There are a lot of reasons why No. 22 Clemson demolished Georgia on Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Freshman pitcher Ryley Gilliam gave the Tigers a great start on the mound. Chris Okey and Seth Beer combined for five hits and eight runs driven in while overall the team tallied 11 hits. But the biggest reason for the 12-0 victory was the simple fact Clemson was playing at home.

To stay the Tigers (25-12, 8-10 ACC) are a good team at home is simply an understatement. Clemson is a great team at home, and its 16-2 record at Doug Kingsmore Stadium is pretty good proof of that.

At one point this year, the Tigers won 13 consecutive games at home, and have won 16 of their last 17.

“Our guys believe they’re really a good club at home. It is big for us,” Clemson head coach Monte Lee said. “We really need to be at home.”

Away from home the Tigers are just 9-10, including a 4-8 record the last five weeks away from The Doug. The Georgia game was Clemson’s first of 13 straight games in Clemson.

“One of the best things that could have happened to us after going through that tough stretch that we went through was to be at home. To be at home for the next 12 games, I believe it is … Our guys play very well at home, the crowd here helps our ball club,” Lee said.

With Georgia Tech (25-12, 8-9 ACC) coming to town for a three-game series beginning on Friday, it could not have come at a better time. The Tigers are 5-1 in ACC games at home and just 3-9 in road conference games, including a 1-5 ledger the previous two weekends.

“It could not have come at a better time after being on the road in back-to-back weekends and not playing our best baseball,” Lee said. “It is obvious it is good for our club to be at home.”

In their first game back, Lee was very pleased with how his team responded, and how they showed a little resiliency in the process after being swept at Louisville last weekend.

“As a head coach, one of the main things your players have to understand is that ‘I got your back.’ If you go out and compete as hard as you can, play as hard as you can and play together, regardless of what happens, I got your back,” Lee said. “Our guys do that. Again, we went through some tough stretches, but I have our players’ back.

“I think they respond well anytime I have challenged them or we go over anything, they do everything they can to do it. This is a coachable group of players and this is a really good group of players to coach. I’m proud of them and hopefully we can use (the Georgia) game to get us some momentum heading into the weekend.”