Back in the game, South Carolina and Clemson continue their baseball rivalry with a series of three games starting on February 26 in Clemson.
A practical guide from A to Z that combines with peanuts and crackers:
A – Absolutely No. 1
The best rivalries in college baseball:
1. Clemson-South Carolina. Impressive for the wide interest of fans, tradition, NCAA tournament bids, recent national titles and star power
2. Mississippi State-Ole Miss
3. Anything else you want to name
B – Ballparks
Both schools are annually among the nation’s service leaders with legal and contrasting limits: Founders Park, state-of-the-art secondary league style with a downtown Columbia setting; Classic corners of Doug Kingsmore Stadium on campus, like Café Cajun.
C – Coaches
Clemson’s Monte Lee is only the Tigers’ third head coach since 1957: Bill Wilhelm (36 seasons) and Jack Leggett (six trips to Omaha). The South Carolina elite includes Bobby Richardson (vice-champion of the College World Series in 1975), June Raines (four trips to Omaha) and, best of all, current athletic director Ray Tanner (national championships 2010, 2011 and back to the College World Series final in 2012).
And John Heisman – man, myth, football trophy – was Clemson’s baseball coach from 1901-03, beating South Carolina 2-0.
D – Drama
Best personified by Michael Roth, the most valuable player of the rivalry. Roth started his way to two College World Series rings and All-America status, turning his first start of the 2010 season into a complete game, 5-1 College World Series victory over Clemson in what was an elimination game for the South Carolina.
E – Edge
The Tigers lead the series, 181-141-2.
The Gamecocks are 4-0 against Clemson in Omaha, a two game win in 2002 and again in 2010.
F – Feuds
And not just among fans who stuff football’s luggage into the stadiums. Leggett in 2011 accused the Gamecocks of tampering with bats – warming them up, which was not against the rules – after Jackie Bradley Jr. paid tribute.
“I didn’t like it,” said Tanner. “I am offended by this. I am not mistaken. “
G – Georgetown
Hometown of former Clemson fighter Michael Johnson, who defeated South Carolina in the 2002 and 2003 Tigers regular season wins. And the home of the International Paper Mill Classic, the best high school tournament in the state, where Roth was once an MVP.
H – Homers
Fans like the long ball. But South Carolina fans didn’t like the explosion of two playoffs by Clemson All-American Seth Beer at Founders Park, which tied game 2017 of the 2017 series at the top of the ninth inning of a game the Tigers ended up winning.
“Seth Beer being Seth Beer,” said Monte Lee.
Clemson’s Seth Beer was the hit star against South Carolina in 2017. John A. Carlos II / Special for The Post and Courier
I – Inaugural Game
It started 324 games ago on May 12, 1899, in Charleston. Clemson won 21-8, as South Carolina made 14 mistakes.
Columbia nine’s “pitiful display,” wrote a local reporter.
J – JBJ
Jackie Bradley Jr. is one of the best Gamecocks players of all time. The central defender was a centerpiece of the two winning teams from the College World Series of South Carolina before becoming a Major League All-Star, World Series winner, American League Championship Series MVP and Gold Glove defender.
K – Key
Before Jimmy Key helped launch the Blue Jays (1992) and the Yankees (1996) to glory in the World Series, he played for Clemson, winning 20 games from 1982-84. He also hit 0.325 with 151 hits and 10 home runs. Key in 1982 led Clemson in batting average (0.359) and running average won (2.79).
L – Lee
Monte Lee saw this from both sides. As Ray Tanner’s principal assistant, he recruited Bradley and other key collaborators to the South Carolina national championship teams. And now he has a cabinet full of orange.
M – Murray
Bill Murray, the iconic comedic actor and co-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs, appeared during batting training at Riley Park for the 2012 series premiere. He made a point of shaking hands with all the players in Clemson and South Carolina .
Bill Murray, the Charleston RiverDogs entertainment director, takes former Charleston mayor Joe Riley off the field after a RiverDogs game. Murray was present to greet the Clemson and South Carolina players before a neutral game in Charleston in 2012. Archive / Team
N – neutral site
The concept of a neutral website for a game in a three-season series started in 2010. It was mostly a Greenville thing with a likely future divided between Greenville and the Columbia Fireflies secondary league stadium.
But, demonstrating the popularity of the rivalry, host deals for neutral sites, including some better than Greenville, came from Charleston, Myrtle Beach, North Augusta and Charlotte.
O – Omaha
Longtime fans of these shows know Nebraska’s best steakhouses.
College World Series appearances: Clemson – 12, South Carolina 11 (2010 and 2011 winners; runner-up in 1975, 1977 and 2002)
P – Players of the Year
Kris Benson (1996) and Khalil Greene (2002) from Clemson were the consensual national players of the year.
Q – Quirks
For example, a 38-16 USC victory at Columbia’s former Sarge Frye Field in 1997.
“Whenever you give up 30 strokes and walk 14,” said Clemson head coach Jack Leggett, “it’s going to be ugly.”
R – regional
South Carolina NCAA Tournament Participations: 32.
Clemson: 44.
S – Schmidts
Clate and Clark, the Schmidt brothers from Acworth, Georgia, made an impact. Clate was the MVP for Clemson’s series of rivalries in 2013. Clarke received the honor for South Carolina in 2016.
South Carolina pitcher Clarke Schmidt (right) hugs older brother Clate, a Clemson pitcher, after a game in Greenville in 2016. Archive / AP
T – small talk
It hardly happens every year, contrary to popular belief. But Clemson’s shortstop, Logan Davidson, before the 2019 series, said the Tigers had “a better culture” than South Carolina.
After the Gamecocks won the series, South Carolina head coach Mark Kingston said, “Probably a bad choice of words on your part.”
U – not sung
It is not just the stars that stand out in the spotlight of rivalry. Highlights of the series over the past 20 years include Clemson’s Herman Demmink, Wilson Boyd, Chris Epps and Tyler Slaton. And Neil Giesler, Nick Godwin, Jake Williams and Adam Matthews of South Carolina.
V – Versatility
Both programs featured two sports stars (including Bobby Bryant of the Gamecocks and Kyle Parker of the Tigers) and two-way, hitting-hitting players. The most recent is Davis Sharpe de Clemson (1 hitting allowed on 5 entries launched so far in 2021 and 1 to 3 on hitting).
W – Win streaks
Clemson is 3-0 in Friday night’s game and has only allowed one home run in 28 entries.
South Carolina is 4-0 and the sizzling Wes Clarke has six of the Gamecocks’ 14 homers.
X – extra innings
We can only wait.
Extra excitement exhibition A: Evan Marzilli took a dip in Riley Park in 2012 to steal Jay Baum from Clemson at the end of 11th place with runners in second and third and preserving a 3-2 victory in South Carolina.
Y – Yaron
Yaron Peters set South Carolina’s single-season home run record (29) in 2002, the year that Charleston’s Drew Meyer led the Gamecocks to a national title victory.
Z – Zesto
The famous Omaha ice cream and hamburger spot, a pillar for College World Series fans for decades, followed the CWS from Rosenblatt Stadium to TD Ameritrade Park.
The last stop in the alphabet is the ideal last stop for any baseball season in Clemson or South Carolina.
Follow Gene Sapakoff on Twitter @sapakoff