Last month, The Tiger’s sports department launched a new series, Athlete of the Month, in which the desk votes each month during the academic year to recognize a Clemson athlete who has made waves in their sport.
With finals now behind us, the April Athlete of the Month marks the final selection of the 2026-27 school year. Earning the second-ever Athlete of the Month honor is Clemson baseball starting pitcher Michael Sharman.
While the baseball team as a whole has performed extremely underwhelmingly this season, possibly even missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2022, the fifth-year pitcher has been the silver lining throughout an up-and-down year.
Even through a tough month of April, when the Tigers went 1-3 in Sharman’s starts, he consistently delivered strong performances and was never charged with a loss — a reflection of how rarely he was the pitcher responsible for giving the opposing team a lead they would ultimately not surrender.
The six-foot-one lefty’s first appearance on the mound came in a three-game series against Stanford. Sharman did about just everything he could as the Saturday starter — his usual slot — dealing six strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one earned run across seven innings.
However, relievers Dion Brown and Justin LeGuernic both then entered in place of Sharman and gave up the lead, allowing two earned runs, each in the eighth inning, ultimately leading to a 5-4 loss.
Unfortunately, Sharman’s second appearance of the month ended similarly as he gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead over No. 5 North Carolina through the initial five innings, finishing with a line of six strikeouts, five hits and two earned runs against 23 batters.
Following up, Brown and Danny Nelson would give the Tar Heels an additional two runs to tie up the contest and send it to extra innings. But, freshman Dylan Harrison then gave the game up in the 14th, as inherited runners he put on base came around to score on a Brendon Bennett throwing error, saddling the freshman with the loss and sending Clemson home on the wrong side of a 6-4 decision in one of the team’s most important series of the year.
Sharman’s third appearance of April was his first away start of the month, coming against No. 9 Virginia. In the matchup, the Tennessee transfer was essentially flawless, leading the Tigers to a dominant 5-1 upset, striking out seven while allowing just six hits and one earned run across eight innings. Following the performance, he was named ACC Pitcher of the Week for the second time in 2026.
The lefty’s last appearance of the month came against Louisville, and it was a rough game for just about every Tiger on the mound. Through the first three innings, Clemson and Sharman held a 3-1 lead. But by the time the seventh inning approached, bats had gone cold, and the Cardinals had the upper hand, leading 6-3, and from there, the deficit would only grow larger.
Sharman would finish the day with just three strikeouts to 11 hits and four earned runs, while key relievers Hayden Simmerson and Ariston Veasey would step in after, combining for two hits, four walks and three more earned runs, ultimately losing 11-6.
Heading into Clemson’s final weekend, the Tigers travel to Virginia Tech for an away series, looking to close the regular season with a series win and bolster their NCAA tournament resume. Sharman, named a National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist at the end of April, will have plenty of motivation to finish strong.
