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South Carolina Players Who Could Cause Problems for Clemson in the Palmetto Series

The Tigers are headed to Founders Park on Friday night to kick off their annual Palmetto Series against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Angelo Feliberty|
Talmadge LeCroy has plenty of experience against the Clemson Tigers as a fifth-year, winning the Tom Price MVP Award in 2023.
Talmadge LeCroy has plenty of experience against the Clemson Tigers as a fifth-year, winning the Tom Price MVP Award in 2023. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson Baseball has been off to a hot start in 2026, entering the annual Palmetto Series with an 8-0 record, one of just 11 remaining undefeated teams in the country.

South Carolina, meanwhile, has been one of the most disappointing teams to start the year — at least in the SEC — with a 6-3 record, including head-scratching losses to Army, Northern Kentucky and, most recently, Queens.

Nevertheless, a rivalry is a rivalry. When the Tigers and Gamecocks share the same field, records get thrown out the window. And despite their struggles, South Carolina has the personnel to make this weekend interesting.

That said, below are three Gamecocks whom Clemson cannot afford to overlook.

Talmadge LeCroy

One of the biggest standouts — defensively and offensively — for the Gamecocks in the early season has been LeCroy. The fifth year, every day catcher is one of their most consistent hitters, leading the team in at-bats (34) and hits (16) while hitting an efficient .471. He's also only had two games without at least two hits.

Even in losses, he's displayed his impact, batting .300 while contributing three runs, two walks, one homer, one RBI and one stolen base across the three games.

As mentioned, though, LeCroy doesn't only lay it on opponents at the plate, but behind the plate as well. Across his nine starts, he's earned a team-high 69 putouts and 10 assists with zero errors, equating to a perfect fielding percentage.

While Clemson's pitching staff has been elite to start the season, they can't underestimate the bat LeCroy has, as he's exactly the type of player who can change the complexion of a game in one swing.

We've seen it happen before as LeCroy won the Tom Price Award in 2023 — the MVP of the Palmetto series for the Gamecocks — finishing the series with five hits and six RBIs in the 2-1 win. 

Amp Phillips

Phillips started his collegiate career with USC Upstate, but transferred to South Carolina after earning First Team All-Big South honors and Big South Newcomer of the Year in 2025.

His first appearance with the Gamecocks had its ups and downs, as he allowed two hits and two earned runs in contrast to seven strikeouts across 3.2 innings pitched. Still, the team escaped with a 6-5 win over Northern Kentucky, avoiding a series-losing sweep.

However, in his second contest at the mound, it was about as good as it gets. Across six innings, Phillips pitched a shutout against Army West Point to go with three strikes and two balls, earning his first win of the 2026 season.

Entering the Palmetto Series, the right-handed junior boasts a 1.86 ERA and a .094 opponent batting average, suggesting that, on any given day, he has the stuff to shut down any lineup he faces. 

With that in mind, keep an eye on him when he makes his start on Saturday for game two of the series.

Will Craddock

The last player that could give Clemson some problems this weekend is true freshman Will Craddock. 

The Anderson, South Carolina native has seen limited action, playing and starting in just five of the nine games so far this season. But when he does play, people know. 

Heading into this weekend, the 6-foot-3 infielder is the hottest hitter on the roster right now, and it's not particularly close. He leads the team in batting average at .500, as well as in slugging percentage at 1.056, has gone deep twice and is driving in runs at a torrid pace across his five starts.

Similar to LeCroy, he's been one of their best defensive players as well, logging the third-most putouts with 29 while having zero errors on the year. 

With Craddock fresh off earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors, it's safe to say the Tigers will need to be on the lookout for the first-year both at the plate and in the field.

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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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