Clemson Pitcher Ruled Out For Remainder of Season With Elbow Injury

While there's certainly been a lot to look forward to when talking about the Clemson Tigers’ pitching staff, there's unfortunate news that recently hit the locker room.

Following a 7-5 win and series sweep over Bryant on Sunday, head coach Erik Bakich announced that junior reliever Jacob McGovern will miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury and is set to undergo surgery on Wednesday of this week.

It's fortunately not a Tommy John situation, and he won't need full reconstruction, but he'll have an internal brace, according to Bakich.

McGovern, who earned the nickname 'McShovern' from fans over the past two years, flew under the radar nationally as a local recruit out of Seneca High School, which is about a 10 to 15 minute drive from Clemson.

He ranked just No. 224 among left-handed pitchers in the country; however, he ranked in the top 45 statewide as a member of the 2023 class, according to Perfect Game.

Nevertheless, the subjective rankings didn't stop him from putting on a show as soon as he stepped onto the mound at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

As a true freshman in 2024, McGovern flashed his high upside as a reliever in limited action, allowing just 13 hits and four earned runs across 18.1 innings pitched. He finished the season with 20 strikeouts, a 3-0 record, as well as an impressive 1.96 ERA and 1.145 WHIP.

He also proved he could live up to expectations when it mattered most, totaling seven strikeouts to four hits and one run across 7.2 innings in postseason play.

McGovern then took another step as a sophomore in 2025, nearly doubling his amount of action in comparison to his first year.

Across 35 innings pitched, he allowed only 20 hits and 15 earned runs en route to a 3-1 record. The lefty started two of his 20 game appearances, and totaled 44 strikeouts — coming out to a strong 11.3 strikeouts per nine — while producing a 3.86 ERA and an improved .914 WHIP.

Entering 2026, Bakich and the rest of the coaching staff hoped that McGovern could step into the role of being a key reliever for the team, but it now won’t come to fruition just yet.

Luckily, though, the rest of the pitching staff has been on a heater to begin the year, ranking first in ERA nationally with a 0.88 to go with 67 strikeouts across 49.2 innings pitched

(Note: All national stats listed in the stanza above haven’t been updated since Clemson's game three win over Bryant).

Not to mention, as a reliever to start this season, Justin LeGuernic has been phenomenal, recording eight strikeouts to four hits and zero earned runs against 26 batters faced — which equates to a .154 batting average — across seven innings pitched.

He currently holds a 1-0 record in two appearances, including one shutout during the team’s Opening Weekend against Army.

Bakich has a plan to lean heavily on his staff's depth this season for these exact types of reasons, so even with McGovern sidelined for the year, expect a steady rotation of both familiar and fresh faces stepping into his role.

“We have 23 pitchers, and all of them are good, so it’s one of the deepest pitching staffs in terms of totality, one to 23, that I’ve been a part of,” Bakich said in January.