Tag: Max Wagner

The 2022 Clemson Athletic Department Awards Announced

The 2022 Clemson Athletic Department Awards are official.

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

The Clemson athletic department has announced winners of the Frank Howard Award, the IPTAY Athlete of the Year, and the Brandon Streeter Award for the 2021-22 academic year. A 20-person committee made up of local media and Clemson administrators voted on the candidates.

The Frank Howard Award: Max Wagner, Baseball

The Frank Howard Award is the honor presented each year to a student-athlete for bringing honor to Clemson athletics. This year’s recipient is baseball All-American Max Wagner.

Wagner was a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, two honors presented each year to the top player in college baseball. Wagner was a unanimous first-team All-American and First-Team All-ACC selection in 2022, when he hit a school-record-tying 27 home runs. He hit .369 overall with 76 RBIs and a .496 on-base average. He also had a .852 slugging percentage, second best in Clemson history.

Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment was Wagner’s home run every 7.5 at bats. That broke a record that had been held by Doug Kingsmore since 1954. From April 17-23, Wagner tied a school record with a home run in five consecutive games.

Wagner was also named to the All-ACC Academic team and was named the ACC Player-of-the-Year. In July, he was selected in the second round of the MLB draft, the No. 42 overall player selected. He was No. 23 among college players and No. 16 among Power Five Conference players.

The native of Green Bay, Wis. is the first baseball player drafted who played his high school baseball at a Green Bay district public school.

Wagner was one of the great stories of college baseball in 2022, as he made significant improvement from his first year. In 2021, as a first-year freshman, he hit .214 with just two home runs and nine RBIs. His improvement of 25 home runs over the previous year is the greatest one-year improvement in Clemson history.

IPTAY Athlete of the Year: Jacob Bridgeman, Men’s Golf

The IPTAY Athlete of the Year takes into account excellence on the field and achievement in the classroom and the community. This year’s recipient is Clemson senior golfer Jacob Bridgeman.

Bridgeman was named the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year for Men’s Golf for the second consecutive year, the first two-time recipient of the award in seven years, and just the second two-time recipient in league history. He was named to the Academic All-ACC team and the All-ACC team for the third time in his career.

Additionally, Bridgeman was the recipient of a Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarship from the ACC for his outstanding performance in the classroom and on the course.

A native of Inman, S.C., Bridgeman was named the ACC Most Valuable Player for the season and won the ACC Championship at the league tournament in April. He was the first Clemson golfer to win the ACC Tournament since 2006.

Bridgeman finished his career with a 70.70 stroke average, second in Clemson history behind Doc Redman and set the school record for career rounds in the 60s with 50.   He won two tournaments this year in recording a 70.43 stroke average. In addition to winning the ACC Tournament, he captured the Linger Longer Invitational. That gave him five tournament wins for his career, tied for first in Clemson history.

The Clemson graduate finished second in the PGA University Rankings this year to gain full status this summer on the Korn Ferry Tour. He has made the cut in four-of-six Korn Ferry Tour events so far this year, including a fifth-place finish at the BMW Charity Pro Am in Greenville, S.C. He also made the cut at the Barbasol Championship on the PGA Tour.

Brandon Streeter Award: Justyn Ross, Football

The Brandon Streeter Award is presented each year to the Clemson student-athlete who has overcome physical injury to achieve success on the fields of competition.  It is named after Clemson’s current quarterback coach and offensive coordinator who overcame multiple injuries throughout his career (broken ankle and broken ribs among them) to lead the Tigers during the 1999 football season.

This year’s recipient is senior football wide receiver Justyn Ross. Ross won the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award as the league’s Most Courageous Player in 2021. He came back in 2022 after he suffered an injury in the spring of 2021. The injury revealed that he had a congenital neck injury that needed significant surgery.

Ross had the surgery in Pittsburgh on June 5, 2020 and sat out the entire 2020 season. He was finally cleared to play in August of 2021. He went almost 600 days without playing before coming back to start against Georgia in the 2021 season opener. His hard work at rehabilitation allowed him to become what is believed to be the first football player across all levels to play after two fusion surgeries.

Ross led Clemson in receiving this year with 46 receptions for 514 yards and three scores this year. He had a season-best eight catches for 77 yards and two scores against NC State. At the conclusion of the season, he was named one of the team’s permanent captains.

