2017 Clemson Baseball Preview: Pitchers
Courtesy of Dan Hope - Independent Mail
Not much was expected of the Clemson baseball team heading into the 2016 season. After a disappointing 2015 campaign which ended with an early exit from the Fullerton Regional and the firing of Coach Jack Leggett, the Tigers were projected to finish 6th in the Atlantic Division in 2016. However, first-year coach Monte Lee led the team to a 44-20 overall record, winning the ACC and ultimately earning the #7 national seed and hosting a Regional.
Expectations are at an all-time high leading into the 2017 season, even though the Tigers will be without many key contributors from last year's team. Let's take a look at what the club will look like this spring, starting with the pitching staff and bullpen.
Key Departures
The two biggest losses are right-hander Clate Schmidt and southpaw Alex Bostic. Schmidt, a 20th round pick by the Detroit Tigers, was a weekend starter for the Tigers throughout the 2016 season. He finished with an 8-5 record and a less than favorable earned run average, but was a huge part of the postseason run and will surely be missed. Bostic, a 10th round pick by the San Francisco Giants, had an up and down season, but was arguably the second best reliever on the team.
Key Returners
Senior Pat Krall headlines the crop of returning arms after finishing the 2016 season with 10 wins and a 1.67 ERA over 80.2 innings pitched. He spent most of the year working out of the bullpen, but will assume a spot in the weekend rotation this spring.
Junior lefthander Charlie Barnes was a consistent Saturday starter a season ago, and is expected to take a big leap forward after a successful stint in the Cape Cod League in which he struck out 32 and walked only 9 in 33.2 innings.
Redshirt sophomore Alex Eubanks spent some time in the rotation last season, and will compete for a permanent spot this spring after a strong performance in the Cape Cod League where he went 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 33.2 innings.
Other returners vying for a spot in the rotation are a trio of sophomores including Jake Higginbotham, Ryley Gilliam and Brooks Crawford. Higginbotham, a draft-eligible sophomore, spent some time in the rotation before his season was cut short due to injury last spring. Gilliam showed flashes of greatness last season, but will need to perform on a more consistent basis going forward. Crawford finished with a 3.66 ERA in 46.2 innings, and also impressed in the Valley League over the summer, posting a 2.01 ERA in 22.1 innings and making the all star game.
Newcomers
Highlighting the class of freshmen is Mitchell Miller, a lefthander who pitched in the 2015 Under Armour All-American game and has been ranked as the #9 freshman in the ACC in Perfect Game's preseason ranking.
Graduate transfer Tyler Jackson also looks to make an impact this season after being named 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year.
Other names to look out for are right-hander Owen Griffith and lefties Jacob Hennessey and Ryne Huggins; freshmen who will be competing for innings throughout the course of the season.
Follow along as we continue to preview to 2017 Clemson baseball team as well as provide news and notes from around the world of baseball over the course of the season.
