In this Feb. 24 file photo, Clemson senior Scott Firth delivers a pitch against Wright State at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — The Clemson baseball team knows a win or two at the ACC tournament would allow it to rest much easier about hosting an NCAA regional, but the Tigers figure simply winning the whole thing would put any doubts to rest altogether.

They also know that is much easier said than done.

“It’s a tough bracket, but it would be really nice if we could win it,” sophomore catcher Garrett Boulware said Monday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium as the team prepared to board a bus bound for a Durham, N.C., the site of this year’s conference tourney.

As Boulware alluded, Clemson is grouped with North Carolina, N.C. State and Miami in Pool A of the tournament field. Those teams are currently No. 2, No. 7 and No. 20, respectively, in the latest NCAA Baseball RPI rankings, while the Tigers themselves check in at No. 12.

But with all eight teams in the tournament field ranked in the top 20 in the country in RPI, Boulware agreed there would have been no easy path to the championship game regardless of the Tigers’ draw. The important thing, he said, is to focus on the task at hand.

“We know what’s at stake, and we know there’s a lot on the line,” Boulware said. “So, we really have been playing for like the last 10 or 15 games just trying to secure a spot. I haven’t hosted a regional, and I’ve been here for two years. I know a lot of the guys want to make it past a regional, and we know if you host, it makes it a lot easier for you. So, that’s really been our main goal — just making sure we get a host spot.”

No. 14 Clemson (39-17) opens tournament play Wednesday versus No. 10 N.C. State, and Daniel Gossett will get the start on the mound for the Tigers in the 7 p.m. game.

Gossett was one of three Tigers named a second-team All-ACC selection on Monday, along with junior utility player Shane Kennedy and junior infielder Steve Wilkerson.

The sophomore righty is 9-3 with a 2.20 ERA and .209 opponents’ batting average along with 83 strikeouts against 31 walks in 86.0 innings pitched this season.

Beyond that is where the pitching situation gets tricky, according to head coach Jack Leggett, who said there is “a possibility” his No. 2 starter, freshman lefty Matthew Crownover, will not pitch this week after leaving his last start with a sore arm.

“We’ve got Thursday off, and we play North Carolina on Friday, so we will just figure that out as we get to it,” Leggett said. “Crownover probably would have gone Friday, but now we’ll have to figure something else out.”

Leggett also said it was unlikely Gossett would pitch again in the tournament, even if the Tigers made a run to Sunday’s championship game.

Clemson will be the No. 5 seed, and after facing No. 4 seed N.C. State on Wednesday night and No. 1 North Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday, will face No. 8 seed Miami at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The Tigers enter the tournament after dropping two of three games at Florida State over the weekend to cost themselves a shot at the Atlantic Division title.

They had pulled even atop the division standings with an 8-2 win Thursday behind 6.0 innings of three-hit ball from Gossett, but dropped the final two games of the series, including a 6-1 loss Saturday in the finale. Clemson put 16 men on base in the game, but stranded 13 of them, including 10 left in scoring position.

Still, Leggett said he feels good about the way his team is playing entering the ACC tournament, as it has won 23 of its last 29 games since starting the season 16-11.

“Our pitching has been good, our defense has been good and our offense actually has been pretty good the last 30 ballgames — and getting better,” Leggett said. “We actually swung the bats pretty good this weekend, just didn’t swing them at the right times. And that’s really the key to winning.”

Under the pool-play format in the ACC tournament, each team will play once against each of the other three opponents in its pool Wednesday through Saturday (May 22-25). The two teams with the best records within their respective pools will advance to the title game on Sunday, May 26, with the winner earning the ACC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

While the Tigers know a win or two in Durham would make them more comfortable when they sit down to watch the NCAA Selection Show at noon on May 27, senior reliever Scott Firth said the team couldn’t afford to look that far ahead just yet.

“I don’t think we’re really too worried about that,” Firth said. “Our focus every game is to go out and win, so there’s really no Plan B at this point.”

Clemson head coach Jack Leggett, center, fires his team up prior to a game against Maryland at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Jack Leggett insisted all spring that his young Clemson team would be a force to be reckoned with by season’s end. With the Tigers’ regular season now in the books, it looks like their head coach knew what he was talking about.

While Clemson dropped two of three games at Florida State over the weekend and was unable to seize the ACC Atlantic Division crown, it enters the postseason after winning 23 of its last 29 games — including 13 of 19 in the league — since starting the season 16-11.

“I always thought we’d win, and I always thought we’d be in a good spot,” Leggett said recently. “Early in the year, we just knew we had to get better and mature and had to grow up a little bit and get some experience. So we’ve got a little bit more experience. Our younger guys are playing good, older guys are playing better, and I think everybody’s starting to understand what their role is.”

Because of that, the No. 14 Tigers enter the ACC Tournament with high hopes that it will be in position to host a regional when the NCAA Tournament field is announced May 27.

Clemson is ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings, which is certainly strong enough to put it into position to be one of the 16 host sites, but its resume can also change significantly depending on its results at this week’s ACC Tournament.

The Tigers practiced Monday on their home field of Doug Kingsmore Stadium for the final time before heading for Durham, N.C., where they will practice Tuesday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the site of the conference tournament, which begins the following day.

Clemson (39-17, 18-12 ACC) will be the fifth seed in the tournament and will be part of Pool A, which includes top-seeded North Carolina (47-8, 21-7 ACC), fourth-seeded N.C. State (42-13, 19-10) and eighth-seeded Miami (35-21, 14-16).

All eight teams in the ACC Championship field are ranked in the top 20 of the NCAA’s most recent RPI report. North Carolina is ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in the latest national polls, with N.C. State as high as No. 5, Virginia No. 7, Florida State No. 8, Clemson No. 14 and Virginia Tech No. 22.

Under the pool-play format, each team will play one game against each of the other three opponents in its pool Wednesday through Saturday (May 22-25). The two teams with the best records within their respective pools will advance to the title game on Sunday, May 26, with the winner earning the ACC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson will open league tourney action versus N.C. State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, then have an off-day Thursday, square off with North Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday and finally face Miami at 3 p.m. Saturday.

“We are playing as well as anybody, but we’ve just got to continue to keep doing it,” Leggett said. “We can’t take anything for granted. We’ve got to keep staying hungry and be greedy and just stay focused.”

Clemson sophomore Romy Koelzer pumps her fist during action at the NCAA Championships on May 17 in Urbana, Ill. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

Women’s tennis makes Sweet 16 as only tourney team without an upperclassman

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

URBANA, Ill. — Nancy Harris said her 2013 Clemson team was the youngest she has coached in more than 20 years in the business, and it was certainly the youngest to make the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships.

That’s because it was the youngest in the tournament to begin with.

The only squad without an upperclassman on its roster in the entire 64-team field, the Tigers advanced through the regional rounds and quickly seized a 2-0 lead on No. 4 national seed Georgia by virtue of winning the doubles point and then Yana Koroleva’s 6-2, 6-0 demolition of sixth-ranked Lauren Herring before the Bulldogs rallied to stave off the upset, 4-2.

“When the going got really tough, Georgia did a beautiful job of making us play,” Harris said. “When you’re young and things get really tight, you’ll tend to overplay. And I think we did that today. We’d have the lead, and then we thought we had to do something special, instead of just continuing to break them down.”

Nonetheless, it is difficult to view the season as anything but a success for the Tigers, who finished the campaign with a 16-8 record despite playing 15 matches against top-25 teams. Clemson advanced to the Round of 16 for the sixth time in the last seven years and eighth in the past 10 under Harris, who took the helm in 1998.

“I just couldn’t be more proud of the girls,” Harris said. “I think they had a great year, and I’m delighted they got here. And now they have a wonderful summer in front of them, and hopefully they’ll go out and play some tournaments and enjoy their families and come back really fired up and energetic.”

The Tigers made their 12^th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and they continued a streak of advancing past the first round in each of those years.

This time, Clemson swept Eastern Kentucky 4-0 in the first round and then rallied to beat Vanderbilt in a 4-2 thriller after losing the doubles point and waiting out a two-hour rain delay to advance to the Round of 16 at the Khan Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Illinois.

Things could hardly have gotten off to a better start against Georgia, as Koroleva and Beatrice Gumulya blitzed the nation’s No. 1-ranked doubles team of Kate Fuller and Silvia Garcia, 8-3, to propel the Tigers to the doubles point. Prior to Friday’s match, Clemson had been 9-0 on the season when winning the doubles point.

But after Koroleva put the Tigers up 2-0 quickly with a straight-set win, they never notched another point, as the Bulldogs’ experience and a heavily partisan crowd combined to turn the momentum.

“I felt for Ani (Miao),” Harris said. “The Georgia men’s team was back there behind cheering for the Georgia player, and you could see it really raised the level of the Georgia player. So it is very difficult. The trick is trying to pretend that they’re really your team and they’re cheering for you, and those sorts of things you learn in time.”

And while the Tigers’ season ended with their seventh loss — of eight total — to a top-10 team on the season, Koroleva admitted the team was far from being happy simply to have made it that far.

“I wasn’t thinking about the potential; I think this year we were good and could have done better,” Koroleva said. “But now we have to think about next season because it’s over for us now.”

Clemson will hope to be even better next season, not only because of the extra year of experience, but also because it will add the services of another stellar player, sophomore Jessy Rompies, who sat out the 2013 season due to transfer rules after being ranked as high as No. 413 in the world in singles and No. 253 in doubles before arriving on campus.

“Next year, Jessy becomes eligible, and she’s a great doubles player and singles player also, so I think we’ll get stronger next year and do better,” Koroleva said.

Three Tigers, Koroleva, Liz Jeukeng, and Gumulya, will remain in Urbana to compete in next week’s Singles Championships, marking the first time Clemson will have three players in the field since 1986.

“A big part of why we got here is due to our Clemson family,” Harris said, “because I really believe that all of the Clemson folks back home really stepped up for us in the first and the second round. We had a real nail-biter against Vandy, and that crew got out there and got those courts dry in 30 minutes, which is just phenomenal, and that allowed us to regroup and get back outside.

“To our administrators and to our director of athletics, they all are doing everything they can to help us be successful. So, we owe a lot of thanks to Clemson.”

Clemson sophomore Yana Koroleva hits a forehand return during the NCAA Championships on May 17 in Urbana, Ill. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

Photo Gallery

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

URBANA, Ill. — Clemson may not have advanced beyond the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships this year, but the Tigers certainly proved they are plenty capable of competing with the big dogs on the national stage in their 4-2 loss Friday to Georgia.

No player made a stronger statement in that regard than sophomore Yana Koroleva, who teamed with classmate Beatrice Gumulya to beat the nation’s No. 1 doubles duo of Kate Fuller and Silvia Garcia, 8-3, and followed that up by dominating the nation’s sixth-ranked player, Lauren Herring, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, to stake the Tigers to a 2-0 lead at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.

“It was good,” Koroleva said of her performance. “I didn’t know if I’d even be able to play two days ago because I had a (sore back), and now it feels great to be back on the court and perform at a good level.”

The 6-foot-tall Russian certainly didn’t look anything less than 100 percent, but said her strategy was to focus intensely on every point in an effort to finish the matches as quickly as possible and avoid her injury concerns cropping up again.

“My hats off to Yana because she has that ability to take a game plan and just execute it,” Tigers head coach Nancy Harris said. “It’s a real sign of intelligence. Most people can’t do that and have a hard time with it, but after a season of executing game plans, each player develops and gets better.

“And today we had a couple players that just didn’t stick with their game plan, and we’ve been trying to teach them that to get to the next level you’ve got to get comfortable being uncomfortable — and today they struggled with that.”

Koroleva’s doubles victory with Gumulya was their eighth straight as a tandem and improved their overall record to 10-1 on the season.

Gumulya held her serve at love to finish off the resounding victory over Fuller and Garcia, who had lost just twice in 24 matches prior to Friday. It marked Clemson’s first win over a No. 1 doubles team since 2011, when Kerri Wong and Josipa Bek defeated a top-ranked team from Florida.

“We’ve been playing together for awhile,” Koroleva said. “Every time we’re just getting better and better because we’re getting used to each other, and I’m getting better at doubles because I’m usually not a doubles player. But now I’m starting to poach, starting to volley, and Bea helps me out a lot because she’s a great doubles player. So, it’s working out really well for us.”