For his career, Ross finished with 158 receptions for 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is fifth in Clemson history in career touchdown receptions, 11th in total receptions and 10th in yardage.

Ross signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs this summer.

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Wagner gets paid

Clemson’s Max Wagner saw his dream come true Tuesday when he signed his deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The deal was reported to be for 1.9 million. The @Orioles have agreed to a deal with second-round pick (No. 42) Max Wagner for $1,900,000 (slot …

Clemson’s Max Wagner saw his dream come true Tuesday when he signed his deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

The deal was reported to be for 1.9 million.

Sophomore infielder Max Wagner was selected in the second round by the Baltimore Orioles, who took Wagner with the 42nd overall pick.

Wagner burst on the scene this season en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. He led the Tigers in average (.369), RBIs (76), slugging percentage (.852) and on-base percentage (.496). Wagner tied Khalil Greene’s school record for the most home runs in a single season (27), tied for the third-most in ACC history.

Recapping Clemson baseball’s activity through first half of MLB Draft

The first half of the Major League Baseball Draft is in the books, and the number of Clemson’s players and recruits that have heard their names called has been minimal. To what extent those selections will impact the Tigers’ roster for next season, …

The first half of the Major League Baseball Draft is in the books, and the number of Clemson’s players and recruits that have heard their names called has been minimal.

To what extent those selections will impact the Tigers’ roster for next season, though, remains to be seen.

Three players either on or signed to join Clemson’s roster have been drafted through the first two days of the draft. That number could increase when the draft concludes with the final 10 rounds Tuesday, but things have gone about as expected when it comes to the Tigers’ current players.

Max Wagner and Mack Anglin, Clemson’s highest-ranked prospects entering the draft, have each been drafted. Wagner was first to come off the board, going to the Baltimore Orioles in the second round with the 42nd overall pick. Anglin went to the Kansas City Royals five rounds later with the 205th overall selection.

Clemson first-year coach Erik Bakich told The Clemson Insider before the draft that he was approaching it as if neither player would be returning to school, and understandably so.

It would be difficult for Wagner to increase his draft stock more than he did this past season when he matched a school record with 27 home runs, and the approximate slotted bonus money associated with the 42nd overall pick ($1.86 million) is likely too good to pass up. Anglin, Clemson’s Friday starter this past season, jumped six rounds after being drafted in the 13th a year ago. A year older than Wagner as a third-year sophomore, Anglin would also be 23 years old by the time next year’s draft rolls around, which would naturally decrease his stock if he returned to school for another season.

Clemson also had two signees ranked among the top 50 prospects going into the draft, but only one of them has been selected to this point. And Brock Porter went later than expected, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll make it to school.

Ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect by MLB.com, Porter slid to the fourth round before the Texas Rangers drafted the hard-throwing right-hander with the 109th overall pick. But the Rangers are reportedly paying under slot value for its first-round pick, Kumar Rock, and didn’t have any second- or third-picks to spend money on, so they may have the extra money needed to pay over slot for Porter’s signature.

While Clemson awaits Porter’s decision, the Tigers have a better chance of getting left-hander Tristan Smith to campus. MLB.com rated the Boiling Springs High standout as the 46th-best prospect, but Smith heads into the final day of the draft still on the board. It’s a good indication teams won’t be able to match Smith’s asking price.

Still, a team could take a flyer on Smith in the later rounds. Who else with Clemson ties could be drafted?

Shortstop Ben Blackwell and pitchers Geoffrey Gilbert, Ryan Ammons and Jackson Lindley are among the Tigers’ other draft-eligible players. Winnacunnet (New Hampshire) High right-hander Joe Allen and Porter’s high school teammate, St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) School infielder Jack Crighton, MLB.com’s No. 220 prospect, are other recruits who could be selected.

Photo credit: Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal/USA Today Network

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Wagner selected in second round of MLB Draft

Congrats to this former Tiger on being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.

Clemson had its first player selected on day one of the MLB Draft on Sunday.

Sophomore infielder Max Wagner was selected in the second round by the Baltimore Orioles as the No. 42 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft on Sunday. Wagner is the first Tiger to be selected by the Orioles since Steve Wilkerson was drafted by the club in 2014.

