The Clemson Tigers are off to one of their best starts in program history, and their closer has been one of the major reasons why. This season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the sight of Lucas Mahlstedt jogging in from the bullpen, accompanied by Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” gives fans reassurance about their team’s lead.
The song has become a signal for batters and fans alike: the game is as good as over.
The right-handed senior has utilized one of the more unique arm slots, a submarine pitcher, in college baseball. This has allowed him to record a NCAA-leading 14 saves. Most recently, Mahlstedt secured a save on back-to-back nights against No. 19 Louisville, throwing 1.2 innings on Friday and one inning on Saturday.
On Tuesday night, Mahlstedt acquired his 15th save of the season, tying the Clemson program record. The record was previously set by Nick Glazer in 2000 with over 33 appearances. With 13 games remaining in the season, Mahlstedt has a great chance to set a new program record.
In the senior’s 18 appearances, he has thrown 33.1 innings and has allowed an earned run average of just 1.08 while racking up the strikeouts at an impressive rate. Over the course of the season, the righty has struck out 48 opposing batters while walking just five.
The signs of Mahlstedt’s dominance began to appear in the 2024 campaign, which resulted in a Super Regional berth for the Tigers. As the season progressed, he became an important piece of the Tigers’ bullpen, finding his way to the mound in several crucial innings.
The closer role belonged to Austin Gordon last season, who accrued 11 saves of his own while pitching to a 4.35 ERA. Then, in February, Mahlstedt — after closing out the first game of the season against Oklahoma State in a multi-inning fashion, firing a clean 8th and 9th inning — took over the closer role and never looked back.
That has become one of the more unique luxuries of having a dominant reliever such as Mahlstedt on your team. Under Clemson head coach Erik Bakich, the Wofford transfer has provided a multitude of multi-inning performances and has been the go-to reliever to shut out opponents all season long.
The goal for Clemson this season has been to make it back to Omaha, Nebraska, for the first time since 2010, and having an elite-level closer certainly plays a role in making that dream a reality.