Ani Miao and Liz Jeukeng clinched the doubles point for Clemson with an impressive victory of their own, 8-1, over Georgia’s Lilly Kimbrell and Mia King, but for the first time this season, the Tigers failed to win the overall match after earning the doubles point, as it entered the day 9-0 when it had done so.

“They were so focused in the doubles and really executed their game plans,” Harris said. “They seemed very fresh, very eager. It just couldn’t have started out better, and we played this team three or four times better than we played them last time pretty much all the way through the lineup.”

Clemson appeared to have quickly seized control of the singles as well, as Koroleva immediately pounced on Herring, a player whose only loss since March 2 had come to the nation’s No. 1 overall player, Florida’s Lauren Embree.

But Koroleva made quick work of one of the nation’s truly elite players, pulverizing the Georgia sophomore with her hard first serve and heavy ground strokes.

“I’ve played her before and lost to her (6-4, 6-3 in February),” she said, “and I knew that it has to change, so I tried to do something different. Instead of hitting the ball too hard, I tried to make her run and add some variety to my game — and that worked.”

The Tigers (16-8) still seemed to be in good shape after Miao took the first set of her match on court five and Tristen Dewar rallied to force a third set on six, as victories in those two matches would have been enough for the Tigers to advance.

Instead, Dewar fell in three sets and Miao never finished her match, as freshman Liz Jeukeng dropped consecutive sets via tiebreaker to Georgia’s Maho Kowase, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), to end the Tigers’ season.

“It just wasn’t to be today,” Harris said, “and I think being predominantly a freshman and sophomore team, when things got really close, they really had a hard time. That is what is great about getting to the Sweet 16, is that we at least got this experience, and we’re delighted that they sort of made it to the dance. That’s the saying amongst the best 16 teams in the country, and when you say ‘Clemson,’ you’ve got Stanford and Virginia and Florida and UCLA and Cal. All the greats are here, and I’m just proud of this group of freshmen and sophomores for getting here.”

While the season is over for the Tiger team, three of its members, Koroleva, Jeukeng and Gumulya — the No. 16, 33 and 40 players in the nation, respectively — will take part in next week’s NCAA Singles Championships, the most Clemson had since 2010.

For her part, Koroleva admitted her performance Friday gave her a nice confidence boost heading into that competition.

“Usually (Herring) is the kind of player that I would lose to — the kind that always gets the ball back and everything,” she said. “But I beat her with a score today that shows (me) that I can play with different types of players.”

The way Koroleva played against Georgia, there are few types of players who would be eager to play with her.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Clemson golf team started three freshmen at an NCAA regional for just the fifth time ever, but it was a sophomore that stole the show for the Tigers at Karsten Golf Club.

Billy Kennerly finished with a one-under-par 69 on Saturday after an opening-round 68 and second-round 69 to give him a three-day total of 206. Combined with his final two rounds at the ACC Tournament, he finished the year with a school-record five consecutive rounds in the 60s.

Many players had scored in the 60s four consecutive rounds, including Corbin Mills last year, but never five in a row.

Kennerly also became the first Clemson golfer since All-American D.J. Trahan to post three straight under-par rounds in the same NCAA Regional. Trahan accomplished the feat in 2002 when he won the NCAA Regional at Settindown Creek in Roswell, Ga.

Kennerly’s 206 total was also the lowest on record at a regional for a Clemson golfer. It was played on a par-70 course.

The young Clemson team finished with a team score of 19-over-par 559, which left it in a tie for 12^th place. UCLA won the tournament and will join Central Florida, Georgia, Arizona State and Texas A&M as national tournament qualifiers.

Kennerly started his final round with a bogey and turned the back nine, his first nine of the day, at even par.  He made par on the first seven holes on the front side, then made a birdie on the 17^th hole to get to one under. He then made a par on the difficult ninth hole to finish at 69.

In the individual race, Kennerly finished in a tie for 10th place. It was the best finish by a Clemson golfer at the regional since Crawford Reeves was seventh at Colorado National in 2011.

Crawford Reeves, playing in his 115^th and final round as a Clemson golfer, shot a 71. He had three bogeys and two birdies in recording his best round of the three days in Arizona. He finished his career with 15 eagles, second on the Clemson all-time list.

Cody Proveaux also had a one-over-par 71 in the final round and finished in 41^st place with a 215 score for the 54 holes. He made a pair of birdies on the front side to get to even par, but made a bogey on the last hole.

CLEMSON — The Clemson baseball team is red hot. When a team gets hot, things that would otherwise be considered detrimental end up working out for the best.

The latest case of this occurred when regular first baseman Jon McGibbon, whose offensive uptick has coincided with the team’s improved play, was sent home mere hours before Tuesday’s regular season home finale against USC Upstate with an illness. Head coach Jack Leggett, saddled with the unenviable task of replacing one of his most reliable players, turned to freshman corner infielder Kevin Bradley to fill the void.

Bradley, who came into Tuesday’s game with only five hits in 38 at-bats this season, capped a 2-for-3 day at the plate with a walk-off three-run homer — the first of his career — to defeat the Spartans, 8-7.

For Bradley, the chance to come in at a key juncture in the season and help his team inch closer to a chance to host postseason baseball at Doug Kingsmore Stadium was something he had been anxiously awaiting for a while.

“All you want to do is just help the team win,” he said. “That’s the most frustrating thing about being on the bench — sometimes you don’t feel like you’re contributing.”

If not for some unfortunate circumstances, Bradley may not have even seen action at all against the Spartans. The freshman has started four times this season, but none of them had come at first base, where McGibbon had not missed a start all season until the coaching staff intervened on Tuesday.

Even prior to his home run, Bradley was only retired once in the game, when he grounded out to the shortstop in the fourth inning. He was hit by a pitch in the second, singled in the sixth, and walked in the eighth in his other at-bats.

The ability to get on base via different means is what makes Bradley so valuable to the Tigers as a pinch hitter late in games. In fact, in a weekend series against Florida State, the New Jersey native singled in his only at-bat as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game.

Leggett has said since the fall how deep his team was because of the makeup of many in the freshman class. Bradley, even as a non-starter, is a part of this, and his contribution of a batted ball over the left field wall is a perfect example of the versatility the Tigers can now count on in postseason play.

“That’s what this team is all about,” Leggett said. “We’ve got a lot of depth on our team, and we’ve got guys that are ready to play. If someone is not playing well or injured or sick or whatever it is, somebody else has to step up for us. That’s kind of what we’ve been doing.”

No one in Clemson’s dugout wanted Jon McGibbon to be sick on Tuesday. In fact, most probably wished he was there given the way he has swung the bat. But having someone like Bradley that can step in and fill the void, if only for a moment, helps everyone relax a little bit when adversity strikes

At least until the frenzied celebration at home plate.

— By William Qualkinbush

(Photo: Chattanooga Athletics)

By Schuyler Easterling

In May of 2005, a young man named Will Wade walked across the stage in Littlejohn Coliseum and received his Clemson degree in secondary education. With a passion for basketball, Wade once dreamed of becoming a high school teacher and basketball coach.

In an announcement last Tuesday, Wade’s old dreams gave ways to bigger dreams, as he was named the head basketball coach at Chattanooga.

Wade’s path to the head-coaching job at Chattanooga was forged through hard work, determination and an absolute love affair with the game of basketball.

Growing up in Nashville, Wade learned an incredible work ethic from his parents, Frank and Margaret. Frank Wade worked as an insurance salesman, while Margaret Wade worked as the head of a private school.

In high school, Wade aspired to play collegiate basketball. However, the 6-foot-4 post player soon realized he was too undersized to play the position at the college level. Instead, Wade turned his attentions to Clemson University, arriving to Tigertown as a freshman in the fall of 2001.

Ever passionate about basketball, Wade was a student manager for the basketball team for all four of his undergrad years at Clemson. Serving as a manager under the regimes of head coaches Larry Shyatt and Oliver Purnell, Wade learned under the tutelage of both men.

Upon his graduation from Clemson in 2005, Wade continued to serve Clemson basketball, staying on as a graduate assistant. Following his time as a graduate assistant, Purnell hired the hard-working Tennessee native to be the director of basketball operations at Clemson in 2007.

Wade’s one-year stint as director of operations would prove to be a move of destiny. Although they had met each other previously, Wade forged a great friendship with Clemson assistant coach Shaka Smart, now the current head coach at Virginia Commonwealth. From time to time the two young men would joke about coaching together one day.

In time, the strong friendship between Smart and Wade proved to be fortuitous for both men. Following the 2007 season, Wade was offered a coaching position at Harvard University. In total, Wade spent six years (2001-07) devoting his time and energies to Clemson, helping build one of the most successful eras in Tiger basketball.

Heading to Cambridge, Mass., Wade coached at Harvard under Tommy Amaker for two years. Serving as the recruiting coordinator for the Crimson, Wade helped land one of the top 25 classes in the country according to ESPN.com. Under Wade’s influence in 2008-09, Harvard finished the season 14-14, their first .500 season since 2001-02, and their most victories since 1995-96.

Following the 2009 season, Smart was hired as the head coach at VCU. The first phone call Smart made as head coach was to Wade, extending the up-and-coming coach an offer to come to Richmond as assistant coach for the Rams.

In three seasons with VCU, Wade helped guide the Rams to 84 wins: most wins in a three-year span in school history, and the eighth-most in a three-year span in the nation. Hauling in some of the highest ranked recruiting classes for non-BCS schools the last three years, Wade helped build the VCU program into a consistent winner.

Each season Wade coached at VCU, the Rams reached the postseason. In 2011, the Rams reached the Final Four, reaching unprecedented success as a Cinderella story and achieving one of the most historic runs in college basketball history.

A mastermind of pressure defense, Wade orchestrated VCU’s “Havoc” defense, a full-court press that allowed the Rams to record a school-record 422 steals in 2011-12 and the 18^th highest single-season total in NCAA history. In a huge testament to Wade’s defensive coaching, the Rams led the nation in steals each of the previous two seasons.

Now one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA Division 1 basketball, Wade is looking to take the Chattanooga Mocs to new heights. In the announcement naming him the Mocs’ new head coach, Wade was all smiles.

“I could not be more excited about the opportunity to lead the Chattanooga basketball program,” Wade said during the news conference. “We will build a program the student-athletes, alumni and fans all take great pride in. We will employ a fast-paced pressing style of play similar to VCU. I cannot wait to get to work.”

Back at VCU, Smart also weighed in on his former assistant saying, “UTC is hiring an absolute star in Will Wade. Will is extremely bright, hard-working and diligent. No one will spend more time building relationships with student-athletes than Will. There is no question in my mind that he will be a tremendous success.”

And for the countless people Wade impacted during his seven-year career at Clemson, there isn’t any question in their minds either.

Tickets may be purchased by clicking HERE or by calling the Durham Bulls Stadium at 919-956-BULL.

Clemson Games

Wednesday, May 22 vs. NC State at 7:00 pm

Friday, May 24 vs. North Carolina at 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 25 vs. Miami at 3:00 pm

There are several easy and convenient ways to make your IPTAY donation. You can call us at 864-656-2115, donate online HERE, mail your donation to PO Box 1529, Clemson, SC 29633 (please include your IPTAY # on the check) or stop by the IPTAY office Monday-Friday 8 AM-4:30 PM. If you have any questions concerning your IPTAY account, please call our office at 864-656-2115 or email us at iptay@clemson.edu.

The entire IPTAY staff would like to thank you for your generous support. Because of people like you, we are able to support our student-athletes and help them excel on the field and in the classroom.

A great way to give your graduate a gift that will last for many years to come is to purchase an engraved brick in their name. This is a permanent way to celebrate and honor your high school or college graduate. Bricks can include any personalized message that you would like, and can be purchased for $250 for IPTAY members or $390 for non-members. Bricks can be placed at Memorial Stadium, Littlejohn Coliseum, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, or the Rock Norman Track & Field Complex. For more information or to order a brick, contact Julia Stump at stump@clemson.edu or 864-656-2608, or visit HERE.

