By Will Vandervort.
Despite a three-game losing streak in which his team has been outscored 30-15, including Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to Michigan State at Greenville’s Fluor Field, Clemson head coach Jack Leggett feels there is no need for anyone to push the panic button just yet.
“Not for me and not for this team because if you do that then things start to snowball even worse,” the Hall of Fame Coach said to The Clemson Insider on Thursday. “I have been in this situation before and I have seen it work out before and that is our plan.”
Leggett and the Tigers have been in this situation two times prior to this year and one time that was just a little bit worse since 2006. Clemson’s 8-7 start through the first 15 games of the year matches the start of the 2008 and 2011 squads and is one better than the 2012 team’s 7-8 start.
In each of those cases the Tigers rallied to finish the regular season on a strong note. The 2008 team missed the NCAA Tournament—the only Clemson team to do so since 1987—but they closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak.
The 2011 team bounced back to win 31 of its final 41 regular season games and ultimately hosted a regional, while the 2012 team started 7-8 but went 25-16 after that to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“We still believe in our kids, we still believe in our program and everybody believes in each other,” Leggett said. “In our minds, because we see it every day, and because our players see us every day, we have a different outlook on things.
“We believe in everything we do around here.”
There is a good reason to have that kind of confidence. Though they are 8-7, Leggett insist this is still the same team that took two of three games from No. 7 South Carolina nearly two weeks ago, including a 7-0 victory in Columbia to close out the series.
“We were on a razors edge the whole weekend, which was a good thing for us to see,” the Clemson coach said. “I think we have been a little inconsistent. I think that is something to do with our youth and we have to find that confidence out on the field.
“This is much of a mental game as a physical game. When we are in a good place that way, and we were that weekend, then we are pretty good.”
The Tigers inconsistency starts at the plate, in the field and on the mound. At times, the Tigers have looked like world beaters with Chris Okey, Weston Wilson and Reed Rohlman hitting bombs, while pitchers Matthew Crownover and Brody Koerner look as if they could win the Cy Young Award against NC State and South Carolina.
But then there are those moments when they don’t look like they can beat anyone. Like in the opening series against West Virginia when they could not pick up that big hit with runners in scoring position or against NC State in Games 2 and 3 when their starting pitching could not get an out.
“We have a lot of young kids out there playing,” Leggett said. “To be honest with you, I see it out on the field. We have a sophomore behind the plate who is a good player. We have a sophomore at first base, who’s still learning, but has shown good flashes. We have a freshman at second, sophomores at third and short and we are playing a freshman in left field.
“We have a senior in center and a junior in right field and some experienced guys on the mound and we have a few more left handed bullets than we have had in the past and two less right handed bullets we have had in the past. I think we will fuse all of this together before it is all over.”
Only time will tell, and if history has taught us anything at all, Leggett needs is a little time.
“I have been around for a long time and there is no need for us to panic,” he said. “We are just 15 games into the season so we have a long ways to go.”
The first 15 games (the last 10 years)
Year 1st 15 games end of reg. season end of season
2014 10-5 34-22 36-25
2013 10-5 39-17 40-22
2012 7-8 32-24 35-28
2011 8-7 39-17 43-20
2010 13-2 37-19 45-25
2009 11-4 39-17 44-22
2008 8-7 30-25-1 31-27-1
2007 11-4 36-20 43-20
2006 11-4 43-13 53-16