Growing up in Sumter, Charlie Barnes made the trip to Clemson many times with his family to watch the Tigers play. This weekend his family will make that trip to see him live a childhood dream….getting the Opening Day start on the mound at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson will host Maine at 4 p.m. on Friday.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time, so it’s really going to be fun to get out there and compete on Friday,” Barnes said earlier this week.

The sophomore lefty, who was 1-2 in 12 appearances, made two starts last season, but this will be his first weekend start as a Tiger.

“I’ll probably be a little nervous during the national anthem…that’s usually when it happens…but after the first pitch, I should be ready to roll,” he said. “I know that as long as I attack hitters and pound the strike zone, my defense is going to do what it needs to do behind me.”

That determination is what led new Clemson head coach Monte Lee to give Barnes the ball on Friday.

“Barnes is a tremendous competitor. He is one of those guys that has a lot a pitching ability. He’s going to go out there and pound strikes and compete as hard as he can,” Lee said.

Pitching Coach Andrew See echoed those sentiments.

“Charlie has earned it,” he said. “He puts us in a good situation for the weekend by pitching with a good pace and pounding the strike zone. He’s a quiet leader but his performance speaks for itself. I’ve challenged him a bit since I arrived and he has answered the bell tremendously.”

Barnes is part of a weekend rotation that Lee is excited about watching. On Saturday, in Game 2 of the three-game series, the Tigers’ skipper will change things up by sending right-hander Clate Schmidt on the mound. On Sunday he will go back to a lefty in freshman Jake Higginbotham for Game 3.

“We could have gone either way,” Lee said. “We could have gone with Clate in Game 1 and Charlie in Game 2. I don’t think it would have been that big of a difference. We wanted to try and split the lineup up a little bit and go lefty and then righty.

“Then we are going to go with Jake Higginbotham on Sunday. Higgie is a very talented freshman and we feel like for him to be where we want him to be, we have to throw him in the fire and start him. I think that really sets up our bullpen well and gives us multiple options, left-handed and right-handed out of the pen. I think that can be a strength of ours early is our bullpen as these starters continue to develop.”

And it allows Barnes to fulfill a dream.

“I have been coming here since I was a little kid. I grew up a Clemson fan so it is going to be surreal and exciting getting the chance to pitch on opening day, and hopefully I can get the W for the team,” he said.

Photo by Bradley Moore, Clemson Athletic Communications 

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