After starting undefeated in the 2026 season, Clemson baseball and head coach Erik Bakich suffered their first loss, but still took down the South Carolina Gamecocks in the annual Palmetto Series, 2-1. That marks three consecutive years that the Tigers have won the rivalry series.
The first contest was a complete mess for the Tigers, as they fell 7-0. But the team bounced back better than ever in Games 2 and 3, outscoring the Gamecocks 11-3 over the two days.
That said, below is a quick rundown of the three biggest takeaways — positive and negative — from the Palmetto Series victory.
Michael Sharman could be Clemson’s new ace for 2026
Sharman made his third start of the year on Feb. 28, and arguably had the best Palmetto Series performance on the mound ever.
In the 4-1 Game 2 win, the 6-foot-1 lefty earned the first complete game of his Division I career, and is just the 18th player to do it through the first three weeks of 2026.
Across nine innings, he tossed just 78 pitches while allowing four hits, one earned run and struck out four batters. However, his efficiency was the most eye-popping, as Sharman landed 86% of his pitches for strikes and never threw more than 11 pitches in any inning. Not to mention, he only threw 11 balls all game.
By the end of the weekend, Clemson named Sharman the MVP of the rivalry series, awarding him with the Bob Bradley plaque. Sharman went on to be named D1 Baseball’s National Player of the Week, ACC’s pitcher of the week and earn the Golden Spikes award.
Bats need to be more consistent
Outside of the Game 2 win, the Tigers struggled to hit efficiently at the plate. In Games 1 and 3, Clemson combined 9-for-61, which equates to a .148 batting average — that simply won’t cut it in most series.
The mediocre pitching and putrid hitting lost the Tigers the first game of the series, as they were shut out 7-0, compiling a season-low three hits and a season-high 15 strikeouts.
Luckily, in Game 3, the bullpen shut out the Gamecocks, a key factor in the win. Still, the Tigers batted just .200 in the contest, the team looking even worse if you take away Nate Savoie’s two hits.
When guys did make contact with the ball, though, there were more times than not that players were already on base, leading to six RBIs overall for the squad.
Pitching depth remains sharp
As mentioned, Clemson’s bullpen looked very sharp in the limited action it got this weekend.
On Feb. 27, Justin LeGuernic, the primary reliever for the Tigers, stepped in and did as much as he could to slow the Gamecocks’ momentum, as they already had taken a 4-0 lead. Through 1.2 innings, he allowed one hit, one earned run and two walks while punching out four batters. While the junior allowed three runs total, the two that were not earned came off errors.
Senior Nathan Dvorsky then came in to close the game out and recorded a 1-2-3 outing.
Though no one could relieve Sharman after his complete game in Game 2, the well-rested bullpen made the most of its opportunity and delivered to finish out the series.
Junior right-hander Drew Titsworth — who recently came back from injury — was the primary reliever for Talan Bell in Game 3 and impressed across three innings, striking out three while allowing only two walks and zero hits.
Joe Allen and Danny Nelson closed out the final two innings in lockdown fashion, with Nelson adding two strikeouts as neither allowed a hit or walk.
With redshirt freshman Dane Moehler also scheduled to come back as early as this week after missing all of the 2025 season, it’s safe to say that the pitching staff is only getting better by the day.
