Clemson baseball player facing assault charges after bar fight. What we know
A Clemson baseball player was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree assault and battery following an incident at a downtown bar, police records show.
The city of Clemson Police Department arrested Tigers pitcher Ariston Veasey overnight Saturday after an employee of ROAR, a popular student bar located in downtown Clemson, flagged down an officer and told him “there was a patron inside fighting people,” per documents obtained by The State via public records request.
Veasey, 20, a transfer who joined the Tigers and coach Erik Bakich from Alabama, was initially charged with public disorderly conduct and possessing a fake ID.
After a city police officer followed up with the bar employee who told officers that Veasey had punched him that night, as well as another man who accused Veasey of punching him in the face, Veasey was charged with two additional counts of misdemeanor third-degree assault and battery on Wednesday.
Reached by The State on Friday, Clemson baseball team spokesman Brian Hennessy and Clemson athletics spokesman Jeff Kallin both declined to comment.
Veasey’s charges were first reported by The Tiger student newspaper.
Police report reveals details of bar incident
According to a city of Clemson police report, an officer was patrolling downtown Clemson overnight Saturday when an employee of ROAR — a bar located at 376 College Ave. — flagged the officer down and told him a bar patron was fighting people and had punched the employee.
“While on the way to the fight, I was informed that the suspect was being pinned down by another customer,” the officer wrote in his report, adding that when he arrived in the parking lot behind ROAR, Veasey “was being held down.”
The police report redacts the name of all other people mentioned in the report and does not detail how the altercation inside the bar started. The report, citing on-scene interviews, states that Veasey punched two people: a male bar employee (who reported the fight to police) and another male who was at the bar.
In a statement to The State, management at ROAR said Veasey was “engaging in inappropriate behavior and confronted by staff. During that interaction, the individual became aggressive and physically assaulted a staff member. When a manager stepped in to stop the altercation, the manager was also struck.”
The altercation occurred around 1:31 a.m. Sunday. After arresting Veasey, police searched him and reported finding a fake Georgia driver’s license.
Veasey was booked in Clemson city jail around 1:53 a.m. Sunday morning on one charge of public disorderly conduct and one charge of unlawful use or fraud application for license. He was released after posting a $490 bond.
According to a Clemson police report, the responding officer was initially informed that neither the male bar employee nor the other male “wanted to pursue charges for the assault.” That changed after the officer followed up with both men.
Veasey was charged with two additional counts of third-degree assault and battery early Wednesday morning. He was released from city jail later that morning after posting a $930 bond. Veasey has also been placed on trespass notice from ROAR.
“We have zero tolerance for violence or inappropriate conduct, and the safety of our staff and guests remains our top priority,” the bar said in a statement.
Arrest comes shortly before Clemson baseball season
Third-degree assault and battery is a misdemeanor in South Carolina. A person found guilty of violating the law can be fined up to $500 or be imprisoned for up to 30 days. Veasey will have a future court date on the charges in Pickens County.
Veasey, from Peachtree City, Georgia, started his college baseball career with Alabama. The 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher played two seasons for the SEC Crimson Tide from 2024-25 and made five relief appearances last spring. He transferred to Clemson in June 2025.
Veasey’s case comes roughly a month before the start of the 2026 baseball season. Clemson is ranked No. 19 in the D1Baseball.com preseason top 25 poll and open with a three-game home series vs. Army from Feb. 13-15.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 12:21 PM.
