Wrapping Up Clemson's 2019-20 Athletic Season

Exams are over, final grades are being processed and for all intents and purposes, Clemson’s 2019-20 academic year is over.

Obviously it didn’t end in a typical fashion. COVID-19 sent students home in March and ended athletic events, forcing the rest of the semester to be completed online during the pandemic.

That also meant the end of Clemson athletics for the year. Basketball, baseball, softball and several other sports saw their seasons end abruptly with games remaining and plenty of unfinished business left on the field of play.

It was a strange, surreal, heartbreaking ordeal for so many student-athletes who worked incredibly hard to get to this point in their lives.

Fortunately, the NCAA is giving spring participants a chance at another year of eligibility. Unfortunately, there’s no way to make up for the NCAA championships that were never played.

Before we turn our attention to rebuilding and preparing for the next season, let’s take a look back at the accomplishments and superlatives for Clemson athletics in 2019-20:

Football

Highlights: Dabo Swinney and the Tigers produced another magical season. They extended their winning streak to 29 consecutive games in their national title defense and won their fifth consecutive ACC championship. Behind one of the best offensive/defensive combinations in the country, Clemson beat Ohio State in the College Football Playoff’s Fiesta Bowl behind a tremendous performance from Trevor Lawrence. The longest season in Clemson history ended in January with a loss to a fantastic LSU squad in New Orleans. Two months later, spring practice was cut short.

Player of the Year: There are so many great candidates, but running back Travis Etienne produced a monster junior season that saw him become Clemson’s all-time leading rusher and the ACC’s all-time leader in touchdowns. He rushed for 1,614 yards and scored 23 touchdowns to earn his second consecutive conference player of the year honor. He was one of the most feared offensive weapons in college football.

Freshman of the Year: Defensive tackle Tyler Davis played a role rarely seen by a true freshman. He came in right away and produced 10 tackles for a loss and clogged up the middle to allow DC Brent Venables to use playmakers elsewhere. Only Isaiah Simmons and Justin Foster had more TFLs for the Tigers.

Most improved: Linebacker James Skalski went from a reserve role, including a redshirt in 2018, to the team’s second-leading tackler behind Simmons. He quarterbacked the defense and became a reliable leader and a face of the team in 2019.

Men’s basketball

Highlights: Clemson pulled off the impossible: winning at North Carolina. But even though it wasn’t a banner year for the Tar Heels, the Tigers got that 59-game monkey off their backs and went on to capture wins against top-6 ranked foes Duke, Louisville and Florida State at home. However, the Tigers were off the NCAA tournament bubble when the ACC tourney ended abruptly.

Player of the Year: Aamir Simms led the team in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (7.2) in his junior season. He improved his game in numerous ways and became the clear leader of the Tigers. While several injuries limited the team’s potential early on, Simms stepped his game up and gave the Tigers a legit go-to option.

Freshman of the Year: Guard Al-Amir Dawes became both the present and the future of Clemson basketball with an outstanding first season. He averaged 9.0 points and 2.5 assists per game, and Dawes beat FSU with a buzzer-beating layup.

Most improved: Guard John Newman went from averaging 2.1 points per game as a freshman to 9.5 as a sophomore. He became more confident in his offensive ability, gave the Tigers emotional lifts with aggressive takes to the rim and became a solid defender. There’s another step or two left for Newman, but he’s on the right trajectory.

Baseball

Highlights: Monte Lee vowed to fix Clemson’s pitching staff after a lackluster 2019, and despite a shortened season, the head coach delivered. Through 17 games, Clemson had the second-best team earned run average in the ACC and the 27th-best strikeouts per nine rate in the nation. The offense got off to a slow start, but it was still producing enough runs to get the Tigers to a 14-3 record with a series win over rival South Carolina.

Player of the Year: Sam Weatherly went from the bullpen in 2019 to one of the top starting pitchers in the country in 2020. In just four starts, the junior held a 0.79 ERA and a 2-0 record. Weatherly’s 43 strikeouts ranked in a tie for seventh nationally, and he struck out double-digit batters per game in his final three outings while also tossing seven hitless innings against the Gamecocks.

Freshman of the Year: Left-handed reliever Geoffrey Gilbert made eight appearances, allowed one earned run and struck out 14 batters in 12.2 innings pitched. In what looks like a stellar freshman class, there’s a lot to build on with this youngster.

Most improved: Outfielder Kier Meredith has had a bad-luck career. He played in just 21 games total in his first two seasons because of injuries, but he ended 2020 hitting a team-high .364 and posted a .455 slugging and on-base percentage as.a junior. Meredith stole three bases and hit one home run in 66 at-bats.

Softball

Highlights: Abrupt ending or not, Clemson’s inaugural season was a success under coach John Rittman. The Tigers packed out their new stadium and gave the home crowd a competitive, thrilling team that went 19-8 overall, 5-1 in ACC play and 14-2 at home. The Tigers looked every bit like a team that would be a tough out in the conference. An NCAA tourney berth was becoming a realistic goal in a year of firsts. Now, there’s a ton of momentum to build upon.

Player of the Year: Valerie Cagle did it all for the Tigers in 2020 as a hitter and pitcher. She hit .376 with team-highs in hits (35), runs (26), RBIs (36) and total bases (70). She was one home run (10) behind teammate and ACC-leader Marrisa Guimbarda. Cagle, a sophomore, also had a team-low ERA (2.19) and team-highs in wins (9) and strikeouts (87).

Freshman of the Year: Logan Caymol became the first pitcher in school history to record a no-hitter on Feb. 12. The program’s first signee went on to post a 7-2 record with a 3.50 ERA and 67 strikeouts.

Additional highlights

•Men's soccer made the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in seven years and earned a second seed. One of the highest-scoring teams in the country, Clemson made it to the quarterfinal before being eliminated by Stanford, but it was an incredibly successful season for head coach Mike Noonan, Robbie Robinson and the rest of the Tigers.

•Women's soccer went 11-7-2 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where UCLA ended their season.

•Men's golf finished 14th in the final Golfweek Poll and captured Larry Penley's 79th tournament as a head coach when the Tigers won the Palmetto Intercollegiate by 16 strokes in March.

•Women's basketball saw their third player ever drafted into the WNBA when Kobi Thornton was selected 27th overall by the Atlanta Dream.

•Women's tennis said goodbye to longtime coach Nancy Harris, who retired after 23 seasons at Clemson. With the season cut short, she didn't get the chance to build on her run of 19 NCAA tournament appearances in 22 seasons, but she left the program as one of the winningest coaches in league history.

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