Veteran Presence in Middle Infield Paying Off for Clemson Tigers

CLEMSON, S.C. — This past week was a tough one for the Clemson baseball team.

Prior to Sunday, the Tigers, whose odds of winning the CWS currently sit at +8000, according to Fanduel, had lost four straight games, including a midweek loss to Georgia State and defeats at the hand of No. 23 Miami on Friday and Saturday. In the three losses, 15th-ranked Clemson was outscored 21-6.

However, that all changed with one swing of the bat on Sunday.

On the first pitch in the Clemson half of the first inning, Benjamin Blackwell blasted a home run to left field that got the Tigers rolling. Clemson went on to score 19 more runs, including four more home runs from Tyler Corbitt, Max Wagner and Dylan Brewer in a 20-5 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

“I give a lot of credit to Ben Blackwell,” Clemson head coach Monte Lee said. “He had a great day overall, but I think he really set the tone. We talked, literally right before we went out on the field, about attacking first-pitch strikes in the zone. We needed to be more aggressive. We had not been getting enough hits.”

Getting hits was not an issue on Sunday as the Tigers (15-4, 1-2 ACC) avoided being swept by the Hurricanes thanks to 20 hits. Blackwell led the team with four hits, while driving in five runs and scoring twice.

“Ben set the tone on the first pitch of the game. He hit it out of the ballpark, and we were off and running after that,” Lee said.

Corbitt drove in four runs, as he smacked two 2-run homers, while Wagner had four RBIs off three hits and a home run. Brewer recorded three RBIs, hit a home run and had two hits.

Blackwell’s solo shot in the first, not only got the Clemson bats going, but it was its first lead against the Hurricanes (13-6, 4-2 ACC) all weekend.

“It was huge,” Blackwell said. “Obviously, our approach today was to stay aggressive all day and that is what we did. From the very first pitch to the very last one. I think we executed really well, and we are trying to build off that in the coming days.”

Lee got aggressive by putting Blackwell, who was hitting ninth in the order, at the top of the lineup to start the weekend. The move paid off as the Dayton transfer went 6-for-14 (.429) in the three games, while scoring three times.

“I might as well put him in the four-hole, right? Put him there and let him drive in runs, too. He hit so well with runners in scoring position. Let’s just put Blackwell in the four-spot,” Lee said while laughing.

But kidding aside, Lee felt that Blackwell deserves to stay in the leadoff-spot. Blackwell will do whatever it takes to help the Tigers win games.

“Honestly, nothing changed with my approach from the nine-hole to the one-hole. Coach just wanted to put me in the lead-off hole to change a couple of things up,” Blackwell said. “I will do whatever the team needs at this point, so I am happy to hit there. I am seeing it well right now.”

Blackwell, along with fellow transfer Corbitt, has solidified the middle of the Clemson infield, which was a concern coming into the season. Blackwell has a fielding average of 93.4 percent through 19 games at short, while Corbitt is at 98.2 percent at second base.

At the plate, Blackwell is hitting .339 with 16 RBIs, 2 home runs and a on-base percentage of .519. He also has a .482 slug percentage.

Corbitt is not too far behind. He is hitting .329 with two homers, three triples and 10 RBIs. He has a slug percentage of .457.

“Both of those guys playing in the middle of the field, they are older players. They came here to win. That is why they came here,” Lee said. “They were successful players in the programs that they were at, but they came to Clemson to win. So, having those two older guys hitting there in the one and two spot, and having that older veteran presence in the middle if the field is a good thing for our ballclub this year.”