"Insanely supportive" Clemson fans are ready to help baseball add the exclamation point

The Tigers, both on and off the field, were pumped in Saturday's action.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Sunday, June 02 2024

CLEMSON – It’s time to add the exclamation point.

Saturday night’s atmosphere inside Doug Kingsmore Stadium was electric, from the opening pitch until the final out, and it felt like old times. Maybe the good old days are close to being back.

Before the game, the fencing that lines the opponent’s bullpen was full, the small grass hill was full, and it was standing room only in other parts of the stadium. I had a unique opportunity to get out and enjoy the atmosphere – Brandon Rink was handling the game thread, and Nikki wanted to write the game story, so I was there to help out where I could.

Mostly, I wandered and talked to people. (Side note for basketball: I had a great conversation with new Clemson basketball transfer Viktor Lahkin, who was taking it all in with his girlfriend. When he found out I was with the media, he informed me that he loves to do interviews, and his girlfriend said that Viktor loves to talk, so now I can’t wait to get him in an interview situation.)

As the innings rolled on, it had the same urgency as that Tennessee game last year, but it felt different. In fact, it felt different than it had in a long time. I walked out of the press box and over to the stands on the right side of the stadium in the 8th, and sat on a table. When Jacob McGovern replaced Drew Titsworth on the mound, the buzz inside the stadium rivaled last year’s final innings against Tennessee. And when McGovern dropped a beautiful breaking ball off the table for the strikeout, the crowd leaped to its feet.

A Clemson fan jumped out of his seat at the beginning of that inning and stood beside one of those concrete pillars. When McGovern’s strikeout was registered, that fan slapped that pillar and let out years of frustration in his cheering.

I smiled, and told him that now that Clemson had some success, he couldn’t move. He had to stand in that spot until the final out, and he laughed and said he wasn’t going anywhere. The crowd stayed on its feet while the Tigers batted, and when Cam Cannarella’s deep fly scored Mathes with the go-ahead run, that concrete pillar received another high-five. An older gentleman, who had to be in his 80s, looked at me, in obvious discomfort, and said, “I have to go to the bathroom! But I don’t want to miss this!” When the final out was registered in the top of the ninth, he scrambled away to find some relief.

And the Tigers turned to Austin Gordon for relief as well. As Gordon strutted out of the bullpen, the song “We Will Rock You” was played, and now the crowd was in full throat. And Gordon came out throwing gas – head coach Erik Bakich said Gordon will hit triple digits in Major League Baseball in a few years – and quickly collected two strikeouts.

There was a gasp as the final out was launched into the air, but when the ball settled into the glove of Tristan Bissetta for the final out, there was another loud cheer. Coastal Carolina head coach Gary Gilmore was complimentary of the atmosphere.

“It was incredible. I mean, anytime you come here, it's some form of this or other,” Gilmore said. “When it's super meaningful games, whether it's in their league or heck, we've been here before in regionals, this is what you expect. I wouldn't expect anything less from this fan base than to be insanely supportive of their team. And I thought early on it maybe affected us a tick, but after a couple innings I felt like we settled in.”

Bakich said he was proud of the fans, but it’s not over. Not yet.

“Well, they are bringing it, but we're not done. And so, we need, we as coaches, players, and a team to finish the job, and the fans, let's do it, too,” Bakich said. “Let's put an exclamation mark on this. We're happy with the first two games but not satisfied and want the fans to feel the same way and be the loudest and the most energetic and the most level 10 they have been yet. And we will, too.”