in the ninth inning to give Clemson the lead. The Clemson Insider caught up with Anglin …
The 2022 Tigers are still undefeated thanks to a great pitching performance from Mack Anglin and the bullpen and a late rally. Bryar Hawkins got the clutch hit in the ninth inning to give Clemson the lead.
The Clemson Insider caught up with Anglin and Hawkins following the huge win.
Clemson’s baseball team hasn’t exactly been snacking on a bunch of cupcakes during its strong start to the season, but the Tigers are about to take a step up in level of competition – and environment – against their in-state rival this weekend. …
Clemson’s baseball team hasn’t exactly been snacking on a bunch of cupcakes during its strong start to the season, but the Tigers are about to take a step up in level of competition – and environment – against their in-state rival this weekend.
Clemson will put its unblemished record on the line against South Carolina in a series starting Friday at Carolina’s Founders Park. The Tigers will stay in Columbia on Saturday for the middle game at Segra Park before the series wraps up Sunday at Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Tigers will take an 8-0 record into the weekend, matching their best start since the 2018 season. And despite playing opponents with a combined record of 15-11 so far, not many of those wins have been close. Clemson has ridden improved pitching (2.59 earned run average) and consistent hitting (.329 average) to a whopping plus-59 run differential (80-21) on the season.
But Indiana, Hartford, College of Charleston and USC Upstate aren’t South Carolina, which has won seven of its first eight games, including six straight. The Tigers dropped a one-run decision in its most recent visit to Founders Park a season ago.
“This is big-boy baseball, and it’s a rivalry series. So we’re excited about it,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said. “Couldn’t ask for being in a better position than we’re in right now. We go in there undefeated. We feel good about what we’re going as a club.”
It’s also been two years since Clemson has played in a true road environment. The Tigers have played all of their games inside the friendly confines of Doug Kingsmore Stadium so far, making Friday’s trip to Founders Park Clemson’s first road game since playing at Florida State last May (not counting the ACC Tournament and other neutral-site games).
Attendance for that series was limited in response to the coronavirus pandemic, so this weekend’s series opener will also be the first time the Tigers have played in front of a capacity crowd on another team’s campus since they beat South Carolina in the same park on Feb. 28, 2020.
“You come here to play in front of big crowds in big-time, pressure-packed environments,” Lee said. “That’s what it’s all about. The message to our guys is going to be let’s go enjoy this thing. This is what you signed up for. We’ll be loose and ready to go.”
As for that environment, junior utility player Bryar Hawkins was in the lineup the last time Clemson played in front of a packed house at Founders Park, which has a seating capacity of 8,424 fans – roughly 2,000 more than the Tigers’ ballpark. It won’t exactly be the chummiest setting for he or his teammates, but Hawkins said he doesn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.
“It’s definitely intense there, but it’s something we’re all excited for, especially the guys that have been there before and are used to it,” said Hawkins, who has a team-high 15 RBIs and is tied for the team lead with three home runs. “Their fans, you’ve got to let it go in one ear and out the other. But it’s going to be awesome.
“It kind of gets your adrenaline going. For me, it’s what makes baseball fun is having the fans chirping at you.”
On the field, Clemson’s arms will be tested against a Carolina offense with one of the SEC’s hottest hitters in Andrew Eyster, who’s batting .514 with three homers and 17 RBIs. Clemson will counter with a lineup with six players hitting .333 or better against a Carolina team with the highest ERA in the SEC (4.34).
Carolina will be without one of its starting pitchers this weekend. Right-hander James Hicks recently sustained a season-ending injury after making just two starts. The Gamecocks’ best starter to this point has been Will Sanders, who’s allowed four earned runs in 12 innings.
Clemson is sticking with its rotation of right-handers Mack Anglin, Nick Clayton and Nick Hoffman, though the Tigers are moving Hoffman up to Saturday and bumping Clayton to Sunday. Anglin, who’s yet to allow an earned run in 10 innings this season, will oppose Sanders in his usual Friday night slot.
“We’ve got our guys. They’ve got their guys,” Lee said. “It’s going to come down to which pitchers execute pitches to the middle of their order better and which hitters step up with runners on base and deliver the big blow in crucial situations.”
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
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 …
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.