For a high school graduate, purchasing a membership to the IPTAY Collegiate Club is a great gift. The club is open to all Clemson fans ages 18-22. They do not have to be attending Clemson University to join. As a member of the Collegiate Club, they will receive weekly Clemson emails, a Collegiate Club t-shirt, discounts at Clemson area businesses, and much more. If the Collegiate Club member is also a full-time Clemson student, they will receive football ticket benefits as well. The cost is $40 for one year, or $130 for a 4-year membership. Starting an IPTAY account in the student’s name also helps them build IPTAY Priority Points for their future. For more information about the Collegiate Club, contact Julia Stump  at stump@clemson.edu or visit HERE.

For a Clemson University graduate, you can give a membership to the IPTAY Young Alumni (YA) Program. The YA Program offers Clemson graduates a way to stay connected with their University at a discounted rate. The first year of the tiered program offers a 90% discount on the IPTAY donation and a 20% discount on all football and basketball season tickets. For more information on the YA Program, contact Lindsey Leonard at lsweval@clemson.edu or 864-656-2975, or visit HERE.

Congratulations to your graduate and let us know if you would like more information about any of these great gift options! Go Tigers!

The locations and dates have been set for this year’s Prowl and Growl tour. Clemson staff, IPTAY Reps, Clemson Clubs, and local volunteers are continuing to work hard to plan the meetings. The Alumni Association, Clemson Fund and IPTAY are very excited to visit you in your hometown and we ask you to make plans now to attend and show your support for our coaches and teams.

This year, our head coaches will attend five meetings together, while the remaining meetings will feature either the head coach from football or basketball and then an assistant coach from the opposite sport. This has allowed us to add an additional meeting, making our total 14 stops this year as well as give our fans the opportunity to meet some of our favorite assistant coaches. Below you will find the schedule for head coaches. The assistant coaches will be announced closer to meeting dates.

The Prowl and Growl Tour stops are listed below. To purchase tickets to a Prowl and Growl meeting in your area, please visit the following link here.  For more information, visit clemsontigers.com.  We look forward to seeing you this spring!

May 20- Raleigh, NC- Coach Brownell and Coach Robbie Caldwell

May 22- Atlanta, GA- Coach Brownell and Coach Jeff Scott

May 23- Columbia, SC- Coach Brownell and Coach Danny Pearman

May 30- Charlotte, NC – Coach Swinney and Coach Mike Winiecki

“The event I have the fondest memories of is The Special Olympics, which I’ve helped organize the past 4 years.  I’m a special education major, so being in charge of a small part of the event and having my friends on the different athletic teams help me means a lot.  It warms my heart to see the kids smile just because we’re taking a little bit of time out of our day for them. One thing I would tell incoming freshman student-athletes is that getting involved makes your college experience so much more meaningful!  By being involved in SOS, I am able to build relationships with different groups of people throughout the state.  I love when kids come up to me after volleyball games and say, “Remember that time you came to my school and read to me?”  As a student-athlete, you’re given so many opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.  You only get to be a student-athlete for 4 years, so why not help make a difference?  I don’t want to be remembered as just an athlete who played volleyball at Clemson for 4 years.  I would rather be remembered as a student-athlete who helped out in the community and helped bring joy and hope to others.” Alexa Rand (Women’s Volleyball)

“My favorite event is Be A T.I.G.E.R Field Day because I love having all of the kids come visit us on campus. I will never forget the first SOS Event I ever participated in, a Class of the Month Assembly at Six Mile Elementary. I always love going back to Six Mile and celebrating the students’ accomplishments. To the freshman, get involved early on. It is a great way to meet student athletes on other teams. Also, take a chance and go to one assembly or event, the great feeling you get afterwards when you realize what an impact you just had on the students you visited will make you want to stay involved.” Lisa Phillips (Rowing)

Clemson sophomore Beatrice Gumulya, center, is congratulated by teammates after her clinching victory against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Championships on Saturday at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Just after 1 o’clock Saturday afternoon, things looked bleak at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center, both literally and figuratively.

A sudden rain drenched the courts and halted Clemson’s second-round NCAA match against Vanderbilt with the host Tigers having dropped the doubles point and down a set in two singles matches.

But play resumed after a delay of nearly two hours, and No. 13 Clemson surged past the No. 19 Commodores for a 4-2 win that sent the Tigers into the NCAA Round of 16 for the eighth time in the last 10 years under Nancy Harris.

“They needed to go out and just be a brick wall, so to speak,” the Clemson coach said of the message she delivered during the hiatus. “They needed to let their opponents know that they were not going to go away, that they were going to make a stand and sort of defend their stadium. We talk about that — we want them to know that this is their home stadium, these are their home courts, this is where you never lose.”

No player lived up to that mantra more than Beatrice Gumulya at No. 3 singles.

The Tigers rallied for a 3-2 lead and needed only one more victory to clinch the win, but with Gumulya ahead 5-2 in the third set and serving for the match, she suffered a cramp that started in her lower left leg, moved to her upper right and quickly cast doubt onto what had looked like an inevitable Clemson victory moments earlier.

Gumulya was worried she would be unable to finish — having dealt with a similar cramp during a tournament in Indonesia — but was ultimately able to continue after drinking a significant amount of Pedialyte, which Harris said is “like an IV.”

After having her serve broken by Georgina Sellyn to make the score 5-3, she rallied to break Sellyn at love for a 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 win that clinched the Tigers’ trip to the Round of 16.

“I was worried I couldn’t finish the match, but I’m so glad that I did,” Gumulya said. “I just tried to be more aggressive actually, like taking the ball earlier instead of letting the ball drop and taking it later.”

Those cramps weren’t the only adversity Gumulya faced on the day, as she had been handled easily by Sellyn in their first set and had to fight her way through a second-set tiebreaker to even force a deciding third set.

Afterward, the nation’s 40^th-ranked singles player admitted the weather delay had helped her stem the tide.

“It was a good thing for me,” she said. “I was actually up 1-love in the second set already, but it was an advantage for me because it slowed down their momentum.”

The gutsy performance by Gumulya, a sophomore from Jakarta, Indonesia, marked her 10^th straight win in singles play and improved her record in NCAA tournament play to 4-0. She is now 25-4 this year and has won 36 of her last 40 matches.

“If anybody was going to be in that situation, Beatrice is the one you want out there,” Harris said. “She never gives up. That was the key to the win today. We were in trouble after the doubles, the singles just weren’t going fabulous, and we just didn’t go away as a team. We’ve talked about that all year, and today they came through. They didn’t go away. They just kept fighting back and fighting back.”

One of those players who fought back was freshman Ani Miao, who lost the first set of her singles match with Ashleigh Antal, but rallied to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to pave the way for Gumulya’s clinching victory.

“She has been a key this year, and she’s really taken off here in the latter part of the year,” Harris said of Miao. “We were trying to figure out, ‘Could she play four? Could she play five?’ And really and truly, she really showed that she’s also a very gutsy player. She doesn’t go away; she fights to the finish. And she did that today.”

With the victory, the Tigers improved to 15-1 under Harris in NCAA matches held at home, and she admitted this one was particularly special because the team doesn’t have a single upperclassman on its roster. The lineup that played Saturday — and has for most of the season — consisted of three sophomores and three freshmen.

Clemson now moves on to the Round of 16 at the Kahn Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill., where it will meet Georgia, the No. 4 national seed who eliminated Clemson from last year’s NCAA Championships in the second round, on Friday.

“This is a wonderful team,” Harris said. “This team is young. They’re exciting, very gifted, very talented, good chemistry. I’m really thrilled that they can go on to the (final) 16, and it would be terrific, if we’re fortunate enough that Georgia comes through, that we could get past Georgia.

“The more rounds that we go as a young team, the better chance you have as the years progress to get a National Championship. So we just keep looking for more experience for them. This season was without a doubt the toughest schedule that Clemson has ever played, and for such a young team to play such a tough schedule, maybe it helped them today.”

Clemson catcher Garrett Boulware is congratulated by teammates during the Tigers' win over Georgia Southern on Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Heading into the ninth inning of Sunday’s series finale against Georgia Southern, the Clemson baseball team had outscored its opponents 63-17 across seven games last week, certainly a meaningful score in the school’s sporting lore.

While the Tigers allowed a run in the ninth and only finished the week with a 63-18 edge, which doesn’t have nearly the same ring as the score of the football program’s memorable 2003 win over rival South Carolina, it doesn’t diminish the dominant form Clemson showed in winning seven games in seven days for the first time since also achieving the feat between March 3-9, 1994.

“That’s about as good as you can ask for,” Clemson head coach Jack Leggett said. “I thought we played really well this weekend. We had good energy and were really good offensively. Our bunt game was excellent, we ran the bases really well, got some timely hits and put pressure on them. I thought our pitching was good all weekend long, and our defense was good.

“We’ve got the engine churning pretty good right now. We’ve just got to keep it up.”

With Sunday afternoon’s 11-5 victory, Clemson improved to 37-15 and can reach 40 wins — generally considered the magic number for hosting an NCAA regional — by winning three of its four games next week to close the regular season.

The No. 15 Tigers pounded out 14 hits on the day, led by two apiece from Maleeke Gibson, Steven Duggar, Garrett Boulware, Tyler Krieger and Thomas Brittle. The effort marked the fifth time in seven games last week they tallied at least 12 hits.

“I always thought we’d win, and I always thought we’d be in a good spot,” Leggett said of the development of his young team. “Early in the year, we just knew we had to get better and mature and grow up a little bit and get some experience. So we’ve got a little bit more experience. Our younger guys are playing good, our older guys are playing better, and I think everybody’s starting to understand what their role is.”

That has extended to the Tigers’ pitching staff, which recorded an ERA of 1.57 over the seven-win week that included two wins against Maryland, two against Furman and the three-game sweep of Georgia Southern.

Clemson came into the weekend ranked No. 14 overall in the NCAA in RPI, but only sixth among Atlantic Coast Conference teams, meaning it could still have some work to do in terms of hosting a regional since it is unlikely that any conference — even the ACC, which has clearly been the strongest league in the country — will be given more than five of the 16 regional sites.

The Tigers can further their case for a regional by winning the Atlantic Division, as they will enter next weekend’s final league series at 17-10 in ACC play and nipping on the heels of N.C. State and Florida State ahead of them, who were 16-8 and 16-9 in the conference, respectively, entering Sunday’s game against one another.

Regardless the outcome of that series in Raleigh, N.C., Clemson will travel to play at Florida State next weekend knowing it can give its regional hopes a major boost by taking the series.

“It seems like every year it’s coming down to that last weekend between us and Florida State,” senior pitcher Scott Firth said. “It’s exciting. It’s a good atmosphere down there against a good team, and I think we’re definitely ready for the challenge. We’re feeling good, playing good and now we’ve just got to take it on the road and do it down there.”

But the Tigers know they can ill afford to shift their gaze to the series in Tallahassee, Fla., and lose focus for Tuesday’s home finale with USC Upstate. A loss there would be a devastating blow to those regional hopes, but Clemson has done an excellent job in midweek games or against mid-major competition all season long.

Sunday’s win over Georgia Southern, for example, moved the Tigers’ record to 8-0 against Southern Conference opposition this season.

“That’s the thing — play one game at a time,” sophomore catcher Garrett Boulware said. “The next game is the biggest game. Don’t think about Florida State; just think about Upstate. It’s going to be another midweek game, and they are going to come out and play hard.”

Still, Boulware admitted he felt the Tigers were plenty deserving of being a regional host if they could take care of business next week.

“With the talent we have and the way we’re playing, we definitely should,” Boulware said. “But I think it will be a little bit more set in stone if we take it to them at Florida State next weekend.”

Clemson's 2nd Varsity 8+ competes in the ACC Rowing Championships on Sunday on Lake Hartwell. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — There’s certainly no shame in finishing behind perennial powerhouse Virginia on the water, but that knowledge brought little consolation to the Clemson rowing team after doing so Sunday at the ACC Championships.

The 16^th-ranked Tigers finished second in the regatta on their home waters of Lake Hartwell, doing no worse than third place in any of the four races to tally 43 points, not enough to dethrone the reigning conference and national champion Cavaliers, who won all four races to finish with 60 points.

“No, I don’t think there is (any shame), but the thing that makes our team great is we never look at ourselves as going out there and getting second, or getting as close as we can,” senior Kate Biladeau said. “We always expect to go out there and win, and when we don’t, there’s a disappointment factor.”

Nonetheless, the Tigers were easily the most consistent team on the day other than Virginia, finishing third in three of the four events and nabbing second place in the 2^nd Varsity 8+ with a time of 7:11.98, less than seven seconds behind the Cavaliers.

