It was suggested to Blake Wright following Clemson’s win over Florida State on Sunday that the Tigers’ second baseman – and No. 3-hole hitter – might currently have the best spot in the lineup.
He didn’t disagree.
“Having Cooper (Ingle) in front of me and Max (Wagner) behind me is special because you know someone’s going to come through,” Wright said.
It would be hard to find anyone in college baseball that’s done that more the last couple of weeks than Wagner.
There are hot streaks, and then there’s whatever Clemson’s power-hitting third baseman is on. In the Tigers’ last six games, Wagner is batting .434 (10 of 23) with seven home runs and 15 RBIs. His slugging percentage over that span is north of 1.550 while his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is hovering around 2.000.
Wagner has belted five of those homers in Clemson’s last four ACC games. The tear started with a three-run shot in the series-clinching finale at Wake Forest and included a pair of long balls in each of the Tigers’ first two games against Florida State last weekend.
One of those was a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of Friday’s series opener, putting Clemson on its way to a 6-4 win.
“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Wagner said.
The Tigers’ cleanup hitter drove in two of the team’s three runs with a pair of solo homers in Clemson’s one-run loss Saturday, bringing his home-run total for the season to 17. Wagner nearly had another one in his first-at bat of Sunday’s series finale when he tagged a laser off the wall to the opposite field in the second inning. He settled for a double.
“He’s been unreal for us,” Clemson coach Monte Lee said. “He’s killing it right now. He’s maybe the best player in our league right now. He plays great defensively, and he’s swinging the bat exceptionally well. He’s stepped up for us big-time. Hitting the ball to all fields. He’s a phenomenal player.”
His recent performances earned him not only ACC Player of the Week honors but also a national player of the week nod from Collegiate Baseball. Wagner is third in the ACC in home runs and leads the league in slugging percentage (.851) all while maintaining a .366 average, tied for 10th in the conference. He also ranks in the top 10 in RBIs (47) and on-base percentage (.494).
Wagner said he can’t remember being on a streak quite this sizzling at any point during his career. As for what’s led to it, Wagner said he’s tried to keep his approach simple.
“Just trying to hit the ball hard and swing at strikes,” Wagner said. “I’ve been doing that and just trying to follow along with that. The production has been there but just keep working on it and try to get this team a win.”
Clemson (26-14, 6-11 ACC) has done that seven times in its last nine games as it tries to stay in contention for a spot in next month’s ACC Tournament. A series at Louisville awaits this weekend, but Wagner and the rest of the Tigers will first look to keep their momentum going tonight against Presbyterian at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
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