Replies: 3
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Orange Blooded [3406]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 2579
Joined: 11/30/13
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Not the ending to the season we wanted, but this team...
Jun 6, 2016, 1:32 AM
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has no reason to hang their heads, and neither should the Clemson faithful. When Monte Lee took over last summer, everyone in the fanbase and in the country knew he was inheriting a mess. Clemson baseball had dropped off big time in the last years of Leggett's tenure. Pitching and defense had been atrocious. Morale in and for the program was low. When the season started, expectations for Clemson baseball were the lowest anybody had in a long time. And really, could you fault anyone for that?
So for what this team accomplished this year was a major step in the right direction. We beat the arch rivals down the road for 2nd series win in a row. We won all but 1 midweek game where in the past few seasons we had barely been finishing on the right side of .500 in those. We were middle of the pack in conference play, but a few different outcomes in some games and you could've been talking about us being in contention for the Atlantic Division title. Then when push came to shove at the end of the year, this team rose up to the challenge and fought their way to a place in the conference tournament. Then they turned around and knocked off 3 top 15 teams in route to winning the program's first ACC title in 10 years. And all of that with the noted deficiencies (shaky bullpen, suspect defense, etc.).
Yes not winning our regional at home and not advancing sucks. We got a tough draw with OSU, and without our bats able to bail us out against their pitching and defense, our deficiencies finally bit us in the butt for once. Plus, pretty sure the whole weather delay fiasco did us no favors with the quick turn around. Also believe the selection committee put way too much stock into us winning the ACCT - think with us being in rebuilding mode at the beginning of the season, ending up as a national seed was just a bit too much for this group. But at the end of the day, OSU got the job done, we didn't - just that simple.
Now that we're heading into the offseason, the staff can hopefully get a good haul on the recruiting trail (which will hopefully receive a shot in the arm with what was accomplished this year) and work with the returning players to build them up to where we need to be to keep the return to national relevance going. Also, hopefully we can avoid some cruel fates being dealt to us in the upcoming draft. I know Krall is draft eligible - if he decides to stay for one more year, believe he can be the guy we build the pitching staff around. Considering that most of the guys that saw significant pitching time this year (Barnes, Eubanks, Campbell, Crawford, Schell, Gilliam, Higginbotham) are either So./Fr., the experiences of this year and a solid offseason of work should help improve their ceilings for next year. Seth Beer is just a beast and will be the bat we build the offense around for the next couple years, but with Okey most certainly being a draft departure, the big question has got to be can he step up and be the locker room leader.
For this being a 'rebuilding year', gotta tip your hats to the coaching staff and players for what they accomplished this season, despite the end result being a little short of what we wanted. I mentioned last week after the ACC tournament win that it had the vibe of the 2011 season did for football - even though things didn't end the way we wanted that year and that team perhaps played above expectations, winning the ACC and making it into the national spotlight helped get all the other pieces to start falling in place for the program to now being national title contenders. Feel that will be the case with baseball after this season and considering what was accomplished, pretty sure that the return to Omaha is closer than many of us think.
To the coaching staff and players, thanks for choosing to fight on and not buying in to what all the #### poor expectations that you were saddled with at the beginning of the year - hope you build on this year's successes in the offseason and give 'em #### in 2017! To the seniors and those that do decide to leave early after the MLB draft, I know you went through some tumultuous seasons. Thank you for sticking it out through all the good and bad and representing our beloved Clemson. Hope y'all continue to represent the Clemson family with honor and integrity for years to come. GO TIGERS!!!
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Orange Blooded [2587]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 3130
Joined: 1/24/99
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That was....
Jun 6, 2016, 8:20 AM
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well written & thoughtful post...Go Tigers!
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Oculus Spirit [96876]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 29216
Joined: 9/14/05
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TL;DR***
Jun 6, 2016, 8:23 AM
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Orange Blooded [3995]
TigerPulse: 95%
Posts: 2471
Joined: 10/10/08
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Re: Not the ending to the season we wanted, but this team...
Jun 6, 2016, 8:29 AM
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Homerun post! ??
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Replies: 3
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