“The boat that I was in, the 2V, has had a great season, and I think we gave it all that we had,” Biladeau said. “And that was evident by how we finished to Virginia.”

Clemson rowers Caroline Hackler, Milena Heuer and Giulia Longatti each earned All-ACC honors. All three are members of the 1^st Varsity 8+, which pushed Virginia’s 1^st Varsity 8+ — the ACC Crew of the Year — for much of their race before ultimately finishing third with a time of 7:38.06.

“Those kids were just going after Virginia,” Clemson head coach Robbie Tenenbaum said, “and they were hanging with them and they were there early in the race, and as the race progressed, just ran out of steam at the end when Duke came through them. I would much rather see a crew do that and go after the victory than not lay it all on the line.”

Many of the race times were somewhat slower than average because of a prevailing headwind that made the going tough for the rowers.

“It makes it really hard, especially for the people that sit toward the bow of the boat,” Biladeau said. “They get hit with it right away, and when you’re trying to put your blade in the water, it will flip you up. So you’re more prone to catching crabs — a crab is when your oar gets sucked under the water and it stops your boat — and I think that happened in one of our boats today.”

The Tigers have now finished second at the ACC Championships each of the last four seasons. Clemson last won the ACC crown in 2009, when it became the only school other than Virginia, before or since, to win the conference title in the 14 years that the league has competed in the sport.

Clemson also hosted the event for the fourth straight year and the 11^th time overall.

“It’s great having it here,” Tenenbaum said. “I think the coaches from the conference love having it here because it is such a fair race course. The Clemson folks put on a great performance with the conference championship all the time, and we have the natural resources and the venue to be able to do this.”

The Tigers now await word on whether they will receive a bid to the NCAA Rowing Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., from May 31 to June 2. The field will be announced May 21.

“You never know what’s going to happen, but I think it’s probably going to be pretty hard for us at this point for us to get into the NCAA tournament,” Tenenbaum said.

There are nearly 90 Division I rowing programs in the nation, and Clemson has been ranked in the top 20 in all seven polls released this season, rising as high as No. 14.
Because of that, Tenenbaum said it is difficult to view the campaign as anything but a success, even if his rowers weren’t completely satisfied with their finish Sunday.

“Today we got beat by some boats that raced a little bit faster than us, but our kids have been training hard and racing hard all year long,” Tenenbaum said. “And in a sport where there is no defense, sometimes somebody gets ahead of you. But I’m proud of our kids. Our seniors laid it all on the line at this championship, and for everybody else, we start working really hard to take ourselves off the (NCAA) selection bubble next year and make sure that we’re even a little bit quicker.”

Clemson director of athletics Dan Radakovich, left, speaks as emcee Don Munson looks on during the Prowl and Growl Coaches Tour event at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Greenville on Thursday. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

Radakovich gives updates on opener, facilities, ACC network

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Dan Radakovich didn’t officially confirm Thursday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church that Clemson’s season opener against Georgia would be the site of ESPN’s College GameDay, but his vigorous nodding while broaching the topic told those in attendance all they needed to know.

The church was the site of the Prowl and Growl Coaches Tour event hosted by the Greenville Clemson Club, and the Clemson director of athletics and coaches Dabo Swinney and Brad Brownell addressed a crowd of more than 400 who turned out.

“It’s always a great event every year,” said Nate Manning, a past president of the Greenville Clemson Club who coordinated the event. “We’ve got obviously a big Clemson community here in Greenville, and we’re always happy to see the coaches come in and interact with everybody.”

The Prowl and Growl event is one of the two biggest events on the calendar for the Greenville Clemson Club, along with its scholarship golf tournament on June 3 at Brookstone Meadows. More information on the golf tournament is available at greenvilleclemsonclub.com.

“St. George Church has been a great host to us for a number of years,” Manning said. “We kind of max this place out, as you can see.”

Indeed a full house was in attendance, and Radakovich took the stage with emcee Don Munson to give updates on a number of topics pertinent to Clemson sports.

Radakovich said he hopes to have a decision this summer on whether to renovate Littlejohn Coliseum or to build an entirely new facility for Clemson basketball.

The Clemson director of athletics also said the first of a two-part renovation process was set to begin at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. A new playing surface will be in place for the 2014 season, and then shortly after the 2014 season, work will begin on a player development area and Lobby of Legacy around the stadium.

Radakovich also commented on the additions of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Louisville and Notre Dame to the Atlantic Coast Conference, and believes the expansion puts the league in position to compete for conference supremacy with the nation’s very best.

“For many months and years, we’ve heard a lot about the Southeastern Conference, and as a business enterprise, they’ve done tremendously well. But when you take a step back and look at what the Atlantic Coast Conference can offer ESPN, who is our television partner, in terms of a network, the demographics are about double what the SEC has,” he said. “We live here, and we hear a lot about the Southeastern Conference. But I’m pretty sure back in mine and (senior associate athletic director) Bill D’Andrea’s hometown of Pittsburgh, they really don’t care a whole lot about the SEC, and it creates a large, large footprint for us to be able to expand the Atlantic Coast Conference brand throughout the country.”

Radakovich said the recent grant of rights on television revenues signed by the ACC presidents had paved the way to start “substantive negotiations” with ESPN to give the league its own TV network.

“It took the SEC and ESPN three years to get that deal done on their side. Hopefully, it’s not going to take us that long to be able to do the same type of thing,” he said.

Asked about the speculation that ESPN would bring its College GameDay program to Clemson for the Aug. 31 season opener against Georgia, Radakovich paused to again nod deliberately before responding.

“It’s going to be one of those days that you just don’t want to miss being on campus,” he said. “It’s going to be a phenomenal day and one that we’re very much looking forward to.”

Prior to the program, those in attendance at the Prowl and Growl got the chance to meet and get autographs from Brownell and Swinney, and dinner was then served. After Radakovich opened the program, the two head coaches took the stage to take questions from the fans and give updates on the states of their respective programs.

“It’s good to interact with our fans,” Brownell told IPTAY Media. “You don’t get a lot of time one-on-one, but you do get to shake some hands, sign some autographs, take some pictures and just thank your fans for supporting you all year and for all the things they do for the university. You give them a little bit of an update on what’s going on with your program.”

This year’s Prowl and Growl Coaches Tour consists of 14 stops spanning four states — with stops in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia — and runs from mid-April through the end of May.

“People love it,” said Travis Furbee, director of the IPTAY Annual Fund. “Everybody has a good time, whether they are getting autographs signed or meeting Coach Swinney or Coach Brownell or some of the assistant coaches, and on the other side too, the coaches really enjoy meeting all the people and getting up there and telling them what’s going on with their respective programs. So a good time is had by all.”

May 13, 2013

Hello Tiger fans!

I am headed off to the ACC spring meetings this week in Florida. In my next writing, I hope to have much content to discuss as a result of those meetings. In the meantime, I thought it would be appropriate to focus this space on the student-athletes that graduated from Clemson last Friday. I had the privilege to be on hand for each of the three ceremonies as part of the president’s administrative council. It was wonderful to see so many orange stoles, which are worn to signify student-athletes, in each ceremony!

I thought I would share the wonderful success stories of a few of them. In all, 49 student-athletes walked across the stage in Littlejohn Coliseum to receive their degrees from President Barker. (See complete list of 2013 spring graduates below). It was particularly heart-warming to see some of our student-athletes who returned to earn degrees several years after their Tiger careers ended.

Two student coaches on Jack Leggett’s baseball team — Brad Chalk and Stephen Faris — graduated on Friday and then helped the Tigers to a win over Georgia Southern later that evening. Both were instrumental in helping Clemson win the ACC Championship and earn a berth in the College World Series in 2006. Brad spent five seasons in the farm system for the Padres and Pirates before returning to Clemson last fall to finish his degree. Stephen spent four years in the Padres’ minor league system as well.

It was great to see Jamie Harper return to accept his degree from President Barker. He was a running back for the Tiger football team from 2008-10 before leaving a year early to turn professional. He earned his degree in sociology on Friday. Jamie, as well as Brad and Stephen, are to be commended for their commitment to the total student-athlete experience at Clemson.

I also wanted to share the story of a young man who graduated in less than three years. Ty McCormack of the men’s track & field and cross country team earned his degree in language & international trade. Ty is an exceptional student-athlete. On the track, he is an All-ACC level performer. Off of it, he is an All-ACC Academic mainstay. His unique story included a study abroad program last fall in China. Ty is fluent in Chinese, and is headed to Auburn University to further his education in graduate school despite the fact he has eligibility left. We wish him nothing but the best as he continues to set a great example for other student-athletes to follow.

Those are just a few of the many tremendous stories that emerged from graduation. Congratulations to all 49 student-athletes, past and present, who earned degrees from our wonderful university and received the personal hand shake from President Barker. It is an accomplishment each of them will carry with them the rest of their lives.

Dan Radakovich

—

Clemson’s May 2013 Graduates

Student-Athlete         Sport                                       Major

Sandra Adeleye         Volleyball                               English

Ameerah Aly              Rowing                                   Marketing

Meg Anderson           Women’s Swimming             Early Childhood Education

Kate Biladeau                        Rowing                                   Sociology

Devin Booker             Men’s Basketball                   Sociology

Kate Borowicz            Women’s Track & Field        Health Science

Thomas Brittle           Baseball                                  PRTM

Katie Bruggeling       Rowing                                   Sociology

Brittany Burns           Rowing                                   PRTM

Chandler Catanzaro  Football                                  Biological Sciences

Tori Cervone              Women’s Swimming             Visual Arts

Brad Chalk                 Baseball                                  PRTM

Pat Chamberlain       Men’s Diving                          Marketing

Jasmine Edgerson     Women’s Track & Field        Sociology

Maddy Elder              Women’s Soccer                    Biological Sciences

Phillip Fajgenbaum   Football                                  Management

Stephen Faris                        Baseball                                  PRTM

Scott Firth                  Baseball                                  Sociology

Warren Fraser           Men’s Track & Field              Health Science

Jamie Harper             Football                                  Communication Studies

Marissa Henry           Rowing                                   Communication Studies

La’Mont Jackson        Men’s Track & Field              Management

Milton Jennings         Men’s Basketball                   Sociology

Stormy Kendrick       Women’s Track & Field        Sociology

Mike Kent                  Baseball                                  Management

Kelsey Krauss                        Women’s Swimming             Education

Yannick Maden         Men’s Tennis                         Economics

Heather Marik           Women’s Soccer                    Management

Emily Massey             Rowing                                   Communication Studies

Marcus Maxey           Men’s Track & Field              Sociology

Ty McCormack           Men’s Track & Field              Language & International Trade

Roderick McDowell   Football                                  Sociology

Donny McElveen       Football                                  PRTM

Kelly McGee               Women’s Swimming             Electrical Engineering

Jonathan Meyer        Baseball                                  Management

Joseph Moorefield     Baseball                                  PRTM

Wes Moran                Men’s Tennis                         Marketing

Wes Nelson                Men’s Soccer                          Management

Kristen Redmond      Women’s Swimming             Secondary Education

Crawford Reeves       Men’s Golf                              Marketing

Tyler Shatley             Football                                  Civil Engineering

Spencer Shuey          Football                                  Management

Darrell Smith             Football                                  Sociology

Brian Symmes           Football                                  English

Elizabeth Tatum        Diving                                     Health Science

Cory Thalheimer       Men’s Track & Field              Management

Brandon Thomas      Football                                  Secondary Education

Caroline Thomas       Rowing                                   Psychology

Brittney Waller          Women’s Track & Field        Agricultural Education

Serenat Yaz                Volleyball                               Financial Management

CLEMSON — Prior to his start against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Clemson lefthander Matthew Crownover knew it would be a special day. After the first few pitches, however, he changed his tune.

“I threw one of my best bullpens all year,” Crownover said. “I threw about 15 pitches, and I threw everything I wanted to. Then I got onto the mound and I threw four straight balls.”

After a brief rough patch, the Georgian settled down and stoked the Tigers to a 7-0 victory over Georgia Southern. His start was one of many solid performances on the mound for the Tigers during a three-game sweep of the Eagles.

Crownover allowed a mere three hits in seven innings of work, walking three and striking out eight. It was his fifth shutout win of the season and second consecutive quality start.

