Clemson baseball to open season starting two freshmen on the mound

Grice delivers during a preseason scrimmage. (Photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Feb 16 15:34:10 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – Clemson head coach Monte Lee will rely on a couple of freshmen starting pitchers when the season starts this weekend.

Clemson opens the 2021 season Friday in the first game of a three-game weekend series against Cincinnati, with veteran righty Davis Sharpe taking the hill Friday night in the season. After Sharpe, two highly-touted freshmen take the stage as righty Ty Olenchuk takes the bump Saturday afternoon in game two and lefty Caden Grice closes out the series Sunday afternoon.

The Tiger pitching staff must replace three of its top pitchers in Sam Weatherly (third-round draft pick), Spencer Strider (fourth-round draft pick) and closer Carson Spiers (free-agent signee). The trio were big reasons Clemson was 14-3 overall and 6-0 in one-run games in the shortened 2020 season, but Lee has no issues in starting the freshmen.

“Collectively, over the course over the fall and the spring, Grice arguably had the best numbers of any starter so he certainly earned the opportunity to start on the weekends,” Lee told TigerNet Tuesday. “Olenchuk, for us, is just a strike-throwing machine at 91-94 (MPH). He has an above-average fastball and his offspeed pitches are developing and getting better. He is a big-time competitor and we felt like putting him on Saturday and Caden on Sunday, it also gives us the opportunity in week one to use guys like Mat Clark and Evan Estridge as long relievers behind those guys and it sets up our bullpen really, really well.

“We can also use Carter Raffield behind those guys out of the pen. We are looking at it really from the standpoint of it gives us the opportunity to piggyback some guys who have starting experience and keep our relievers short in one-inning spurts so we have the opportunity to use them multiple times over the course of the weekend. And Davis is polished and we feel like having that veteran presence in the Friday night spot will give us a great shot.”

Lee said that redshirt freshman (given a redshirt by the NCAA after last season was suspended) Geoffrey Gilbert will start the season as the closer. Gilbert had a 1-0 record and an 0.71 ERA in eight relief appearance. In 12.2 innings pitched, he allowed seven hits (.159 opponents’ batting average) and seven walks with 14 strikeouts. He did not allow any of his eight inherited baserunners to score and held lefthanded batters to 1-for-16 (.063).

“We feel like Gilbert checks all of the boxes for what you are looking for in a closer,” Lee said. “That is why he will pitch at the end of the game for us. When you are looking for someone to close they have above-average stuff and the ability to throw strikes. They have a great competitive makeup and likes to pitch in high-leverage situations. Geoffrey has the mental makeup to be a closer and he will always be very good out of the bullpen because of his mentality.”

The Tigers open Friday at 4 p.m. and Lee hopes to get in two good days of practice after rain drenched the area over the last week.

“We are excited about the week ahead of us. This is the first day of practice for us this week, and we have two days of good weather this week and then Thursday is looking like an indoor day for us,” Lee said. “We are looking forward to Friday and opening day and opening weekend against a really good Cincinnati club. We are just excited to get started.”