Every young baseball player dreams of performing stunts like a walk-off grand slam or pitching a no-hitter. On Sunday, Clemson Baseball went viral for executing one of those legendary feats, the “hidden ball” trick play.
The Tigers were playing in game six of the Clemson Regional. They were up 2-1 on Coastal Carolina in the top of the second inning with one out and runners on second and third. Third baseman Blake Wright was the executor of the now-viral play. He goes up to pitcher Ethan Darden to hand the ball off.
Instead of handing the ball off hand-to-glove, Wright sneakily used his glove to act like he gave it to Darden. He walked back to his position without tipping off anyone, and as soon as centerfielder Dean Mihos stepped off the bag, Wright tagged him for the second out of the inning. Situationally, the play was genius. Coastal Carolina was no longer a threat with a bunt or sacrifice fly, pushing the tying run back to second with two outs.
Here’s the heads-up play from Wright.
CLEMSON PULLED OFF THE HIDDEN BALL TRICK 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/kEeGdB8BS1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 3, 2024
Clemson will host the winner of Oklahoma State and Florida in the super-regional round next weekend.