In his two seasons at Clemson, the Green Bay, Wisconsin native garnered quite the resumé including ACC Player of the year and first-team All-American honors, having a breakout sophomore season this past spring.

Following the 2022 season, Wagner sported a .369 batting average with 66 runs, 75 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, 76 RBIs, 27 home runs, and a .852 slugging percentage. The second baseman tied the school record with his 27 homers (Khalil Greene in 2002), which is good for third most in ACC history.

This spring, Wagner was third in the nation for home runs (27) and was second in the nation for slugging percentage (.852).

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Wagner taken on first day of MLB Draft

Clemson has its first player off the board in the Major League Baseball Draft. Sophomore infielder Max Wagner was selected in the second round by the Baltimore Orioles, who took Wagner with the 42nd overall pick late Sunday. Should Wagner choose to …

Clemson has its first player off the board in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Sophomore infielder Max Wagner was selected in the second round by the Baltimore Orioles, who took Wagner with the 42nd overall pick late Sunday. Should Wagner choose to sign with the Orioles and start his professional career early, he would receive a signing bonus of approximately $1.86 million, according to MLB.com.

This story will be updated.

How the MLB Draft could impact Clemson’s baseball roster

Max Wagner and Mack Anglin still have eligibility left at Clemson, but Erik Bakich isn’t sure if he’ll get to coach either one. Theoretically, Wagner and Anglin would be cornerstone pieces for Bakich’s first baseball team at Clemson next spring. …

Max Wagner and Mack Anglin still have eligibility left at Clemson, but Erik Bakich isn’t sure if he’ll get to coach either one.

Theoretically, Wagner and Anglin would be cornerstone pieces for Bakich’s first baseball team at Clemson next spring. Problem is, they’re widely considered the program’s top prospects for next week’s Major League Baseball Draft. Wagner, who took home ACC Player of the Year honors this past season after tying the school record for home runs, is ranked by D1Baseball as college baseball’s No. 35 overall prospect while Anglin, Clemson’s right-handed ace, comes in at No. 78 on the list.

Bakich said he’s talked to both about their futures since being hired as the Tigers’ head coach last month. Neither gave him an indication of which way they’re leaning, Bakich said, but he’s approaching it as if neither player will return to Clemson next season.

“I think I’ve framed it in my mind that they’re both going to sign,” Bakich said. “And if they didn’t, it would be a huge boost. But I’m not going into it with an expectation that they’re 100% coming back, but that’s just more me personally and our staff personally making sure we’re making preparations for their departures. Not banking on them coming back and then all of a sudden we’re reacting to that. So I think we have to look at it that way from a roster management standpoint.”

Like every coach in the sport this time of year, Bakich is in wait-and-see mode to find out exactly how much the three-day draft will alter his personnel plans for next season. Generally, the higher a player is selected, the more the amount slotted for a signing bonus. Draft-eligible underclassmen (either three collegiate seasons completed or at least 21 years old) have the option to return to college if they’re selected and don’t sign, but for first- and second-rounders in particular, those amounts are seven-figure types that are hard to pass up.

It’s why Clemson could lose two of its best players early to professional baseball, but Bakich has given up trying to predict what will happen once the draft begins Sunday with the first two rounds. Rounds 3-10 will be held Monday before the draft wraps up Tuesday with rounds 11-20.

“I’ve been paying close attention to it for the last 21 years and seen a lot of guys go lower than I thought they were going to go or go higher than I thought they were going to go,” Bakich said. “I’ve just come to the conclusion that sometimes it’s an inexact science and you can’t control it. The decision-makers that make those decisions know what they’re doing and have their reasons, but you certainly can’t predict it.”

Other players with eligibility remaining could also have decisions to make once it’s over. Shortstop Ben Blackwell and pitchers Geoffrey Gilbert, Jackson Lindley and Ryan Ammons are among the players that Bakich believes could hear their names called next week, too.

But it’s not just current players that he will be monitoring.

Clemson has more than 10 high school players signed or committed to its 2022 recruiting class. Three of those – Winnacunnet (New Hampshire) pitcher Joe Allen, Chaminade (New York) shortstop Nolan Nawrocki and St. Mary’s Prep (Michigan) infielder Jack Crighton – were former Michigan commits who intend to follow Bakich to Clemson, but most eyes are focused on a couple of pitching signees, St. Mary’s Prep’s Brock Porter and Boiling Springs standout Tristan Smith.

