By Will Vandervort.

Clemson has won four of its last five-games, including its last three – just the second time it has done that all year.

So is this the beginning of the run the Tigers have been promising all season?

“I think we are playing better. I really do,” Clemson head coach Jack Leggett said following Wednesday’s win over Gardner-Webb.

Clemson (20-18, 9-9 ACC) has been playing better the last five games and it will have an opportunity to continue that when last place Duke comes to down this weekend. The Blue Devils (22-15, 5-13 ACC) have struggled since ACC play began and have lost eight of their last nine conference games.

The Tigers on the other hand have won three of their last four conference series, including two wins over North Carolina. Plus, for the first time this season, they found a way to win both midweek games.

“I have liked this team from the beginning,” Leggett said.

Clemson played well at the beginning of the season as it won seven of its first 10 games, including two over rival South Carolina. The Tigers clinched that series with a convincing 7-0 victory in Columbia. But after that things went south. They struggled to play .500 baseball while dropping 14 of the following 23 games.

But with veteran pitchers like Jake Long and Clate Schmidt returning from injuries to help with midweek starts and in the bullpen, plus Leggett adjusting his lineup, Clemson appears to be turning the corner.

Since Leggett moved Eli White to the lead-off position and put Slaton in the No. 9 spot, Clemson’s offense has turned things around. Since scoring three runs in a loss to Charleston Southern on April 8, Clemson has scored 49 runs in the last five games, including 15 runs against Boston College last Friday and 14 against Western Carolina on Tuesday night.

The Tigers have scored no fewer than six runs in any of the last five games and it is not coming from just one guy. White is contributing, so is Slaton. Chris Okey has had the hot bat for a while and Reed Rohlman, Tyler Krieger and Chase Pinder have been consistent all year.

Now back in the No. 2 hole, Steven Duggar is starting to take off, too. He, along with Rohlman, drove in two runs in the Tigers’ 7-5 victory over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday.

“Hopefully we can get a little momentum going,” Leggett said. “I like our confidence and I like the way we are swinging the bats right now. We have more guys I think contributing. We have been playing some pretty decent defense. So hopefully we will keep it up.”