Clemson, S.C. – For the second weekend in a row the Tigers got the brooms out as they defeated Hartford 28-3 Saturday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to sweep the series and remain undefeated. Clemson’s 25 hits were the most since 2006. Nick …
Clemson, S.C. — For the second weekend in a row the Tigers got the brooms out as they defeated Hartford 28-3 Saturday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to sweep the series and remain undefeated. Clemson’s 25 hits were the most since 2006.
Nick Hoffman earned his first win of the season. Hoffman went five innings and only gave up three hits, two runs and two earned runs with six strikeouts.
Clemson jumped on the Hawks early. Tyler Corbitt reached on a throwing error with one out. Caden Grice singled down the left field line. Cooper Ingle grounded to the right side scoring Corbitt. Bryar Hawkins singled to left to score Grice. After one the Tigers led 2-0.
Hartford bounced right back plating two runs in the second.
Clemson exploded for six runs in the second with some two-out magic. Ben Blackwell singled followed by a single from Dylan Brewer. Blackwell and Brewer advanced on a passed ball. Corbitt reached on an error with Blackwell scoring on the play. Grice walked advancing Brewer to second. Ingle singled to score Brewer and Corbitt. Bryar Hawkins cleared the bases with a three-run home run to center. After two the Tigers led 8-2.
In the third inning Brewer reached on an error. Corbitt singled before Grice walked to load the bases with one away. Ingle grounded to second to score Brewer. After three the Tigers led 9-2.
Wagner singled to start the bottom of the fourth. Fairey walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Blackwell dribbled a single to third scoring Wagner. Fairey scored on a wild pitch and the Tigers led 12-2.
The bats remained hot as Clemson plated three more runs in the fifth. Blackwell doubled to score French, Wagner and Ingle who had all walked. Blackwell then scored from second on Brewer’s single and the lead was stretched to 16-2.
With one out Ingle doubled down the left field line. Hawkins singled to right center. Wagner doubled to right scoring Ingle. Troyer doubled scoring Hawkins and Wagner. Jonathan French doubled to score Troyer. Starbuck tripled to score French. Starbuck scored on a wild pitch and the Tigers led 22-2 after six.
The Hawks scored on a solo home run in the top of the seventh.
Clemson plated another run in the seventh.
Ingles double in the eighth scored two more. Wagner followed with a three run bomb to left field and the Tigers led 28-3.
Clemson moved to 7-0 on the season with the sweep. USC Upstate visits Doug Kingsmore Stadium Tuesday at 4 PM.
With Clemson baseball’s fall season underway, Monte Lee is taking inventory of the talent within this year’s team and the seventh-year head coach has been pleased with what he has seen so far. One of those bright spots so far has been senior Chad …
With Clemson baseball’s fall season underway, Monte Lee is taking inventory of the talent within this year’s team and the seventh-year head coach has been pleased with what he has seen so far.
One of those bright spots so far has been senior Chad Fairey. The outfielder, who missed the majority of last season due to injury, had a stellar summer playing with the Strasburg Express in the Valley League in Virginia, coming away with a .326 slugging percentage, 11 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 40 runs.
In his first three seasons with the Tigers, the Greenwood, S.C. native has recorded a double, four homers, 13 RBIs, and 14 runs along with holding a .333 slugging percentage and a .361 on-base percentage over the course of 42 games and 26 starts.
“Chad had a heck of a summer in the valley league,” Lee told The Clemson Insider. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have Chad last year, he was hurt for us, but he got a lot of at-bats as a freshman and even in the Covid season. He actually had the last hit of the Covid season, so we’ve seen Chad Fairey do big, big things here.”
Fairey’s production on the field seemingly continued into the Tigers’ first exhibition game of the fall against UAB last weekend. In Clemson’s 20-8 victory over the Blazers, Fairey accounted for 5 of the Tigers 20 runs along with two back-to-back home runs in the first and second inning.
“It’s just good to have him healthy and have that presence there in the middle of the lineup with that kind of power, you know, between him and Bryar Hawkins,” Lee said. “Those two guys swung the bat very, very well for us today. They’re older guys, they have some power, they’re veterans, and we expect big things out of those guys.”
The Tigers open up the 2022 season on Friday, February 18, when they host. Indiana on opening weekend in a three game set.
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
