What to know about Clemson baseball’s rotation for opening series against Indiana
Clemson is set to open the season at home with a weekend series against Indiana that starts at 4 p.m. Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Tigers are coming off a 25-27 record in 2021, the program’s first losing season in 65 years. Ready to erase what happened and move on, the 2022 campaign begins with the Hoosiers, which lost a good portion of their production.
Mack Anglin will get the season-opening start on the mound Friday with Nick Clayton and Nick Hoffmann throwing first on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
“We want to go with our veterans,” said Monte Lee, in his seventh season as Clemson’s coach. “Those guys have thrown the most innings for us, outside of (Geoffrey) Gilbert, and we’ll use Gilbert out of the bullpen because we need that strong left-handed presence out of the bullpen. … We’ve built him to be a long reliever, sort of a piggyback option behind one of those starters or be able to use him multiple times over the weekend.”
Here’s what to know about the Tigers’ season-opening rotation:
Friday: Mack Anglin
After getting drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Mack Anglin opted to return to school. The redshirt sophomore went 2-6 last year with eight starts in 13 appearances and 56⅓ innings. He struck out a team-best 75 batters and had a 3.99 ERA.
Anglin, Gilbert, Clayton and right-handed pitcher Rob Hughes all pitched last summer on the Wareham Gatemen team of the Cape Cod League.
“Mack’s one of those guys that has a little bit of everything,” Gilbert said. “He’s got that power fastball that you want out of a Friday night guy, but obviously his breaking pitches are elite. Just being one of his good friends and seeing him evolve from his freshman year to now has been special. … His preparation is one thing that sets him aside from everyone else.”
Saturday: Nick Clayton
Despite only having one start in 18 appearances in 2021, Nick Clayton had the best pitching record on the team (6-2) and was tied for ninth-most wins in the ACC.
He recorded a 4.30 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 37⅔ innings pitched. The York native has been one of the Tigers’ top relievers during his first two seasons and will have the opportunity to open a game for only the second time in his college career.
Clayton also performed well over the summer, getting four starts and fanning 15 for a 3.43 ERA over 18⅓ innings of work.
“Nick has been our best starter,” Lee said. “He’s been very, very good in all of his starts in preseason.”
Sunday: Nick Hoffmann
Nick Hoffmann was the only Clemson pitcher to throw a complete game last year, the first time for Tiger since 2017. He struck out seven and gave up two earned runs for a 7-2 victory March 27 over Boston College in an ACC doubleheader sweep.
In four total starts during the 2021 campaign, Hoffmann made 17 appearances with 49⅓ innings pitched, totaling 40 strikeouts with a 3.83 ERA and a team-high four saves.
“Just look at his numbers,” Lee said. “He’s one of the best pure strike throwers in the league. His command is exceptional. He doesn’t walk anybody and on Sunday, that’s a pretty calming presence. … You know that he is going to fill up the strike zone and pitch to contact and has the ability to get you deep into the game.”
Clemson baseball schedule this weekend
- Friday: vs. Indiana, 4 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
- Saturday: vs. Indiana, 3 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
- Sunday: vs. Indiana, 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 9:17 AM with the headline "What to know about Clemson baseball’s rotation for opening series against Indiana."
