By Ed McGranahan.

By Will Vandervort.

By Ed McGranahan

Possibly only the most loyal Clemson fans realized that baseball practice began last week. Starting midway through basketball season, layered upon the distractions of football recruiting, then spring practice, baseball routinely doesn’t receive much attention until after the tax deadline.

Ordinarily a program with its pedigree would be a sufficient cause for optimism, particularly with a coach of Jack Leggett’s stature, but when the season begins Feb. 15 you won’t find Clemson prominently placed in any of the polls.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper places Clemson 27th in its list of 40. Clemson appears neither in USA Today’s preseason poll of coaches nor in the Baseball America top 25. His peers in the ACC see Clemson as the third best team in the Atlantic Division.

It’s not a slight or snub. He has three players back from last year’s 35-28 team who need to be in the lineup every day, and only a few more experienced pitchers. Virtually half the roster consists of first-year players, including 18 freshmen — a class ranked No. 5 nationally by Baseball America, a respected publication for its breadth and depth of coverage.

In college baseball, Leggett is iconic. In 19 seasons as head coach, 18 of his Clemson teams appeared in the NCAA Tournament, six advanced to the College World Series six times and won 67.7 percent of its games.

Players who aspire to play pro baseball are drawn to his program. Two were selected as national player of the year, and Leggett has helped more than 100 take the next step, including 11 first-round draft picks. Others drew on their time with Leggett and became successful coaches at big-time schools. Former players come back every year to work with him even if for only for a few days.

Leggett is a fervent advocate for the game, battling institutions for change he feels can make it better. A few years ago it was the bats, now the balls. How many other coaches are able to receive a fair audience from his colleagues when he campaigns for switching to a ball that might help return punch and make games more entertaining?

Probably only good friend Larry Penley, the Clemson golf coach, has comparable respect among peers and former players. A year from now Leggett will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches hall of fame, a testament to insistence on playing the game the right way, his way.

Yet for all he accomplished the first 19 seasons, Leggett does not receive the full respect and appreciation from some fans because his team’s state rival won a pair of national championships, including one in which it used two wins over Clemson as a springboard.

Nobody hated that more than Leggett, which means it should be interesting to watch him with another team of raw talent and see what may become of it.

Pay attention because it won’t be dull.