Injuries, poor hitting and untested players flaming out in key situations have brought an unfamiliar buzz to campus. Eleven consecutive losses have put a streak of 21 straight NCAA tournament appearances at risk.
``It rips me apart, throws my insides right down on the table and stomps on them,'' said Jack Leggett, Clemson's 15-year coach. ``That's what it feels like.''
And things could get worse with about a dozen games left in the season.
The Tigers open a three-game series with powerhouse Florida State (35-7) starting Saturday, then close the ACC season a week later at Georgia Tech. Flop against those teams and Clemson (24-20-1) could find itself outside of the ACC tournament, where eight of the 12 teams qualify.
Clemson became one of the ACC's most successful programs under longtime coach Bill Wilhelm. His teams reached the CWS six times between 1958 and 1993. Leggett's kept that tradition strong with five trips to Omaha since. Each coach turned out a steady stream of major league talent, such as Jimmy Key, Bill Spiers, Kris Benson and Khalil Greene.
Last year, the Tigers reached the super regionals one step away from College World Series. Leggett saw much of the club, including first-round pick Daniel Moskos, outfielder Brad Chalk and infielder Taylor Harbin, leave after their junior seasons for pro ball. Still, he was surprised when the bats that hit so confidently during fall ball languished in the spring.
The Tigers' batting average of .281 ranks 10th in the ACC. If it stands, it would be Clemson's worst hitting performance since 1973.
A big reason was the loss of centerfielder Addison Johnson a ``sparkplug'' type, Leggett said who's out this season with hamstring and hand injuries. Then came a stretch where Clemson played a group of powerful clubs.
During the 11 consecutive losses, the Tigers fell twice to Georgia and South Carolina, and were swept by Miami and North Carolina. Each of those teams is nationally ranked.
``We didn't really have any margin for error,'' Leggett said. ``We might have gotten away with some things, gotten some confidence and not really gotten into that funk had we not played such good competition for a long time. But that's the learning curve.''
Another factor is the adjustment of several young players into Clemson's lineup.
A transfer from Georgia, sophomore Mike Freeman leads the club in batting with a .326 average.
Third baseman Kyle Parker, a freshman, is third on the club with nine homers. However, he had three costly errors when Clemson lost both games of a weekend series to rival South Carolina in March.
``It took some time for us to get comfortable,'' Parker said recently.
On Clemson's campus bus, players are hearing unfamiliar talk.
``I'd be riding on the bus listening to somebody in front of me,'' said Doug Hogan, Clemson's senior catcher. ``You hear some things about the baseball team and it kind of gets you frustrated.''
Leggett's tried to stay positive during the slide so his players won't dwell on the problems. ``You can never give up on your players, or let them think you've given up on them,'' he said.
There may be some hope. Clemson did sweep last-place Virginia Tech last weekend to gain some breathing room in the race to the conference tournament. Plus, there's precedent for a Tiger revival.
In 2005, Clemson was full of underclassmen who bounced around to a 14-13 mark midway through the year. That group then went 25-8 and advanced to an NCAA super regional series at Baylor. The next year, the more seasoned Tigers made it all the way to the CWS.
``It's been a challenge,'' Leggett said. ``Hopefully one that will make us grow in the future.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/5/209611