Mack Anglin – Page 2 – Syndication Server

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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Anglin, Gilbert combine for shutout of Wake Forest

Tyler Corbitt’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning lifted Clemson to a 1-0 win over No. 23 Wake Forest at David F. Couch Ballpark on Friday night. The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series, improved to 21-12 overall and 3-9 in the ACC. The Demon …

Cooper Ingle led off the ninth inning with a single on a 2-2 pitch on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, then Blake Wright grounded an 0-2 single. After Max Wagner loaded the bases with no outs on a hit-by-pitch and a strikeout, Corbitt lofted a 1-1 pitch to left-center to score Ingle.

Tiger reliever Geoffrey Gilbert (2-1) earned the win, as he pitched the final 3.0 innings. Tiger starter Mack Anglin tossed 6.0 innings with six strikeouts. Camden Minacci (1-1) suffered the loss.

The series continues Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

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 baseball falls short vs. No. 13 Notre Dame

Clemson baseball fell short against Notre Dame on Friday, giving the Tigers their tenth loss in the past 15.

Clemson baseball couldn’t come up with an upset victory over No. 13 Notre Dame on Friday, giving the Tigers their 10th loss in the past 15 games.

In the 1-4 loss, Clemson’s offense didn’t get much going and managed to record four total hits, two of which came from right fielder Caden Grice.

Meanwhile, Clemson pitcher Mack Anglin suffered the loss to Notre Dame pitcher John Michael Bertrand. Anglin recorded four strikeouts in his 6.2 innings pitched and gave up seven hits.

Clemson began the year 14-0 and had its best start to a season since 1992, but with the loss to the Fighting Irish, the Tigers are now 2-7 in ACC play, with hopes of rising in the conference standings dwindling.

Clemson (19-10) will try to turn the tides back in its favor on Saturday at 2 p.m. when the Tigers play Notre Dame in game two of the three-game series.

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Anglin comes through when Clemson ‘desperately needed’ him to

All eyes were on Mack Anglin, as Clemson’s No. 1 starter tried to put previous Friday night pitching performances against Pitt and Miami behind him. In Clemson’s 14-3 win over N.C. State on Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Anglin looked like …

All eyes were on Mack Anglin, as Clemson’s No. 1 starter tried to put previous Friday night pitching performances against Pitt and Miami behind him.

In Clemson’s 14-3 win over N.C. State on Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Anglin looked like a completely different pitcher. He held the Wolfpack to just three hits in five innings, striking out eight batters and leaving everything he had on the mound.

After Clemson’s landslide victory Friday, coach Monte Lee wanted it to be known that Anglin’s dominant pitching performance was the key to Clemson notching its second conference win to date.

“The story of (Friday) was Mack Anglin,” Lee said postgame. “We desperately needed a good start out of him, and he’s been on a tough stretch, and he came through for us today.”

Behind Benjamin Blackwell and Caden Grice, the Tigers were able to set the tone offensively. That much-needed momentum was all the run support that Anglin would need. Blackwell got the home half of the first started with a base hit. He was quickly joined by Cooper Ingle, Bryar Hawkins, Blake Wright, Chad Fairey and Caden Grice, who each accounted for multiple hits, as Clemson pounded 16 vs. N.C. State.

Grice was finally able to have a breakout performance, and in doing so, was able to give a glimpse of what he’s capable of at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of walks.

After giving much credit to his starting pitcher, Grice said he believes his team “swung the bats really well today, and that momentum is going to help them moving into (Saturday).”

On Saturday night, Nick Hoffman will be on the bump for the Tigers, as they look to take the series against N.C. State 6 p.m. at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson downs Northeastern 9-6 to keep streak alive

Clemson, S.C. – The Tigers remained unbeaten as they scored nine runs on nine hits to down Northeastern 9-6 Friday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson took the lead in the third inning. Jonathan French was hit by a pitch. Benjamin Blackwell …

Clemson, S.C. — The Tigers remained unbeaten as they scored nine runs on nine hits to down Northeastern 9-6 Friday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson took the lead in the third inning. Jonathan French was hit by a pitch. Benjamin Blackwell grounded out advancing French to second. Dylan Brewer singled to left center to score French. He then stole second before Corbitt singled to left center to score him. The Tigers led 2-0 after the third.

Northeastern tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth.

The Tigers took the lead right back in the bottom of the fifth. Blackwell had a leadoff walk. Brewer singled to advance Blackwell to second. Corbitt reached on a fielder’s choice and Blackwell advanced to third. He then stole second. Grice walked to load the bases. Cooper Ingle singled to left to score Blackwell. Bryar Hawkins grounded to second to score Grice. Max Wagner hit a two run home run to left to score Wagner and Clemson led 7-2.

The Huskies plated two in the sixth to cut into the lead.

French hit a leadoff home run to the Chapman Grandstands to start the bottom of the sixth. With two outs Brewer doubled to right before Corbitt walked. Grice walked to load the bases. Ingle hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Brewer.

Anglin got the start for the Tigers and went five innings only giving up three hits, two runs and two earned runs.

With the win Clemson moved to 13-0 on the season. The Tigers and Northeastern play again Saturday afternoon at 3 PM.

Anglin, Hawkins talk win over South Carolina

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 Clemson Insider caught up with Anglin and Hawkins following the huge win.