Head Coach Jack Leggett was not shocked at all that Crownover was able to hold the Eagles’ bats at bay. In fact, he has come to expect it for a youngster who is barely more than a year removed from Tommy John surgery and has wasted no time making a mark on the college game.

“He changes speeds. He competes. He holds runners on base,” Leggett said. “Those are all important qualities to managing a game. He’s a great competitor.”

Crownover has now thrown 13 consecutive shutout innings, dating back to his start against Georgia Tech on April 26. But the freshman says he only feels about 60 percent as he continues to recover from his reconstructive surgery.

Not being able to pitch as well as he desires has been difficult to handle for Crownover, who admits he can be his own biggest critic. Early in the season, he realized his perceived weaknesses were actually indicative of strengths in his overall development as a pitcher outside of the realm of raw velocity.

“I started thinking that I was throwing between 83 and 89 or 90, and I could get people out in the ACC throwing 83,” Crownover said. “It’s only going to get better, as long as I keep throwing it where I want to.”

Fans might confuse Crownover for a wily veteran, given the way he can throw multiple pitches in any count and use all areas of the strike zone. The lanky lefty draws inspiration from some of the best in baseball history at doing both of those things.

“Tommy Glavine and Andy Pettitte were my two favorites,” he said. “I just loved the way they competed. Nothing bothered Tommy Glavine. Every time he went out there, he was like, ‘This is what I’ve got. I’m at 86 or 87, and I’m still going to get you out.’ He just missed a lot of barrels.”

Crownover’s shutout innings streak will be put to the test as the Tigers travel to Tallahassee, then advance to postseason play. Freshmen sometimes wilt under the weight of high stakes, but the Clemson coaching staff is not worried about Crownover falling prey to the pressure because he has dealt with it all season long already.

Clemson sophomore Daniel Gossett recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts in a win over Georgia Southern on Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

By William Qualkinbush

CLEMSON — The last time Daniel Gossett stood atop the Doug Kingsmore Stadium mound, the results were not pretty. He walked off after recording only seven outs against a Maryland team that would beat his Clemson squad at the end of the day.

The loss stung, perhaps more than Gossett would have liked to admit at the time. The old adage, “Time heals all wounds,” did not apply. The only way for Gossett to erase the bad memories was to go out and make new ones against Georgia Southern on Friday night.

The sophomore did the job, allowing only one run on two hits in 7.1 innings in a 7-1 victory that set the tone for a weekend sweep of the Eagles. Six days after allowing four runs in his second-shortest career start, Gossett allowed only five baserunners during his time on the mound and recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts.

In his tenth quality start of the season, Gossett proved once again that he could bounce back from a poor outing. He has never lost back-to-back starts in his brief career, and he says a good start is worth the wait after a struggle.

“That’s the thing about starting,” Gossett said. “You have the whole week to sit there and let it sit on you. Even then, you have to have a short memory. It did stick with me, but you have to be able to put in quality work in the bullpen and come out and pitch like you can.”

As Clemson’s Friday starting pitcher this season, Gossett has to prepare to take his opposition’s best shot each week. After nine straight weeks of conference games, facing Georgia Southern might seem like a bit of a breather for Gossett. But he maintains focus by putting emphasis on each individual hitter.

“You have to think about it like every batter is the toughest batter you’ll ever face,” Gossett said. “You can’t go after them soft. You have to hit them with all you’ve got.”

Even on shorter rest than usual due to the compressed post-exams schedule last weekend, Gossett gained strength and effectiveness as his outing wore on. His final out was recorded via strikeout, an indication that fatigue was not an issue.

Gossett’s lack of fatigue also benefited a tired bullpen. At the end of the weekend, the Tigers had won seven games in as many days. This can put stress on a bullpen, particularly given normal rest patterns of collegiate pitchers. Gossett understands the importance of his long start, but he also says that was not his primary concern on the mound Friday night.

“I try not to think too much about anything outside the next pitch,” Gossett said. “You have to take it pitch-by-pitch. But when you think about it, that’s huge.”

Gossett hopes he now has his mojo back after a brief hiatus, just in time to help the Tigers make a run down the stretch. His regained confidence can help Clemson feel secure on Fridays for the rest of the season.

Clemson's Yana Koroleva, left, and Beatrice Gumulya celebrate during their doubles win against Eastern Kentucky in the NCAA Championships on Friday at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Romy Koelzer calls Clemson a “singles team,” and for that reason, says the Tigers remain confident even when they drop the doubles point in a match.

“But when we win it, oh my gosh, they better just go home,” she joked Friday.

Koelzer’s comment came shortly after Clemson made certain Eastern Kentucky did just that, eliminating the Colonels from the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships with a 5-0 sweep at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.

The Tigers were so dominating in their win, their 12^th straight in NCAA first-round action, perhaps the biggest challenge for the players was finishing quickly enough for their match to actually count.

The No. 1 doubles team of Yana Koroleva and Beatrice Gumulya was leading 7-2 in a pro-set and potentially just two points away from securing a victory when the No. 2 team of Koelzer and Tristen Dewar won 8-3 to clinch the doubles point and force a premature halt to the match on Court 1.

“We had told them in the locker room that we wanted to get on and off the court as quickly as possible,” Clemson head coach Nancy Harris said. “We didn’t know what the weather was going to do, and we didn’t really want to have to go indoors. So they just took care of business.”

For Koroleva, her singles match nearly ended in similarly unsatisfying fashion, as she was ahead 6-1, 5-2 on her opponent at No. 1 singles and on her fourth match point when Dewar won her match at No. 6 singles to clinch the team competition.

Since Koroleva was on match point, which she won, she was allowed to finish off the victory and give the Tigers a 5-0 win, even though only four victories are required.

She admitted afterward she had extra incentive to finish early — especially since the start was delayed from 1 p.m. to 2:05 because the opening match of the regional, No. 2 seed Vanderbilt’s 4-0 win over Indiana, ran long.

“There’s a Starbucks Frappuccino Happy Hour now, and it only goes from 3-5 (p.m.), so I wanted to make that,” Koroleva joked afterward.

With the win, Clemson moved to 9-0 on the season when claiming the doubles point, while it was just 6-7 otherwise coming into Friday.

“I think it was really big for us because we haven’t won very many doubles points this whole season,” Koelzer said. “We’ve tried to figure out who can play the best with who, and I think the combinations that we have now are really good.”

Clemson has used 15 different doubles teams throughout the season, but as Koelzer noted, it seems to have settled on a lineup that works.

The sophomore from Germany and her partner, Dewar, made quick work of Eastern Kentucky’s Saioa Oscoz and Milena Poffo on Friday.

“Tristen and I figured it out pretty quickly that we needed to just not hit too fast and put it in play, and they made errors,” Koelzer said.

Harris said she believed the key to the current doubles lineup has been the work of Koroleva and Gumulya, who are 8-1 as a tandem this season — the most wins by any Tiger duo — even though they weren’t able to add to that victory total Friday.

“I really like Yana and Bea leading at one,” Harris said. “I think they set the standard for the two and the three. They’re very solid, and they have fun playing together.”

Koroleva and Gumulya are not only doubles partners on the court, but they are also roommates off it, which the No. 16-ranked singles player in the country said helped their on-court chemistry.

“We have been living together since our first day (at Clemson),” Koroleva said, “and even though we’re from different worlds basically — she’s from Indonesia; I’m from Russia — we get along really well. We understand each other really well on the court too.”

It seems the same can be said for all of the Tigers’ doubles duos.

IPTAY Media

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Brad Brownell admits sometimes the questions posed at Prowl and Growl Coaches Tour events can rival the ones he faces from the media after a tough night on the basketball court.

“They can ask some pretty good questions,” the Clemson head coach said. “The fans are very knowledgeable, and you can tell which fans follow exactly what’s going on and have some good questions for what you’re thinking about personnel, recruiting or scheduling or anything.”

The man he shared the dais with at Friday’s tour stop in Greenville, Dabo Swinney, got a taste of just such a direct line of questioning when a young Tiger fan asked, “When are we going to beat Carolina?”

While the question was clearly directed at the Tigers’ head football coach, Brownell took the opportunity to respond first and remind those in attendance that his team had beaten the rival Gamecocks 64-55 in December.

“We already did,” he said quickly. “It wasn’t hard at all. We went right to Columbia and smashed them.”

After Brownell added some levity to the moment, Swinney gave his own response to the question that was on the fan’s mind.

“My wife asks me the same question every morning,” he joked. “We’ve obviously got another chance this year … and we’ve got to get it done. It’s just that simple. Trust me — we all live with it every day. And it’s nobody’s responsibility but mine.”

That was just one of many topics Brownell and Swinney addressed during the event, one of 14 Prowl and Growl Coaches Tour stops across four states in the months of April and May.

One topic Brownell discussed was his team’s upcoming trip to Italy. The Tigers are allowed 10 extra practices before leaving and are slated to depart Aug. 8. They will play four games against Italian pro teams while there, and a professor will come along, so the players will earn one class credit during their European excursion.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us, with a very young team, to get a chance to gain some valuable experience and really get a jumpstart on our season,” he said.

Brownell also took a question on recent junior college signee Ibrahim Djambo and whether bringing him into the fold could lead to more JUCO signings in the future. Brownell said the odds of that were “highly unlikely” because it is difficult for those JUCO prospects to earn enough credits to satisfy degree requirements for majors at Clemson, and said Djambo’s academic prowess made it possible in his unique case.

Brownell said at 6-foot-10, the native of Mali currently weighs just 205 pounds and needs to bulk up for the rigors of ACC play.

“He really knows how to play, and he’s older and very mature and he has a purpose for being here,” Brownell said. “It’s been unbelievably interesting for me recruiting these kids. I really haven’t recruited many kids from Africa, but they are so focused. They have a greater appreciation for the opportunities that they have been given than most American kids. It really opens your eyes for these kids, looking at some of the American kids that they are playing with, and they’re frustrated by their lack of appreciation for the things that they are given and all the complaining they do for the things they don’t have.”

Earlier in the evening, director of athletics Dan Radakovich told the audience that he hopes to have a decision this summer on whether to renovate Littlejohn Coliseum or to build a brand new facility for Clemson’s basketball programs.

Brownell left little doubt his preference would be the latter.

“Well, that’s pretty easy,” he said. “Actually I really like Littlejohn on game night. I’ve said this a lot. When we get nine or ten thousand people in there, Littlejohn is very good. It’s a great atmosphere; the crowd is electric. The problem is, we recruit more times than not all the other days (besides game days), and in that setting it’s well below average. It just doesn’t have all the bells and whistles … that make a big difference when you’re talking about 18- to 21-year-old kids.”

“If you go down to Georgia Tech, and we had the privilege of going and playing there this year, Dan built a new facility there (McCamish Pavilion) that is just out of this world,” he added. “It’s like 8,600 to 8,800 (seats). It’s the perfect size. It’s got all the amenities you would want for fans, for players, unbelievable pro lighting, everything you could imagine. And it’s awesome. And you walk in, and it’s hard not to be a little jealous. … We’ve got to do some things to let people know that, ‘Hey, they do care about basketball at Clemson.’ So, I’m very confident that one of the two things will happen here very soon, and it will be a great day for Clemson basketball.”

The Clemson basketball coach also gave an update on Jaron Blossomgame, a touted recruit who sat out his entire freshman season after breaking his leg in April 2012. Browenll compared Blossomgame’s injury to the one suffered by Louisville’s Kevin Ware in this year’s Elite Eight.

“Bone came out, compound fracture — it was gruesome, awful, everything you can imagine,” Brownell said.

Brownell said Blossomgame is “about 90 percent right now” and is hopeful he will be fully recovered by the time the team departs for Italy in August.

Swinney gave his own injury update, addressing the status of tight end Sam Cooper and quarterback Chad Kelly, both of whom suffered knee injuries during the Spring Game on April 13.

Both had surgery May 3 and began rehabilitation on their injured knees May 6, and Swinney was optimistic both could play this season.

“The surgeries went great,” he said.

Swinney was also asked what he felt his program needed to do to earn recognition and respect on a national scale.

“We’ve just got to be consistent … and I feel like we’re built to make a run,” he said. “One good way to do it is to line up and beat Georgia on Aug. 31.”

That suggestion drew a rousing round of applause from all in attendance.

