2017 College Preseason Top 25 Capsules: No. 10 Clemson

SEE ALSO: College Preview Index

10. Clemson

2016 Record (Ranking): 44-20 (17). RPI: 7.
Coach (Record at school): Monte Lee (44-20, 1 year).
Postseason History: 41 regionals (active streak: 8), 12 CWS trips (last in 2010), 0 national titles.

At 12:51 a.m. on Jan. 10, Clemson coach Monte Lee tweeted a four-second video of himself screaming into his phone camera from the stands of Raymond James Stadium—as one might do when one witnesses his school win a college football national championship.

Lee went from celebrating Clemson’s 35-31 win over Alabama to arriving at his hotel at about 3:30 a.m., then getting up at 5 a.m. to board a plane back to Clemson—because school was starting the next day.

He witnessed football coach Dabo Swinney complete his mission, and then he embarked his own. Lee, the high-energy head coach in his second year at Clemson, returned to campus and reunited with his equally fired-up players—who were excited about more than just the football title.

“Obviously, the football team inspires all student-athletes at Clemson across the board, along with the students and the faculty and the administration,” Lee said. “And I also think our guys, coming off a good year last year, want to build upon that, and they’re excited about the season starting, so I think the combination of the two has been very, very positive.”

The baseball team could conceivably be vying for a national title of its own come June. After all, the Tigers won the ACC tournament and earned the No. 7 national seed in Lee’s first year at the helm.

The Tigers relied heavily on veteran leadership and creative coaching to win their 44 games—24 coming in come-from-behind fashion. Piecing together the pitching staff, in particular, proved challenging. The Tigers simply lacked depth, and Lee had to rely heavily on the services of offspeed specialist Pat Krall, using the All-American lefthander both in relief and in a starting role.

“Last year, it was ‘OK, how can I use Pat Krall to win this series?’” Lee said, laughing. “That was what it would boil down to.”

This year, the Tigers should have more weapons at their disposal, freeing Krall to have a steady role in the rotation. Junior lefthander Charlie Barnes showed improved stuff and a velocity uptick in the fall, and righthander Alex Eubanks has the makeup and stuff to work as either the closer or a weekend starter. The Tigers added depth in the form of 6-foot-6 righthander Tyler Jackson, a graduate transfer from South Carolina-Upstate, as well as a few other junior college arms. And sophomores Ryley Gilliam and Brooks Crawford made strides in the fall.

Offensively, the Tigers will likely once again revolve around sophomore Seth Beer, last year’s Freshman of the Year, who will move from right field to first base. Lee said Beer has looked even better than he did last spring—a scary thought for opposing coaches.

“His swing right now is as good as I have seen it,” Lee said. “It looks really good. He’s gotten stronger. He’s in the best shape he’s been in.”

Beer will be surrounded by veterans, such as junior outfielder Chase Pinder, who’s coming off a strong sophomore campaign, and redshirt sophomore Reed Rohlman. Replacing shortstop Eli White and especially three-year starting catcher Chris Okey—whose leadership proved invaluable—is no easy task. But Lee said converted first baseman Chris Williams has the skill set to produce similar offensive numbers and should hold his own behind the plate. Meanwhile, at shortstop, the Tigers could have another freshman phenom on their hands, as switch-hitter Logan Davidson drew significant buzz leading up to the draft, due to his physical growth, but opted to go to college.

Together, those players will try to build on last year’s strong first impression under Lee—and they’ll try to keep the excitement rolling from football season.

“I think there’s obviously a tremendous sense of pride of being a student-athlete in general at Clemson right now, along with the season,” Lee said. “We’re in season, so I think our guys are excited on both ends.”

2017 LINEUP
Pos.	Name, Yr.	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB
C	Chris Williams, Jr.	.245	.342	.413	8	38	2
1B	Seth Beer, So.	.369	.535	.700	18	70	1
2B	Jordan Greene, So.	.235	.422	.321	1	7	3
3B	Patrick Cromwell, Jr.	Tr.—Santa Ana (Calif.) JC
SS	Logan Davidson, Fr.	HS—Charlotte, N.C.
LF	Reed Rohlman, R-Jr.	.274	.374	.383	2	43	1
CF	Chase Pinder, Jr.	.294	.412	.471	11	46	7
RF	K.J. Bryant, R-So.	.257	.337	.351	2	8	1
DH	Weston Jackson, R-Sr.	Tr.— Presbyterian
Pos.	Name, Yr.	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
LHP	Charlie Barnes, Jr.	6	4	4.66	95	84	0
LHP	Pat Krall, Sr.	10	2	1.67	81	65	5
RHP	Alex Eubanks, R-So.	6	5	4.09	81	70	3
RP	Patrick Andrews, R-Sr.	1	0	2.31	23	23	0