Third time is the charm for Hawkins as Tigers down South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Bryar Hawkins’ clutch single with two outs in the ninth after Cooper Ingle was intentionally walked for the third time gave the Tigers a 3-2 win over South Carolina at Founders Park. In the first, South Carolina took the lead thanks …

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Bryar Hawkins’ clutch single with two outs in the ninth after Cooper Ingle was intentionally walked for the third time gave the Tigers a 3-2 win over South Carolina at Founders Park.

In the first, South Carolina took the lead thanks to some free 90s. Mack Anglin walked the first two batters. With one out, a wild pitch moved them over and a sacrifice fly put the Gamecocks up 1-0.

Clemson fought back to tie the game in the top of the third. Benjamin Blackwell hit a leadoff single. With one out, Tyler Corbitt singled. Ingle singled with two away to score Blackwell and tie the game. The Tigers went on to load the bases, but Max Wagner struck out to end the threat.

The Gamecocks took the lead again in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Josiah Sightler crushed a solo home run to right center. Anglin had a one-hitter going until that home run. South Carolina led 2-1 after six.

Jonathan French struck out his first three at bats, but that all changed in the top of the eighth. With one out, French hit a bomb just over the foul pole in left to tie the game 2-2.

The third time was the charm for the Tigers. Three times South Carolina gave Ingle an intentional walk to pitch to Hawkins with runners on base. In the ninth, Hawkins made them pay. Dylan Brewer reached on a fielding error. Caden Grice struck out for the second out and Ingle drew the intentional walk. Hawkins singled to score Brewer and the Tigers led 3-2.

Anglin had another strong performance, going 6.0 innings and only giving up two hits, two runs and two earned runs. He finished with 9 strikeouts on the night.

Clemson moved to 9-0 with the win. The Tigers and Gamecocks will play game two Saturday at 4 p.m. at “neutral site” Segra Park in Columbia.

Clemson’s pitching, particularly in relief, off to strong start

Coming into the 2022 season, Clemson coach Monte Lee pinpointed the mound as the primary area the Tigers’ baseball team needed to improve if they are going to successfully rebound from last season’s disappointment. One weekend is a minuscule sample …

One weekend is a minuscule sample size, but Clemson is at least off to a strong start in that regard.

Thirteen pitchers combined to hold Indiana to eight earned runs in 28 innings over the weekend, helping the Tigers start the new campaign with a sweep of a fellow Power Six program. In three games, including a 10-inning finale on Sunday, Clemson limited the Hoosiers to 19 hits while piling up 31 strikeouts.

“You look at the weekend with 28 innings of baseball, we really only had one inning where we struggled to throw strikes. I’ll take that,” said Lee, whose team ranked 10th in the ACC last season with a 5.00 earned run average. “We forced the other team to swing the bat to beat us. I’ll take that.”

Sophomore right-hander Mack Anglin befuddled IU’s lineup for five no-hit innings at the start of a 9-0 win for the Tigers on Friday, but Clemson’s bullpen was just as strong in helping lock down the last two victories. The Tigers’ relievers limited IU to just two runs in 17 ⅓ innings on the weekend.

The bullpen having to log that many innings means not everything was perfect on the bump. Anglin was the only starter to get past the third inning. Nick Clayton couldn’t get out of the second in Saturday’s game before yielding four runs, and Nick Hoffman lasted just three innings in Sunday’s start.

“We need to get deeper into the ball game,” Lee said. “I’m not as concerned about getting hit as I am that we’ve got to be able to make some pitches with runners on base and get a little deeper in the game from the starting pitcher side.”

Hoffman walked three batters before his day was done, part of nine free passes issued by the Tigers on Sunday. But 10 relievers picked up the slack over the final two games to keep IU’s offense at bay.

Clemson faced a four-run deficit before the third inning Saturday, but freshman Casey Tallent and sophomore Geoffrey Gilbert kept IU off the board in the middle innings to give the Tigers a chance to rally and then some. Tallent followed Clayton with 2.1 hitless innings in his collegiate debut while Gilbert allowed just one hit and struck out four in two innings of work.

By that time, Clemson had a nine-run lead in what turned into a 19-4 rout. Austin Gordon, Rocco Reid and freshman Jay Dill combined to throw the last three frames, allowing just one hit and one walk among them.

“We have several guys that are built to start,” Lee said. “Those guys can go long. We can stretch those guys out and get them a time through the lineup if needed. That certainly helps when you’re able to go to those guys early in the game if your starter struggles.”

Things were dicier Sunday with the Hoosiers leading 4-3 after six innings. Jackson Lindley allowed one run in 2 ⅔ innings of relief, and IU scored the go-ahead run in the sixth against Ryan Ammons, who couldn’t get out of the inning.

But Alex Edmondson came on to get the final out of the frame and joined Ty Olenchuck and Dill to throw 3 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief to help the Tigers send the game to extras. In the 10th, Lee turned to first baseman/outfielder Caden Grice, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam after allowing a hit and two walks in his first mound appearance of the season.

“I knew I had the stuff to get us through that inning,” Grice said.

It allowed Clemson to walk it off in the home half of the inning on Bryar Hawkins’ sacrifice fly.

“I thought that was the difference in the game,” Lee said. “With the game being tied like that and us having the last at-bat, we had to keep it tied. Our bullpen was going to have to do a great job, Those guys at the end, they were just outstanding.”

Clemson will try to keep the momentum going Tuesday when the Tigers host College of Charleston for their first midweek game. Clemson will then entertain Hartford for a three-game series beginning Friday.

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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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