Clemson freshman Seth Beer named ACC baseball player of the year

It didn’t take long for Seth Beer to make a big impression on first-year Clemson baseball coach Monte Lee.

He didn’t waste time impressing the rest of the coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference, either.

Beer was named ACC Player of the Year on Monday in balloting by the league’s coaches, becoming the first freshman in the 48-year history of the award to be so honored.

“The fact that he should be a senior in high school says a lot about the adjustment he’s been able to make,” Lee said.

Beer, who graduated from Lambert High School in Suwanee, Georgia, a semester early to enroll at Clemson in January, is tied for the ACC lead in home runs (15) and is third in RBIs (60) in 54 games.

The outfielder is hitting .378 and ranks second in the league in slugging percentage (.694) and third in on-base percentage (.528).

Beer also had a 26-game hitting streak – tied for the fourth-longest in school history – this season and is currently riding a 52-game on-base streak.

“One thing that stands out about Seth has power, but he’s also a very good hitter,” Lee said. “He does not strike out much. It’s very hard to strike him out. He can hurt you early in count. He stays on off-speed pitches very well. I haven’t had anybody as disciplined as he is who hits the ball with power as much as he does.”

Beer, who also was named ACC Freshman of the Year as well as first-team All-ACC, is the 13th Clemson player to be named ACC Player of the Year and the first since shortstop Brad Miller in 2011. He is the first freshman to be named first-team All-ACC since Kyle Parker in 2008.

“He’s playing for Team USA this summer for a reason,” Lee said.

This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 3:59 PM.