Clemson freshman Brody Koerner delivers against Furman during the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Fluor Field in Greenville. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

Photo Gallery

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Six walks, four wild pitches and an error usually don’t make for a great day at the park for a pitcher, but pairing them with six innings of one-hit ball will do the trick.

Such was the case for Clemson freshman Brody Koerner, who worked around early control issues to blank Furman for six frames and lift the Tigers to a 14-2 victory in the first game of their doubleheader Wednesday at Fluor Field.

“I figured I had to go five (innings) and get a quality start in for our bullpen to kind of save some arms,” Koerner said. “I had a rough start, but luckily I was able to go and give us six to help us out.”

The Tigers won the nightcap 12-2 to sweep the twinbill behind a four-hit, three-RBI game from Jon McGibbon, and two hits apiece by Maleeke Gibson, Steve Wilkerson and Steven Duggar.

Making his first career start away from Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Koerner lowered his ERA to 2.67 on the season and notched his first career victory (1-1) in his ninth collegiate appearance and fourth start.

After getting two quick outs to start the game, Koerner issued up a walk, committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, uncorked a wild pitch, walked another man, threw another wild pitch and then walked a man with a wild pitch. That would have loaded the bases, but Furman’s Will Muzika broke from third on the errant ball four and was tagged out at home by Koerner to end the inning without a run scoring.

“(Catcher Garrett Boulware) made a big play right there,” Koerner said. “Luckily, we got the tag on him and got out of that unscathed. With three walks in the first inning, that’s lucky to do.”

A right-hander from Concord, N.C., Koerner continued to make things interesting in the second inning, walking the leadoff man and then throwing a wild pitch to allow him to take second, before settling down to retire the side.

“I don’t think it was jitters; I was just a little amped up,” Koerner said. “I was a little out in front (in my pitching motion), and I talked to (pitching coach Dan Pepicelli) between innings, and we were able to get to where I was staying back and stuff started working from there.”

After the leadoff walk in the second, Koerner set down 15 of the final 18 batters he faced on the day and left after six innings with the Tigers leading 6-0.

“He was a little inconsistent with throwing strikes, but when he’s in the strike zone, he’s tough to hit,” head coach Jack Leggett said. “He’s got a really good changeup, his breaking ball is good. He’s got to get a little better command with his fastball, and I think he’ll be really effective for us. He’s a smart kid, a tremendous competitor, and he’s got a bright future for us.”

The top three hitters in the order — Gibson, Wilkerson and Duggar — combined to drive in 10 runs in the opening game, with three, four and three RBIs, respectively. Wilkerson, Shane Kennedy and Thomas Brittle had three hits each, while McGibbon and Brittle scored three times apiece, as the Tigers tallied a season-high 14 runs.

“Guys were locked in all day long at the plate,” McGibbon said.

Clemson blew the ballgame open by posting a six-spot in the seventh — matching its highest-scoring inning of the season — to make it 12-2, and it cruised from there.

In the second game, Kennedy’s solo homer over the “Green Monster” — Fluor Field’s 30-foot replica of the Fenway Park original — in left field put Clemson up 1-0 in the second inning, and it never looked back.

Another key to the Tigers’ sweep was speed on the basepaths. Clemson stole a total of 12 bases across the two games — five in the first game and seven in the second.

Brittle swiped two bags in the first game to give him a team-high 17 stolen bases on the season, while Gibson, Kennedy and Mike Triller had one apiece. In the nightcap, Kennedy had three, Gibson two, and Krieger and McGibbon each stole one.

“We wanted to stay aggressive and put pressure on the defense,” Gibson said.

Leggett has been searching for answers in the leadoff spot, and the freshman Gibson certainly was a sparkplug Wednesday, with four hits, three runs, four RBIs and the three stolen bases across the two games.

“Maleeke, I think, gives us a little bit of a boost up there,” Leggett said. “So, we’ve got to give him some more at-bats. He’s a tough out; he’s got some speed and knows the strike zone. So I like him up there.

“Hopefully, we’ll keep getting a jolt from him because he stirs things up for us.”

Photo Gallery

By Steven Bradley/IPTAY Media

Clemson freshman Matthew Crownover delivers against Maryland on May 6 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

CLEMSON — Technically it was a weekday, but Zack Erwin and Matthew Crownover showed in Clemson’s May 6 twinbill with Maryland why they have garnered spots in head coach Jack Leggett’s weekend rotation as freshmen.

The southpaws have already ascended to weekend-starter status for the Tigers early in their young careers, but a bad-weather weekend forced the series to finish with a Monday doubleheader at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Erwin and Crownover combined to earn victories on either end, winning the opener 3-2 behind the former and the nightcap 9-5 behind the latter to take the Atlantic Coast Conference series from the Terrapins.

“These were really important for us because we’re around the bubble of hosting an NCAA regional or not,” Crownover said. “So all the wins we can get, the better.”

In his second career start and first ACC start, Erwin matched a career high by going 6.0 innings, as he allowed five hits, one run and one walk to move to 4-0 and lower his ERA to 2.60 on the season.

“He did a nice job for us today,” Leggett said of Erwin. “He threw strikes and worked ahead in the count. His pitch count got up there a little bit by the fifth inning, but he did some good things.”

Erwin took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but allowed the Terps to tie the game on a suicide-squeeze bunt that fell safely over the head of charging first baseman Jon McGibbon.

Erwin left after the sixth, but Clemson scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to allow Erwin to nab the win.

“My changeup was really good today,” Erwin said. “My fastball was always down. I left a couple up, but besides that — the changeup was my pitch today.”

Erwin had pitched a team-high 33.1 innings in relief before making his first career start against Western Carolina on April 24, when he allowed four hits, a run and a walk with four strikeouts to notch the win as the Tigers rolled 12-1.

Having handled his starting debut successfully, he made the transition to weekend starter just as smoothly.

“I always just pitch,” Erwin said. “Simple.”

Crownover, meanwhile, moved to 6-1 on the season and improved his team-leading ERA to 2.14 by working 6.0 innings of four-hit ball and striking out four against two walks.

He admitted it was a bit strange to come out of the game with a four-hit shutout in the works — after 84 pitches — but also understandable given his circumstances.

“I’m 13 months (removed from) ‘Tommy John’ surgery, so anywhere from 80 to 90 pitches is plenty good enough for me,” Crownover said. “We’ve got a good bullpen, so my plan every time out is to go six good innings and turn it over to them.”

Clemson jumped on the Terrapins early in the second game, scoring four runs in the first after two quick outs on run-scoring base hits by Shane Kennedy, McGibbon and Thomas Brittle.

The Tigers added three more in the fifth and another in the sixth to pull away.

A product of Ringgold, Ga., Crownover was the team’s best midweek starter during the first half of the season and has been even better since moving into the weekend rotation April 1 against No. 1 North Carolina, a game the Tigers won 5-4 to start an 11-game winning streak.

“First ACC start against the No. 1 team in the country on ESPNU — no pressure,” he joked.

He was the winner in Clemson’s 1-0 win at Boston College on April 7 and also its 1-0 win over Wake Forest on April 13, making him a winner in consecutive 1-0 Clemson victories — a fact that is remarkable because prior to 2013 Clemson had won just two ACC games by the score of 1-0 in the history of its program.

Due to sweeping the twinbill from the Terps, Clemson was able to rally from losing the series opener Saturday to take the series — a crucial step toward its hopes of hosting an NCAA regional.

“We had to win two ballgames today,” Leggett said. “One wouldn’t have been good enough for us.”

The same might be said of the freshmen in the Tigers’ weekend rotation.

Photo Gallery — Game 1

Photo Gallery — Game 2

— By Steven Bradley/IPTAY Media

Leaving behind the shattering roars of Death Valley, 32 former Clemson players find themselves on football’s biggest stage: the glory of the National Football League.

As summer workouts begin for NFL squads around the country, ex-Tigers are represented on 20 of the 32 NFL teams, competing for playing time and a chance to live out their dreams.

The former Tigers are spread across a variety of positions with four linebackers, four defensive ends, four cornerbacks, three wide receivers, three cornerbacks, three defensive tackles, three tight ends, two centers, two running backs, a quarterback, an offensive tackle and an offensive guard on rosters.

In a huge testament to the current Clemson coaching staff, 29 of the 32 former Tigers on NFL rosters played at least one season under head coach Dabo Swinney.

Not only was Swinney’s coaching impact seen in the recent NFL Draft, his influence has been visible in the league for several years. Incredibly, 27 of the players on Swinney’s 2009 squad, his first team, have played in at least one NFL game.

If Clemson fans are looking for a new NFL team to cheer for this season, perhaps the answer will come in the form of the Buffalo Bills. More ex-Tigers will be suiting up for the Bills than any other team, with Kourtnei Brown (2008-11), Crezdon Butler (2006-09), Chris Hairston (2007-10), C.J. Spiller (2006-09) and Jonathon Meeks (2008-11) filling the roster.

Fresh out of Clemson, 10 members of last year’s Tiger squad are looking to make an immediate impact in their rookie seasons. Helping lead Clemson to an 11-2 record and a No. 9 final ranking in the USA Today Coaches poll last season, these former Tigers are no strangers to success.

Headlined by the 27^th overall pick in the NFL Draft, DeAndre Hopkins (2010-12), three other former Tigers were also drafted last month: Malliciah Goodman (2009-12), Jonathon Meeks (2009-12) and Andre Ellington (2009-12).

Additionally, eight other ex-Clemson players signed contracts with NFL teams following the draft, meaning that 12 players from Clemson will begin their NFL rookie seasons in the fall.

On the opposite end of their NFL journeys, 20 former Tigers are continuing on in the league, dreaming of helping their teams to the Super Bowl. Varying in NFL experience ranging from two to eight years, the senior-most former Tiger is San Diego quarterback Charlie Whitehurst (2002-05).

Hoping to continue building upon their stellar seasons last year, Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen (2008-11) and Buffalo Bills running back Spiller (2006-09) enter 2013 with high expectations.

Still hoping to be signed before the season begins, ex-Tigers Barry Richardson (2004-08), Jamie Harper (2008-10) and Nick Eason (1999-02) are currently free agents. Last season, Richardson played with the St. Louis Rams, Harper with the Tennessee Titans, and Eason with the Arizona Cardinals.

Former Clemson Football Players on NFL Rosters

(As of May 10, 2013)

No      Name                             Team                              Pos       Yrs         CU Years

83      Dwayne Allen               Indianapolis Colts           TE      2nd         2009-11

71      Thomas Austin             Carolina Panthers             C       4th         2006-09

Spencer Benton            Dallas Cowboys               PK           R         2009-12

91      Da’Quan Bowers          Tampa Bay Bucs             DE       3rd         2008-10

40      Andre Branch               Jacksonville Jags              DE      2nd         2008-11

Xavier Brewer              Dallas Cowboys               DB           R         2009-12

56      Kourtnei Brown           Buffalo Bills                      LB           R         2008-11

13      Jaron Brown                 Arizona Cardinals          WR           R         2009-12

29      Crezdon Butler             Buffalo Bills                      CB       4th         2006-09

Miguel Chavis               Kansas City Chiefs          DT           R         2007-10

30      Chris Clemmons           Miami Dolphins                  S       5th         2005-08

53      Kavell Connor               Indianapolis Colts            LB       4th         2006-09

38      Andre Ellington            Arizona Cardinals            RB           R         2009-12

49      Brandon Ford               N.E. Patriots                     TE           R         2009-12

12      Jacoby Ford                   Oakland Raiders            WR       4th         2006-09

63      Dalton Freeman           New York Jets                    C           R         2009-12

38      Marcus Gilchrist           San Diego Chargers        DB       3rd         2007-10

93      Malliciah Goodman      Atlanta Falcons                DE           R         2009-12

75      Chris Hairston              Buffalo Bills                     OT       3rd         2007-10

10      DeAndre Hopkins         Houston Texans             WR           R         2010-12

99      Jarvis Jenkins                Washington Redskins     DT       3rd         2007-10

60      Antoine McClain           Baltimore Ravens            OG      2nd         2008-11

41      Byron Maxwell             Seattle Seahawks            CB       4th         2006-09

36      Jonathan Meeks           Buffalo Bills                        S           R         2009-12

93      Phillip Merling              Washington Redskins     DE       6th         2005-07

81      Michael Palmer            Atlanta Falcons                TE       4th         2006-09

55      Ricky Sapp                    New York Jets                  LB       4th         2006-09

24      Coty Sensabaugh         Tennessee Titans            CB      2nd         2008-11

28      C.J. Spiller                      Buffalo Bills                      RB       4th         2006-09

98      Brandon Thompson     Cincinnati Bengals          DT      2nd         2008-11

6      Charlie Whitehurst      San Diego Chargers       WR       8th         2002-05

Tig Willard                    Tennessee Titans            LB           R         2009-12

There are several easy and convenient ways to make your IPTAY donation. You can call us at 864-656-2115, donate online HERE, mail your donation to PO Box 1529, Clemson, SC 29633 (please include your IPTAY # on the check) or stop by the IPTAY office Monday-Friday 8 AM-4:30 PM. If you have any questions concerning your IPTAY account, please call our office at 864-656-2115 or email us at iptay@clemson.edu.

