Leggett eager for next season

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Two years ago, Clemson coach Jack Leggett knew he might not have the pieces to return to the NCAA super regional. This time, he's confident his Tigers are ready to go even further next season.

Clemson lost two straight games at Arizona State, missing out on the College World Series for a third straight season.

But Leggett saw a hungry team eager for next year to start and reach the goal they failed to this spring.

``I come off this season with a much better feeling because of the young kids we've got coming back, the attitudes, how hard they're working,'' Leggett said Thursday. ``They got off the bus, saying, 'OK, we'll be back next year coach, we'll get to Omaha. We know what it takes.'''

That wasn't the case in 2007 after a super regional defeat at Mississippi State. The Tigers saw 11 position players and eight signees selected in that draft. Gone were most of the core that got Clemson to the 2006 CWS and made a strong run at things a year later.

The bottom fell out in 2008, the Tigers ending their streak of 21 straight NCAA tournament appearances. This year, the club rebounded to go 44-22, hosting a regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium before falling to the CWS-bound Sun Devils.

Leggett still expects to get hit by the draft he said third-rounder Ben Paulsen, the Tigers first baseman, was likely to sign with Colorado but is hopeful his other players were taken low enough to give them pause before choosing to end their college careers.

Several pitchers who could figure strongly in Clemson's rotation next year were picked in the Major League Baseball draft this week.

Chris Dwyer, a draft eligible freshman because he's 21, went in the fourth round to Kansas City.

Clemson's top prospect, Madison Younginer, was drafted by Boston in the seventh round. And junior Graham Stoneburner went to the Yankees in round 14.
Dwyer had expected to go even earlier and may be persuaded to return for a better draft position and bigger bonus next season.

``I think he could put himself in position where he's having a really good day'' in the 2010 draft, Leggett said.

Even if all the drafted players leave, Leggett's confident he's got talent, depth and a good group of newcomers ready to step in.

When asked who'd take over for Paulsen, the Tigers top power hitter with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs this fall, Leggett listed four players before saying it hadn't been determined.

He sees versatility in almost every area. One thing he'll look for is a return to form for designated hitter Kyle Parker, a freshman all-American who slumped in his sophomore year.

Parker hit 14 homers and over .300 in 2008. His average was way off at .255 and his home runs were down, too. Also, Parker struggled to deliver in the clutch as he had as a freshman.

It could be Parker's increased responsibilities this spring competing for the starting quarterback job with the football team along with playing baseball.
Leggett hopes Parker takes some time to relax before football practice starts in August, yet keeps his baseball skills sharp, too.

``He'd have liked to have been more consistent, more productive,'' Leggett said.

The coach is happy to have a club eager to show more than it has.

``I think they tasted getting to the super regional, getting this close to Omaha,'' he said. ``They're going to be very motivated to go a few steps farther.''