There’s a chance neither makes it to campus depending on how high they’re picked. Porter, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, is ranked the draft’s No. 11 overall prospect by MLB Draft Pipeline while Smith, a 6-2 southpaw, checks in at No. 46. Each of the first 68 picks has a slot value of at least $1 million, according to MLB.com draft expert Jim Callis.

“It’ll be interesting over the course of the next week just to kind of see what happens,” Bakich said.

Next season, college baseball rosters will be going back to a limit of 35 players with a caveat: a maximum of 40 will be allowed if the extra five players lost their 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, with a plethora of incoming players – Michigan transfers Riley Bertram and Willie Weiss are also following Bakich to Clemson – and without knowing exactly how many current players are on the way out, the numbers are tight for the Tigers’ 2023 roster.

Bakich said Clemson could sign two more transfers for next season but only if a pair of underclassmen end up leaving early to play professionally. Of course, that number could grow if there are some surprises next week.

“I thought it was a quick adjustment back to the 35-man (roster) with the exception of only five additional COVID super seniors. That’s going to be tough,” Bakich said. “The draft, the roster, it’s something every coach, not just myself and Clemson, but every coach will have to figure out. We won’t know really what it’s going to look like until after the draft.”

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Max Wagner makes D1Baseball’s All-America First-Team

Clemson third baseman Max Wagner just received another honor for his 2022 season.

Clemson baseball third baseman Max Wagner just added another honor to his resume.

Having already won the ACC Player of the Year award, Wagner has now been named to D1Baseball’s All-America First-Team.

Playing in 58 games as a sophomore in 2022, Wagner led the Tigers in batting average with .369 and had a team-high 27 home runs, 76 RBIs and .496 on-base percentage. He was also named to Collegiate Baseball’s All-American First-Team earlier this month.

Besides leading the Tigers in nearly every offensive category, Wagner also set a school record by averaging a home run every 7.5 at-bats.

With Clemson entering a new era with newly-appointed head coach Erik Bakich, Wagner’s performance in 2022 is undoubtedly a positive for a program that missed the past two NCAA Tournaments.

A closer look at Wagner’s national POY candidacy

After a breakout season for Clemson, Max Wagner learned this week that he’s officially up for one of college baseball’s highest individual honors. Wagner on Thursday was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which annually goes to …

After a breakout season for Clemson, Max Wagner learned this week that he’s officially up for one of college baseball’s highest individual honors.

Wagner on Thursday was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which annually goes to the sport’s national player of the year. Georgia Tech’s Kevin Parada, Tennessee’s Trey Lipscomb, Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe and Texas’ Ivan Melendez are also in the running for the award, the winner of which will be announced June 17.

Wagner is vying to become the fourth Clemson player to receive the prestigious honor (Kris Benson in 1996, Khalil Greene in 2022 and Seth Beer in 2016) thanks to a sophomore season that stacks up among the best in program history.

He led the Tigers in batting average (.369), home runs (27), RBIs (76), slugging percentage (.852) and on-base percentage (.496). His home run total matched Greene’s in 2002 for the program’s single-season record, but Wagner displayed more than just power at the plate. He also led the team in walks (45) – a rarity for a middle-of-the-order hitter – contributing to an on-base percentage that ranked third in the ACC and 18th among all Division I players.

So how does Wagner’s candidacy stack up against the award’s other finalists? Not every comparison is of the apples-to-apples variety, but Wagner faces some stiff competition nevertheless.

Hjerpe is the lone pitcher among the group, giving voters something other than offense and defense to consider. The Beavers’ sophomore left-hander has been as good as anyone in the country on the bump, posting a 2.40 earned run average over 97 ⅔ innings. Hjerpe, also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, is limiting opposing batters to just a .182 average in large part because he’s recorded 155 strikeouts so far, or 14.2 per nine innings, which is tops in the country.

As for how Wagner measures up to the other position players, starting the comparison with Parada makes sense given they competed in the same conference. A sophomore catcher for Georgia Tech, Parada finished the season as the ACC’s RBI leader (88) and finished third with 93 hits, 18 more than Wagner.

