This Clemson freshman has looked like ‘a beast’ entering opening weekend
The new-look Clemson baseball team opens the season this weekend against South Alabama, taking the field on Opening Day without former star Seth Beer for the first time in the Monte Lee era.
Clemson brought in plenty of talent this offseason to help replace the holes left by Beer, Chris Williams and several other former Tigers who are now playing professional baseball. But one newcomer in particular stood out during the fall and into preseason workouts.
“One in particular I’ll give you a little sneak peek on is Davis Sharpe. He’s a beast,” Clemson infielder Jordan Greene said during the preseason. “He hit bombs all fall. He’s 6-4, 210. He’s low 90s on the mound with good offspeed. His fastball runs and cuts and he can hit, too. As far as freshmen go that’s the one, if I was going to say I expect a big year out of, it would be him.”
Greene wasn’t alone in his assessment of Sharpe as several of his veteran teammates also mentioned the two-way player as someone who should have a big year in 2019.
Sharpe enters the season ranked as the No. 41 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game and the No. 7 freshman in the ACC by D1Baseball.
“The guy just walks around and he knows he’s good. He’s very confident in himself. He’s very humble. He’s a hard worker. And he’s just honestly gifted,” Tigers outfielder Kier Meredith said. “Just the way he walks up to the plate there’s no fear. When he’s on the mound he’s on the mound with a big presence. You wouldn’t think he’s a freshman as he’s out there pitching. He’s got some really good pitches and he’s got a really good bat.”
Sharpe did enough during the fall and preseason to earn a spot in Clemson’s weekend rotation as a freshman.
Tigers coach Monte Lee announced earlier this week that senior Brooks Crawford will get the start on Friday, with Sharpe starting on Saturday. Fellow true freshman Justin Wrobleski will finish off the weekend, getting the start on Sunday.
Crawford started 16 games a season ago, going 8-2 with a 3.24 ERA. Jacob Hennessy, a junior who started 14 games in 2018, was another candidate to start in the weekend rotation.
But Lee saw enough from his two freshmen pitchers to give them the nod.
“Sharpe and Wrobleski, from a stuff standpoint, they have starter stuff,” Lee told reporters this week. “They have velocity, they have three pitches, and we’d like to give them that routine of being a starter early in the season so that we can map out their week and plan out their week… We felt like more of a planned approach for those two guys would be beneficial for them.”
While Hennessy is not in the starting rotation, he will still be an important part of Clemson’s pitching staff. He could be used in long relief or in other roles throughout the year.
“Jacob is one of the best teammates that you could ask for. He understands that regardless of his role he’s going to try to dominate his role,” Lee said. “He’s going to try to do the very best he can to win games. We certainly feel like Jacob Hennessy’s going to pitch the first weekend. It’s just a matter of when… He’s going to be a very valuable piece for us.”
GAME INFO
What: Clemson vs. South Alabama
Where: Doug Kingsmore Stadium
When: Friday, 3 p.m.
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Watch: All three games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra
