Tigers head coach Erik Bakich held a press conference, Thursday, addressing questions about how Clemson is setting up their pitching, why he thinks High Point is a dangerous 4-seed and the impact the home crowd can have in Regional play.
Bakich didn’t play coy about his pitching plans for Friday’s opener against High Point, tabbing lefthander Tristan Smith (2-0, 4.17) as the Game 1 starter. Smith, like much of Clemson’s staff, hasn’t been on his A-game recently. In his last four starts, Smith has posted an ERA of 6.61. Prior to suffering a stress fracture to his ankle in mid-March, Smith had an ERA of 2.55 through five starts. Bakich didn’t call on the sophomore from Boiling Springs in either of the two ACC Tournament games in Charlotte, giving Smith two weeks of rest between his final regular season outing and Friday’s start.
“(The rest) was really good. His ankle, that stress fracture, is still lingering. It’s not like that just magically went away,” Bakich said. “He threw a simulated game after we got back this weekend and he’s feeling great. Excited to see him out there.”
Smith will likely be opposed by High Point ace Gus Hughes (6-4, 3.86, .204 opposing avg.). Bakich laid out the scouting report for the Panthers’ righthander, “He could pitch anywhere. He’s up to 95 (mph), pitches low 90s, really, really good slider. High spin slider. Gets a lot of strikeouts with both those pitches. He’s a dude.”
Hughes will be facing a formidable Clemson lineup that has sparked 24 come-from-behind wins this season. Bakich would like to see his club jump out to a solid lead and then hold on for the victory, but it hasn’t been the identity of this team and he doesn’t see that changing in the postseason. “It’s our superpower. The belief that we’re never out of the fight, and then come back and back it up is Team 127’s superpower.”
The other two teams in the Clemson Regional, 2-seed Vanderbilt and 3-seed Coastal Carolina, are scheduled to play at noon, Friday. First pitch between Clemson (41-14) and 4-seed High Point from Doug Kingsmore Stadium is set for 7 p.m., Friday.