By Will Vandervort.

There is no doubt how Jack Leggett wants to open the 2015 college baseball season.

“I want three wins,” Clemson’s veteran coach said.

The Tigers will open the season by hosting West Virginia in a three-game series starting on Friday at 4 p.m.

“Obviously, we want to come out and we want to play well. We want put everything into the game that we have been working so hard on in practice,” Leggett said. “It’s a commutation of all the hard work we have put in dating back to the fall, all the hard work, conditioning and all the fundamentals we have gone through. Hopefully, that will show up this weekend.

“This is always a proving ground for our team. It is always a new experience no matter how many years you have done it or how many years you have been back, whether you are a senior, junior, sophomore or freshman, it is all new the first day so hopefully we can get those jitters out or whatever it takes to put us in the right frame of mind and be ready to play somebody else.”

Clemson’s players are definitely ready to play someone new. Since the fall, all the Tigers have done is played each other. The last time they played in a real game it came in the Nashville Regional – a 6-4 loss to Xavier that ended the season.

“We want to show we can compete – compete every game, compete every inning, compete every pitch,” infielder Tyler Krieger said. “We need to bring energy and play together. This is the start of something special in my opinion and I’m excited to take the field with my teammates.”

Krieger’s teammates are just as excited.

“I think we are just excited about the opportunity to play somebody else,” outfielder Steven Duggar said. “We have been rolling through intersquads here of late and I think the guys are ready to get this rolling.”

The Tigers will get it rolling with lefty Matthew Crownover on the mound in Game 1. The junior had an 8-6 record last season with a 2.80 ERA. Though he started on Friday’s at the end of the season, this will be the first time in his three seasons at Clemson that he starts it as the “ace” of the staff.

“We have had a lot of great guys that have pitched here between Chris Benson and the (Daniel) Moskos of the world and everybody. We have had some great pitchers come through here,” Crownover said. “So to be mentioned in that same breathe… I’m fortunate. My biggest job is to give us a chance to win each time.

“I’m not going to throw a shutout every night out or a two- or three-hitter, I’m just going to give us a chance to win and hopefully we score some runs behind me.”

Zack Erwin and Brody Koerner will be the Game 2 and Game 3 starters for Clemson.

“The kids are ready to play somebody else,” Leggett said. “I’m excited about Friday.”