The entire IPTAY staff would like to thank you for your generous support. Because of people like you, we are able to support our student-athletes and help them excel on the field and in the classroom.

The locations and dates have been set for this year’s Prowl and Growl tour. Clemson staff, IPTAY Reps, Clemson Clubs, and local volunteers are continuing to work hard to plan the meetings. The Alumni Association, Clemson Fund and IPTAY are very excited to visit you in your hometown and we ask you to make plans now to attend and show your support for our coaches and teams.

This year, our head coaches will attend five meetings together, while the remaining meetings will feature either the head coach from football or basketball and then an assistant coach from the opposite sport. This has allowed us to add an additional meeting, making our total 14 stops this year as well as give our fans the opportunity to meet some of our favorite assistant coaches. Below you will find the schedule for head coaches. The assistant coaches will be announced closer to meeting dates.

The Prowl and Growl Tour stops are listed below. To purchase tickets to a Prowl and Growl meeting in your area, please visit the following link here.  For more information, visit clemsontigers.com.  We look forward to seeing you this spring!

May 20- Raleigh, NC- Coach Brownell and Coach Robbie Caldwell

May 22- Atlanta, GA- Coach Brownell and Coach Jeff Scott

May 23- Columbia, SC- Coach Brownell and Coach Danny Pearman

May 30- Charlotte, NC – Coach Swinney and Coach Mike Winiecki

A great way to give your graduate a gift that will last for many years to come is to purchase an engraved brick in their name. This is a permanent way to celebrate and honor your high school or college graduate. Bricks can include any personalized message that you would like, and can be purchased for $250 for IPTAY members or $390 for non-members. Bricks can be placed at Memorial Stadium, Littlejohn Coliseum, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, or the Rock Norman Track & Field Complex. For more information or to order a brick, contact Julia Stump at stump@clemson.edu or 864-656-2608, or visit HERE.

For a high school graduate, purchasing a membership to the IPTAY Collegiate Club is a great gift. The club is open to all Clemson fans ages 18-22. They do not have to be attending Clemson University to join. As a member of the Collegiate Club, they will receive weekly Clemson emails, a Collegiate Club t-shirt, discounts at Clemson area businesses, and much more. If the Collegiate Club member is also a full-time Clemson student, they will receive football ticket benefits as well. The cost is $40 for one year, or $130 for a 4-year membership. Starting an IPTAY account in the student’s name also helps them build IPTAY Priority Points for their future. For more information about the Collegiate Club, contact Julia Stump  at stump@clemson.edu or visit HERE.

For a Clemson University graduate, you can give a membership to the IPTAY Young Alumni (YA) Program. The YA Program offers Clemson graduates a way to stay connected with their University at a discounted rate. The first year of the tiered program offers a 90% discount on the IPTAY donation and a 20% discount on all football and basketball season tickets. For more information on the YA Program, contact Lindsey Leonard at lsweval@clemson.edu or 864-656-2975, or visit HERE.

Congratulations to your graduate and let us know if you would like more information about any of these great gift options! Go Tigers!

Favorite Clemson Baseball Moment: It’s not really one specific moment. I just love the feeling I get when the game comes down to the last inning.  A tie that can be broken in the last few minutes that makes or breaks the game.  And of course, it’s always nice when it ends as a victory for Clemson.

Favorite Clemson Athlete: Tanner Smith- He is a great basketball player, but I also love all that he has done for Tanner’s Totes.  Making kids smile during hard times is always a great thing.

Why do you give to IPTAY? : I donate to IPTAY to help fund the schooling of all athletes. I also give so that my dad and I can buy season football tickets.  

Former Clemson director of athletics Bill McLellan stands with his wife, Ann, in front of the lettering of his name on the North Upper Deck of Memorial Stadium after the unveiling ceremony Saturday. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

Photo Gallery

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — As an assistant football coach under Frank Howard, Bill McLellan once coached practice on what are now the intramural fields across from Fike Recreation Center near Gate 20 of Memorial Stadium.

McLellan returned to his old stomping grounds on Saturday for a different reason.

From that vantage point, Clemson held a dedication ceremony to unveil the former athletic director’s name on the north façade of Death Valley, officially naming the H.C. “Bill” McLellan North Upper Deck.

“It’s been a long time coming,” McLellan said. “It’s been a lifetime.”

A 1954 graduate of Clemson who was a two-time letterwinner for Howard, McLellan served as business manager (1956-66), assistant athletic director (1966-71) and director of athletics (1971-85) during his career as an administrator.

During his tenure as athletic director, Clemson’s football program rose to national prominence with five top-25 finishes, three ACC Championships and the 1981 National Championship.

The men’s soccer team also won its first national championship in 1984, the men’s basketball program reached the Elite Eight in 1980, and the baseball team made three trips to the College World Series.

McLellan’s son, Cliff, himself a former Clemson football player, said the honor was a meaningful one for his father.

“He really appreciates this,” Cliff said. “He loves Clemson more than anything, so it’s just a big honor for him. When I bring him back here, he’s happy because he’s home. It means an awful lot to him, and it means a lot to the family. It’s very special for us.”

The tribute was a fitting one for Bill, as it was through his endeavors that the upper deck of Memorial Stadium exists in the first place.

He oversaw the revitalization of Memorial Stadium from 18,000 seats to more than 80,000, making the facility the first on-campus stadium to construct skyboxes.

“Bill was a visionary, a real visionary,” said Joe Turner, former executive secretary of IPTAY during McLellan’s tenure. “He could see things that other people couldn’t see. He came up with the executive suites — that’s what we called them 35 years ago — on campus when nobody else in the college world could even spell executive suites.”

McLellan was behind the growth of Memorial Stadium into one of the top 15 campus stadiums in the nation in terms of capacity, as he oversaw the construction of the south stands in 1978 and then the north stands in 1983.

Senior Associate Athletic Director Bill D’Andrea said the naming of the upper deck in McLellan’s honor was a fitting tribute.

“Under Bill’s leadership, this became not only one of the best places to play football in America, but also one of the best experiences you can have anywhere on a Saturday afternoon in the fall — unless you’re a Gamecock,” D’Andrea joked during the ceremony.

During his tenure, McLellan oversaw an annual budget that grew from $3 million to more than $15 million, and IPTAY saw an increase in donations from $400,000 in 1971 to more than $5 million in 1985.

“The foundation of college athletics was laid by men like Bill McLellan,” current director of athletics Dan Radakovich told IPTAY Media, “and his legacy here at Clemson not only will be enshrined here in this area, but it’s much more far reaching than just this upper deck and this ramp and the suite area. He touched so many different areas of Clemson, and created a great legacy — not only for himself, but also for the coaches and student-athletes that he interacted with here at Clemson. Clemson wouldn’t be what it is today without Bill McLellan.”

Including McLellan and Radakovich, the last four Clemson athletic directors were all present for the ceremony, as Bobby Robinson and Terry Don Phillips were also on hand.

Also in attendance was former head football coach Danny Ford, who led the Tigers to the 1981 national title under McLellan’s watch.

Also under McLellan’s leadership, women’s athletics were added and the Tiger Paw was introduced. McLellan was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993, having received Clemson’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1982.

McLellan has also been selected for the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2013, and will be enshrined with the state’s highest athletic honor on May 13 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

“The record is clear: Bill McLellan left his mark on Clemson Athletics,” Radakovich said. “And now his legacy is symbolized by a strong, positive and prominent mark on Death Valley.”

Clemson designated hitter Shane Kennedy, left, is greeted at home plate by teammate Steven Duggar after his two-run home run against Maryland on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

Photo Gallery

By William Qualkinbush

CLEMSON — Hitters in the middle of high-major collegiate baseball batting orders have certain assumed characteristics. There are certain things those kinds of hitters generally can or cannot do that distinguish them.

They do not lay down sacrifice bunts or lead their teams in total sacrifice hits. They do not steal bases at an impressive clip. They do not lead their teams in on-base percentage.

But Shane Kennedy does all of those things for the Clemson baseball team.

The Tigers’ designated hitter, who has also played third base this season, has come in after an excellent career in junior college and held down a spot in the middle of the batting order for head coach Jack Leggett.

But at a school with a recent tradition of power hitters spraying homers all over Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Kennedy has redefined what a middle-of-the-order batter looks like relative to the rest of the lineup.

His approach could be characterized as part-leadoff, part-cleanup, which is just fine for Leggett and the rest of the Tigers.

“Being able to bunt is a plus, and being able to square balls up and hit them out is also a plus,” Kennedy said. “Being able to use both of those works out for us.”

On more than one occasion this season, a member of Clemson’s everyday lineup has remarked about how versatile the 2013 team is. The Tigers have showcased an ability and a willingness to play solid situational baseball from the top of the lineup to the bottom. This entails approaching the plate with the idea that moving runners over to get runs onto the scoreboard is the top priority for an offensive player.

Kennedy has successfully sacrificed seven times this season (five flies, two bunts), and he has done it from traditional run-producing spots in the lineup. For the most part this season, he has manned the fourth slot in the order, but he has also batted fifth — which is where he was for Saturday’s 7-2 loss to Maryland.

The more conventional side of Kennedy came out during the game, as the junior nailed a two-run home run to the deepest part of center field. Kennedy’s third homer of the year shocked him, even though it felt good when it left his bat.

“You never know with center field being 400 feet,” he said. “On top of that, it was raining outside. I think I got lucky and maybe hit it into a gust of wind there.

“400 feet is a long way. You can square some up, even in practice, and it doesn’t go. You hit them and you just kind of hope.”

Whatever he is called to do, Kennedy is committed to deliver. The rest of his teammates have adopted a similar philosophy, which has allowed the Tigers to win different types of games all season long.

As the season hits the home stretch, the cream starts to rise in college baseball. Because of the versatility the Tigers have showcased so far, they have a chance to join the uprising.

Clemson senior Warren Fraser, left, takes the baton from teammate Reggie Lewis as the Tiger men’s 4x100 relay team won their event with a time of 40.23 seconds Saturday at the Bob Pollock Invitational. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

Day 1 Photo Gallery

Day 2 Photo Gallery

By Gavin Oliver

CLEMSON — There is an ever-revolving door in collegiate sports, one that serves as a timeless entrance and exit for players as they continuously come and go.

The college athletes who head out that door, even the ones who embark on a journey to the next level, often undergo an indescribable feeling when participating in a home event for the final time.

Seniors of the Clemson men and women’s track and field teams had the opportunity to experience precisely that while taking part in the last home meet of their careers on Saturday afternoon at the Rock Norman Track and Field Complex during the Bob Pollack Invitational.

Clemson senior sprinter Warren Fraser led the men to a first-place finish in the 4×100 meter relay, helping Clemson achieve success on a day that saw the school place first in six events, while finishing in the top-three in 10 others.

A native of the Bahamas and two-time second-team All-American, Fraser and his team finished with a time of 40.23 Saturday.

Fraser was unable to fully perceive the sensation of a final home meet until the time for his personal one actually arrived, despite seeing the departure of senior classes over his previous three seasons.

“Every year (the seniors) come and they’re always talking that this is their (last) home meet,” Fraser said, “and I never feel quite what they felt until now. I just feel like this is my actually last time running here as a Clemson student, and it feels good to be graduated, but it’s like a bittersweet feeling right now.”

Fraser and the 15 other seniors — eight apiece from the men and women — were honored in the indoor track facility following the invitational, each receiving plaques while their career accomplishments at Clemson rang across the loudspeaker.

