Freshmen Key to Clemson Winning First Regional in 14 years

CHARLOTTE — It’s been almost a whole generation since the Clemson Baseball Program last won an NCAA Regional.

Of course, that happened during the Tigers’ last run to Omaha and the College World Series in 2010.

It’s crazy to think there has been almost a whole generation of baseball fans that have not seen Clemson play a major role in the postseason of college baseball. Since winning its first regional in 1958, this current stretch is the longest the program has gone without winning a regional since 1960-’76.

For the Tigers (41-14) to make it out of a regional this year, it’s possibly going to rely on three freshman pitchers to get it done.

Two of those freshmen helped Clemson in Friday’s come-from-behind, 8-7, victory over Louisville in the ACC Championships at Truist Field in Charlotte. The Tigers gave up six runs in the first four innings before Jacob McGovern and Drew Titsworth shut the door, allowing Clemson to rally from a 6-0 deficit.

McGovern allowed one run, which was not earned, on one hit in 3 1/3 innings of work, while Titsworth pitched an inning and a third, while striking out three of the four batters he faced.

“We got some talented freshmen, and those two guys, particularly, showed it today and picked up a couple of juniors that did not have their best performance,” Clemson head coach Erik Bakich said. “I think this is the time of the year where freshmen are not freshmen anymore.”

McGovern nor Titsworth looked like freshmen, and they haven’t for a while.

They also are not the only two freshmen on the pitching staff. Perhaps the team’s best pitcher is freshman Aiden Knaak. The righty became the first freshman pitcher at Clemson to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since Ryan Mottl did the same in 1997.

Knaak is 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .216 against him. He has 97 strikeouts and 26 walks in 73 innings pitched over 13 starts. Knaak, who has only allowed 12 extra-base hits, leads the team in starts on the mound, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Clemson has a 12-1 record in the Fort Myers’ Fla. native’s 13 starts. Knaak was named to the All-ACC Freshman team as well.

“School is out. They are sophomores,” Bakich said. “They have a whole season under their belt. You can start to look at expanding some roles. Maybe you were hesitant to put them in early in the season. They are ready for those now.”

Knaak, of course, has been ready all year. It appears McGovern and Titsworth are ready now, too.

Friday was McGovern’s ninth appearance on the mound. He has 2-0 record with a 1.93 ERA. He has allowed just four runs in 14 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .192 against him.

Titsworth’s opponents are hitting just .137 in the 17 games he has played in. The righty is 4-0 3.26 ERA. He has 26 strikeouts to 10 walks.

The NCAA Selection Show airs live at noon on Monday on ESPN2.

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