But Wagner had a higher average and one more home run than Parada en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. In fact, Wagner’s league-leading slugging percentage was nearly a full point higher than Virginia’s Jake Gelof (.764), who finished second in that category.

Melendez could be the player everyone is chasing in this race with the kind of offensive season college baseball hasn’t seen in nearly a decade. Texas’ junior first baseman leads the nation in home runs (30), RBIs (90) and slugging percentage (.895) while maintaining the 10th-highest batting average (.404) in the country. He’s the first player in the sport to hit 30 home runs in a season since Kris Bryant pulled off the feat for the University of San Diego in 2013.

Meanwhile, Lipscomb has put together one of the best offensive seasons in the SEC, which matched the most NCAA Tournament teams produced by any conference with nine. Wagner has Lipscomb beat in average (.363), home runs (21), slugging percentage (.726) and on-base percentage (.438), but Lipscomb’s slugging percentage still ranks second in the SEC. The Volunteers’ senior third baseman also leads the league in RBIs (80).

Unlike Melendez, Wagner and Lipscomb play one of the most demanding defensive positions in the sport and have done it nearly to a draw this season. Lipscomb has committed 10 errors at the hot corner while Wagner committed 12 for a .922 fielding percentage. Parada had four errors behind the dish for the Yellow Jackets and caught 12 of 42 baserunners trying to steal.

Of course, deciding awards like this isn’t always as simple as comparing statistics.

Wagner is the only finalist that didn’t participate in the NCAA Tournament after Clemson went 35-23 overall with just a 13-18 record against ACC foes, which could be viewed as a positive or a negative in the eyes of voters. Wagner needed less games to put up the numbers that he did, but, similar to college football’s Heisman Trophy, the best players on the most successful teams tend to have a leg up on the competition. Melendez, Lipscomb and Hjerpe are still playing with their respective teams set to compete in super regionals this weekend.

But Wagner’s body of work is as impressive as any of them. Now it’s up to the voters to determine if it’s good enough for him to add to his collection of awards this season.

Wagner named finalist for Dick Howser Trophy

Sophomore Max Wagner (Green Bay, Wis.) was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, presented to the national player-of-the-year, on Thursday. The winner will be announced on June 17. Connor Hjerpe (Oregon State), Trey Lipscomb …

Sophomore Max Wagner (Green Bay, Wis.) was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, presented to the national player-of-the-year, on Thursday. The winner will be announced on June 17.

Connor Hjerpe (Oregon State), Trey Lipscomb (Tennessee), Ivan Melendez (Texas) and Kevin Parada (Georgia Tech) join Wagner as finalists for the prestigious award. Each of these five finalists symbolizes the major principles of character, leadership, desire and competitive spirit exhibited by Dick Howser, the All-America shortstop, head coach at Florida State and manager of the 1985 World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Wagner, the ACC Player-of-the-Year and a first-team All-American, led the 2022 Tigers in batting average (.369), runs (66), hits (75), doubles (15), homers (27), RBIs (76), total bases (173), slugging percentage (.852), walks (45) and on-base percentage (.496). He is tied for third in the nation in home runs and is second in slugging percentage. His 27 homers tied the school season record and are tied for third most in a season in ACC history as well.

Wagner hit a home run every 7.5 at bats in 2022, easily setting a school record, and his .852 slugging percentage was second highest in a season in school history. He also reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in each of the last 42 games.

Three former Tigers, Kris Benson (1996), Khalil Greene (2002) and Seth Beer (2016), have won the Dick Howser Trophy.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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Wagner named first-team All-American

Wagner earns first-team All-American honors

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

Sophomore Max Wagner (Green Bay, Wis.) was named a first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball on Thursday. He is Clemson’s 64th All-American in history and 29th first-team All-American.

The ACC Player-of-the-Year led the 2022 Tigers in batting average (.369), runs (66), hits (75), doubles (15), homers (27), RBIs (76), total bases (173), slugging percentage (.852), walks (45) and on-base percentage (.496). He is tied for third in the nation in home runs, eighth in RBIs and second in slugging percentage. His 27 homers tied the school season record and is tied for third most in a season in ACC history as well.

Wagner hit a home run every 7.5 at bats in 2022, easily setting a school record, and his .852 slugging percentage was second highest in a season in school history. He also reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in each of the last 42 games.

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