Hearing the histories of success prodded Clemson senior Brittney Waller, who won the women’s discus Saturday by recording a throw of 157 feet, 7 inches, to reflect on her four years at Clemson.

Waller ranks second in Clemson history in the weight throw and discus throw, but it was the relationships formed with teammates throughout the countless hours of hard work that occupied a larger majority of her thought.

“I think sometimes we don’t really get a chance to reflect, and it was cool to hear everyone’s achievements,” Waller said. “It’s been interesting to see the last four years how people have kind of come and they go. We’ve added a lot of people, but it means a lot because you’ll always have a relationship with these girls, and you’ll have that bond that you can never replace.”

Though the Tigers still have meets in the near future with an invitational at Georgia Tech on May 10 and May 11 before gearing up for postseason action, the men and women seniors won’t soon forget their last action at home.

“I wish I could run here more,” said Fraser. “It’s been an experience. I just love running here, and I couldn’t ask for more than to be running here right now at Clemson.”

Clemson defensive ends Vic Beasley (3), Tavaris Barnes (6) and Ebenezer Ogundeko look on during practice April 5. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — The best part of coaching, according to Dabo Swinney, is that moment when “the light comes on” for a player, the culmination of dedicating themselves, buying into the system, putting in the work and finally realizing their potential.

Swinney points to Vic Beasley as Exhibit A of that phenomenon.

“This time last spring I couldn’t get anybody in the whole (coaches’ meeting) room to even give him a thumbs up,” Clemson’s head coach said recently. “Now he’s the best player we’ve got. So, sometimes guys don’t come on as you want them, but you’ve got to just keep pushing them and hope that light comes on.”

After redshirting as a freshman tight end in 2010, Beasley played just 16 snaps and had two tackles over nine games as a linebacker in 2011 and entered last season as a reserve defensive end who seemed unlikely to see significant playing time.

But despite playing just 288 snaps in 2012, Beasley led the Tigers with eight sacks, and his upward trajectory continued this spring, as the rising junior was almost unblockable during practices and finished with a pair of sacks in the Spring Game.

“We had a hard time with him this spring,” Swinney said of the offense’s efforts to block Beasley. “I’m glad he’s on our team. And he’s working, he’s bought in, he’s physically doing the things that he needs to do to improve as a player.

“He needs to become an every-down player; he needs to improve against the run. And he can do all of that. He’s actually becoming a little bit of a leader, which I thought I would never say. So I’m really proud of him.”

Beasley only made 18 total tackles in 2012, good for a tie for 20^th on the team, but the eight tackles he made behind the line of scrimmage — all of them sacks — netted a team-best 55 lost yards for opponents.

Now set to enter the fall as the starter at one defensive end spot, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Beasley says he has loftier goals set for the 2013 season.

“Just to do better than that,” Beasley said. “I’m just trying to get better every day, and hopefully I can get around 15 or 20 sacks this season.”

Beasley’s emergence was a big reason the Clemson pass rush improved so greatly during the program’s first 11-win season since 1981.

After recording just nine sacks through the first seven games of the campaign, the Tigers recorded 25 in their last six games, allowing them to finish third in the ACC with 34 sacks on the season despite struggling to get to the quarterback for more than half the season.

“That’s an area that we really improved in last year,” Swinney said. “Heck, I think we ended up finishing third or fourth in the conference, and really did it the second half of the season. And we picked up there this spring.

“I think our pass rush is going to be really good. Vic Beasley is a key part of that. He’s certainly the most dynamic guy that we have as far as purely going and getting the quarterback. And I’m excited about him.”

While Beasley might be the team’s most disruptive pass rusher, Swinney believes the Tigers’ defensive ends are much improved as a group over last season’s squad.

Swinney said when the team came out of spring ball in 2012, the coaching staff only had one guy — then-senior Malliciah Goodman — it felt like it “could win with.”

Now, Swinney said there are six players who fit that bill.

“Tavaris (Barnes) is probably the most talented guy across the board that we have, but he’s been a maturation process,” Swinney said. “He’s still not close to what he can be, but he’s on track. And Corey Crawford is special. He’s a special player, special person, a leader and fully committed. Those three guys there (including Beasley) really give us a good group, and then you throw Kevin Dodd in there. His progress in one year is amazing.

“Nobody asks me about Dodd, but after this season everybody is going to be asking me about Dodd. Kevin Dodd is going to be an outstanding player. I’m really, really proud of him and his development after one year. This time last year we were like, ‘Put him on the shelf for a year. We’ll dust him off and see if anything sticks next year.’ And toward the end of the year last year, Dodd was competing. He’s changed his body. He’s big and strong, and he’s got some burst to him.

“I’m really excited about him. And then you throw in a couple of those freshmen — (Ebenezer Ogundeko), and Shaq Lawson is probably as talented a guy as we’ve signed here in a long time. So we’ve got some depth at that position that we certainly didn’t have last year.”

For his part, Beasley credits his development to working with defensive ends coach Marion Hobby. Under Hobby’s tutelage, Beasley believes the sky is the limit for the Tigers’ defensive ends this season.

“(We can be) how great we want to be,” Beasley said. “It’s up to us. I think going into this offseason, we’re going to have to put a lot of work in and be more committed than we were this spring.”

Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant catches a touchdown pass during the Spring Game on April 13 at Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Some might view losing a player such as DeAndre Hopkins, who set a slew of school and conference records last season, as a reason for concern, but not Dabo Swinney. He sees it as an opportunity for other receivers to have the kind of breakout season that just allowed Hopkins to become a first-round NFL draft pick.

“I love the talent that we have at wideout,” Swinney said recently. “We’ve got some guys that have got to take the next step in their careers.”

Foremost among them is Sammy Watkins, one of just three players in Atlantic Coast Conference history to catch at least 50 passes as both a freshman and a sophomore — along with Hopkins and fellow former Tiger Derrick Hamilton — and just a year removed from being one of only four true freshmen in college football history to earn first-team Associated Press All-American honors.

Watkins ascended to superstar status almost immediately upon stepping on campus in 2011, when he caught 82 balls for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns, and entered his sophomore season with expectations of bettering those numbers.

Instead, Watkins played in just seven games, though he still averaged 5.7 receptions and 71 yards per game, just below the 5.9 catches and 87 yards of his first season.

According to Swinney, if Watkins can simply play a full season it will go a long way toward replacing the production of Hopkins, who led the team with 82 grabs for a school-record 1,405 yards and ACC-record 18 touchdown receptions in 2012.

“Hopefully, Sammy is on the field every game,” Swinney said. “I think that’s a good place to start. He really only played about seven games last year. He’s actually worked at the 9-man all summer. Not that we’re not going to continue to use him in some other capacities that we did at the 2-man. There’s 82 catches that are on the table, basically, and between Charone Peake, Martavis Bryant, Adam Humphries and Germone Hopper, there’s a lot of catches to be distributed amongst that group to a really talented group of guys.”

The 9-man position that Swinney referred to is the spot Hopkins played last season — the boundary receiver — and the Tigers are hoping Watkins can also replace the first-round pick of the Houston Texans (27^th overall) as Tajh Boyd’s go-to guy.

“I know all the plays,” Watkins said. “It’s just the process of getting the timing and knowing where he’s going to throw the ball and knowing what I’m going to do. This spring, (Tajh and I) have been connecting a lot and making a lot of big plays together, but we still have a lot more to work on with releases and knowing what to do on several coverages. But overall, we’ve been making a lot of plays. We’re not to where him and (Hopkins) were, but at the end of fall camp I think we’ll be there.”

Clemson’s receiving talent doesn’t end with Watkins, however. Adam Humphries is coming off a 41-catch season as a sophomore, while Charone Peake rounds out the starting lineup after grabbing 25 passes for 172 yards.

Martavis Bryant is another talented wideout for the team, a big-play performer who averaged 30.5 yards a catch on 10 receptions last season. That average was best in the nation among receivers with at least 10 receptions last year.

“We’ve got six guys that we can go win with today,” Swinney said. “I feel great about Sammy, Martavis, Charone, G-Hop, Adam and Matt Porter. We can win with those guys, but we’ve got three guys coming in here that will add to the mix. I’m excited about Mike Williams. I’m excited about (Kyrin) Priester. I’m excited about T.J. (Green).

“We’ll have nine guys, and our number is 10, so we’re one under at the position, and that will be another emphasis in recruiting for us this year, but I feel good about what we’ve got. … I think we’ve got a little bit more depth there than we do at some other positions.”

One year after helping lead Clemson to an 11^th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and final Top 25 ranking, the accolades keep rolling in for All-American Keri Wong (2008-12).

On Sunday, Wong won the ITF Doubles Title in sundrenched Caracas, Venezuela, securing her first-ever professional tennis title with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the finals. Pairing up with Maria Fernanda Alvarez-Teran of Bolivia in the $25,000 tournament, the duo was seeded No. 4 in the 16-team doubles draw.

Taking the role of underdog throughout the tournament, Wong and Alvarez upset the No. 1 seed in the semifinals with a stunning 4-5, 6-3, (18-16) win in three sets to advance to the finals and nab the victory.

For Wong, her first season out of college as a professional has been nothing but a success. Since graduating from Clemson with a degree in management last May, Wong has stormed her way to a 13-6 overall record in the main draw of tournaments around the world.

Before securing her first professional victory on Sunday, her previous best finish was a loss in the finals in October, paired with Kristi Boxx from the University of Mississippi. Ironically, the doubles loss was at the hands of Wong’s current doubles partner, Alvarez, in three sets.

Leaving Tigertown as Clemson’s second-leading doubles wins leader, often ranked as high as No.1 during her junior and senior seasons as a Tiger, it’s clearly evident Wong hasn’t let her game get rusty.

Although Sunday marked the first professional title for the Jackson, Miss., native, it will be far from her last. Wong will continue playing at the professional level, traveling to tournaments around the world for singles and doubles action.

—

Former Tiger golfers snag top-10 finishes on four different tours. Consistently among the best in the country, Clemson’s golf program has produced some incredible golfers. This weekend, the great legacy of Tiger golf was apparent, with many of Clemson’s greatest standing atop leaderboards across the country.

Headlining all performances of former Tigers, former Clemson All-American Kyle Stanley (2006-09) finished sixth (283) at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C., on the PGA Tour on Sunday.

Under a torrential downpour, Stanley shot a final-round 68 on Sunday afternoon, tied for the low round of the day. Highlighting his final-round performance, Stanley birdied the 18^th hole when his 200-yard second shot finished just three and a half feet from the flag. Stanley’s spectacular birdie was one of just four in the final round on the 18^th hole of the Quail Hollow Country Club.

For Stanley, his past two weeks on the PGA Tour have been nothing short of stellar. Just last week, the Gig Harbor, Wash., native finished third at the PGA Tour event in New Orleans. Currently, he stands at 46^th on the PGA money list this year with $839,453.

Next week, Stanley will head to the Sunshine State for the Players Championship in Jacksonville. Out of the 145 players in the field, Stanley is the only PGA Tour player to enter the tournament having two-consecutive top 10 finishes.

Among the other former Tigers having fantastic finishes this weekend, Ben Martin (2006-09) finished eighth at the Web.com event at the University of Georgia, Matt Hendrix (2001-04) finished second at the Savannah Lakes Classic on the NGA Tour, and Tanner Ervin (2004-08) won the Columbia Open on the E-Golf Tour.

In Athens, Ga., Martin had rounds of 69-72-69 for a final 210 total, and is now 23^rd on the Web.com money list with $57,358.

Finishing in eighth place, Martin has now finished in at least 11^th place in each of his last three events. With the top 25 players on the Web.com Tour earning a PGA Tour card at the end of the year, Martin has his eyes focused squarely on securing a spot on the 2014 PGA Tour.

This coming weekend, Martin will look to build on his momentum in the BMW Championship in Greenville, S.C.

On the NGA Tour, Hendrix had a 54-hole total of 209 in his second place finish at the Savannah Lakes Classic. With his performance, the Aiken, S.C., native won $14,000 and came within two shots of first place. Leading the tournament after shooting a 65 in the first round, Hendrix had a chance to hold onto the lead before having rounds of 71 and 72 to finish second.

In Columbia, S.C., Ervin wrapped-up the Columbia Open with a 17-under par total of 268 in winning by five shots. Posting a final-round 71 on Saturday, Ervin stood atop the leaderboard with the final victory.