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Clemson Third Baseman Delivers Walk-Off Home Run in First Career Start

A kid who grew up dreaming of playing for the Tigers finally got his shot, and he made sure no one would forget it.
Angelo Feliberty|
A Clemson baseball player's lifelong dream meets his first career start, and the result is something Tigers fans won't soon forget.
A Clemson baseball player's lifelong dream meets his first career start, and the result is something Tigers fans won't soon forget. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last night, the Clemson Tigers faced off against Michigan State for the first time since 2022 and extended their win streak over the Big 10 program to four, mercy-ruling the team 12-1.

One player, though, stole the show. 

That would be third baseman, Jay Dillard. In his first career start — and fifth appearance of the year — he put on one of the most dominant performances by a Tiger at the plate of the early 2026 season. 

Across three at-bats, Dillard smacked a double and a walk-off, two-run homer to mercy-rule the Spartans and end the game in the bottom of the seventh. He finished the contest with two hits, two runs, four RBIs and one walk while batting a .667.

Following the game's ending, head coach Erik Bakich touted Dillard as the "star" of the night and flung tons of credit his way for staying positive and being a great teammate, even without a start through the first 11 games.

"He hasn't started yet; we're in game 12. He's been an unbelievable teammate for the last 3 ½ years," Bakich praised. "He's one of the loudest guys in the dugout, and he gets an opportunity to start tonight and capitalizes on it with an incredible performance."

The performance and upstanding attitude shouldn't come as a surprise, though. 

Dillard has had aspirations to play for the Tigers since he was a kid, and as an Anderson, South Carolina native who attended T.L. Hanna High School — just a thirty-minute drive from Clemson — those dreams were always closer than most. After all, this is someone who celebrated their fifth birthday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

"I remember being a kid saying I'm playing at Clemson," Dillard said in a 2022 interview. "It was always in the back of my head."

With a performance like he had, it would be hard to keep Dillard out of the lineup moving forward, though it won't be a straightforward decision for Bakich. 

Usual third baseman Tryston McCladdie has been one of Clemson's most dangerous offensive weapons to begin the year, slashing .381 with four homers, 14 RBIs and just four strikeouts, making him impossible to bench. However, his fielding at third has been a slight concern, posting the lowest fielding percentage among starters at .923.

Tuesday night, McCladdie slid over to center field and performed well on both sides of the ball, suggesting some positional flexibility may be in play. However, true freshman Jason Fultz has also impressed while taking starts at third base recently, so McCladdie won't be the only competition to beat out.

Nevertheless, there could be a path for Dillard to carve out a more prominent role at third base as the season goes on.

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Angelo Feliberty
ANGELO FELIBERTY

Angelo Feliberty is a Sports Communication major who got his start with The Tiger newspaper at Clemson University starting as a contributor and working his way up to senior reporter covering multiple sports for the Clemson Tigers. A native of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feliberty was a three-year letterman in track at Myrtle Beach High School.

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