Byrd ready for road trip and beer showers

It was only one game, but sometimes that is all that it takes--one game--to turn a struggling team into a dangerous team

CLEMSON-- It was only one game, but sometimes that is all that it takes--one game--to turn a struggling team into a dangerous team. 

And that is exactly the way that the Clemson Tigers are looking at their win over the then No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and current No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Louisville Cardinals in last week's ACC Tournament.

"Yeah, 100%. You know, obviously, the Boston College game was just one of those games we just couldn't find a way to win," senior infielder Grayson Byrd said.  "We had a couple big hits to come back. But, yeah, we played well in that game. We really obviously played really well. Obviously, Mat Clark threw really well and we hit the ball hard against one of the best starters in the country. 

"So, yeah, definitely some momentum going in there but... except big momentum is more of just watching today, watching the show and getting selected in. We're all fired up for that. We're ready to go. We got two practices this week at home. Everyone's excited, everyone's in good spirits. Coach kind of even says it's a new season, it really is, you know, batting averages don't matter, wins and losses don't matter. Everyone's zero, 0 and 0 for right now. So, yeah, we're excited, we're ready to go."

Byrd ,who was a transfer from Louisiana State who sat out the 2016 season due to NCAA transfer rules, has played against the Ole Miss Rebels while at LSU. However, even though he has faced the Rebels, he will be experiencing the raucous crowds expected at Swayze Field.

"So, I didn't get to go to Ole Miss, they came to us my freshman year. Obviously, now everyone knows the beer shower (where the 2000-plus students in the student section throw their beer up in the air and create a shower for anyone sitting in or near the section) when they hit a home run is pretty cool," Byrd said. "Obviously, Coach Bianca there has done a great job with that program and they always have a good program. But, I'm not super familiar with their team. There's some scouting reports on here and there, but I'll get down there and it'll be fun, new environment, SEC environment which obviously really, really good, so we're excited."

Looks like right field needs some ☔️! Chance of rain = 💯 pic.twitter.com/4u19vUQOrS

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 17, 2017

The Tigers have every right to be excited about being selected to play in its 32nd NCAA Tournament in the last 33 years this weekend. The Tigers are also playing in their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament, one of only five schools in the nation that can make that claim.

But the message from head coach Monte Lee to his Tiger team, who spent much of the second half of the season in a tailspin and wondering if they would make the tournament, was that it is not always the best team that makes it out of the regional round.

"We were all excited. He's kind of touching on that, how we should be excited, we should be grateful we're in, and then like I said the new season thing," Byrd said. "It's a new season, we've had our struggles, we've had our ups and downs this year, but none of that matters. It's not the best team that wins it all, it's the teams that play the best. So, we're excited to get into that for the 64 and as you all know from watching a lot of baseball, it's always the team that gets hot at the right time. So, hopefully we can get some of that from the ACC tournament and get hot at the right time and play well."

While the Tigers would have loved to be at home, sleeping in their own beds and playing in front of a Tiger-friendly crowd inside the confines of Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the fact that the Tigers are traveling away for regionals, hopefully, removes any added pressure and will let them just play baseball.

"They're all good teams, and like I said, with baseball it's a weird game," Byrd said. "Anyone can beat anyone on any single day. We're going in excited, expecting to win, expecting to play our best baseball. We're excited, we're excited to get down to Ole Miss.

"I don't know if there's necessarily that pressure, if there is it's kind of a self-created pressure I guess that we put on ourselves. I don't think there's necessarily a pressure, but I definitely think it's going to be cool to travel with this team, kind of get on the road and get into a different atmosphere. See what that's like playing in front of, I don't know how many they get there, probably twelve or thirteen thousand. Yeah, we're excited to go down there and play some ball."