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Barnes signs NLI for Clemson Baseball
Nov 15, 2013, 2:33 PM
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Family tradition: SHS' Barnes signs with Clemson
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Justin Driggers / The Item
Family tradition: SHS' Barnes signs with Clemson
Sumter High left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes, center, signed his letter of intent on Wednesday to play for Clemson.
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Charlie Barnes
Posted: Thursday, November 14, 2013 6:00 am
By JUSTIN DRIGGERS jdriggers@theitem.com
Charlie Barnes' first introduction to Clemson University was at a football game - when he was six weeks old.
Barnes' parents are Tiger alums, as are both of his grandparents and his brother is currently enrolled there as well.
Wednesday, then, wasn't so much a celebration of a college decision as it was a celebration of a rite of passage for members of the Barnes family.
Barnes, the dominating left-handed ace of the Sumter High School baseball staff, made it official by signing with Clemson and continuing the family tradition.
"It's something I've been dreaming of for a long time," Barnes said. "Since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to go to Clemson. I know the campus pretty well."
Barnes was so intent on going to Clemson he verbally committed to the Tigers very early in the recruiting process.
"The summer after my sophomore year I got offers from Clemson and (South) Carolina," Barnes said. "I could of had a few more, but I knew I wanted to go to Clemson, so I went ahead and (verbally) committed."
Barnes talked with The Citadel, Coastal Carolina and a few others, but the decision was always basically Clemson vs. Carolina, he said.
"I toured both campuses and thought about it a little bit, but in the end I just really liked Clemson," Barnes said. "I really like (head) Coach (Jack) Leggett, Coach (Bradley) LeCroy and Coach (Dan) Pepicelli, the pitching coach. I really liked what they were telling me and the field and just everything about it."
It was Barnes' stellar sophomore year that put him on the Tigers' radar. Barnes went 5-0 with a 1.59 earned run average in 44 1/3 innings. He struck out 62 and walked 12 while allowing 10 earned runs.
His junior season was even better as he anchored a pitching staff that helped the Gamecocks earn a berth in the 4A lower state tournament. Barnes went 9-1 with a 0.90 ERA. In 70 innings, he struck out 93, walked 15 and allowed just nine earned runs.
"Talking with (pitching coach) Joe Norris, Joe just raves about him," said SHS head coach Brooks Shumake, back for his second go-round with the Gamecocks. "His ability to control his pitches and hit his spots is what separates him.
"Coach Norris compares him a lot to (South Carolina ace) Jordan Montgomery, who I had the pleasure of coaching here the first time. So I'm really looking forward to what he's going to do for us this season."
Barnes and Norris worked a lot more on his mental approach to the game last year as opposed to anything on the physical side, the senior said.
"We went over the mental side of the game a lot last year," Barnes said. "We talked about the mental side of pitching more than anything I was doing (mechanically). I think that really helped me a lot last year."
While there is always room for improvement, Shumake said Barnes' main focus going forward should simply be on continuing to follow the path he's on and refining his craft.
"He just needs to keep doing what he's been doing," Shumake said. "He's very coachable and I know he's going to be a leader for us on the mound and off it this season."
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