Clemson baseball dazes Army in promising opening series

Pictured above: Jacob Jarrell (photo from The Tiger)

On Feb. 13 and 14, No. 17 Clemson defended home turf with three massive victories over Army to begin its 2026 season. The new-look roster attempted and succeeded in beginning its year on a high note, after going 1-2 in the hosted regional to start last year’s NCAA tournament.

It all began with a moonshot from self-proclaimed “Mr. Saturday Night” Jacob Jarrell into deep left field as the sun went down over Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the eighth inning. The homer was the first offensive spark for the Tigers in the 2026 campaign, signaling the beginning of their 3-2 comeback victory over Army to open the series.

The shot came after a shaky start for the Tigers on opening day. Flubbing pitcher Aidan Knaak’s first start of 2026 came with two early infield errors, followed by an infuriating double play after double play from the Army defense. Army took an early 2-0 lead through seven innings off a Jack Quinlan solo home run.

Despite early defensive troubles, the outfield stayed strong, including back-to-back highlight diving catches by Georgia transfer centerfielder Bryce Clavon, bringing energy to a defense that desperately needed it to avoid an upset on the first day of work.

With some help from a Jack Crighton single, Jarrell had his glorious moment. Nate Savoie went on to roll a double through center field to bring Tryston McCladdie in for the eventual winning run in the following inning.

While senior right-hander Joe Allen came in to seal the game and earn the win, true freshman reliever Dylan Harrison certainly helped bring Clemson’s defense back to form, with three strikeouts through 4.1 innings, despite giving up the Quinlan solo homer.

Clemson rolled into Doug Kingsmore the following day and opened the rain schedule doubleheader with flaming bats: winning 10-0 over Army in only eight innings. Tennessee transfer Michael Sharman was perfect through 5.2 innings until two consecutive errors on Clemson’s defensive side ended his no-hitter potential. He ended the game with eight strikeouts.

The noon game was perfection on offense from Clemson, with every starting Tiger in the batting order having recorded a hit. This success led to a technical walk-off home run by McCladdie to begin the eighth inning, leading to the game being called after eight innings under the 10-run lead rule in college baseball.

An hour after the domination, the Tigers faced off against Army one last time in the series, having already clinched the series win and seeking the sweep. Left-hander Talan Bell started on the bump to close off the day and gave up two hits and two strikeouts in two innings before being brought out in what was sure to be a bullpen-heavy game.

Instead, junior pitcher Justin LeGuernic took the mound and finally put his mark on Clemson baseball with six strikeouts in five innings. He was credited with his first career win — a good stepping stone for the pitcher who has had a less-than-favorable 8.62 ERA through two seasons so far as a Tiger.

Erik Bakich described LeGuernic’s play as “premium stuff,” noting that the junior has made a lot of self-improvements.

The Tigers would see another batch of bats on fire in Game 3, pouring in seven runs while the pitching staff and fielders did their work, leaving Army with zero. Saturday was the first time Clemson has left an opponent scoreless in both games of a doubleheader since March 31, 2001, when the Tigers trounced New York Tech.

While Jarrell was the man who gave the Tigers their spark on Friday night, the stars of the show for the opening series of 2026 were the transfers: centerfielder Clavon and his highlight catches and home runs, Sharman and his incredible outing in Game 2 and former Loyola Marymount outfielder Savoie, who led the way with 8 hits and 7 RBI across the three games.

The Tigers began their 2026 campaign with glory and some massive school history. If these results show anything, it’s the promise of another fun-filled season of big scores, impeccable pitchers and incredible team effort and all-around play. Bakich is looking to swing for the stars this year and bring the Tigers to Omaha.

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLEMSON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE TIGER.