While flipping through the channels one day in his hotel room this past May in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Steve Wilkerson saw the ACC Baseball Championships were being played down the road in Durham. The former Clemson standout had not watched his alma mater play in 2016.

With his current team, the Frederick Keys, playing later that night, Wilkerson and a teammate journeyed over to Durham Bulls Athletic Park to catch up with some old friends, while also taking in the game.

The Tigers were playing second-seed Louisville that morning, their second game of the tournament.

“I had to come over and see my boys play,” Wilkerson said.

It was a good one to come see. Clemson took out the Cardinals, 5-3.

“I was watching us play, and I was pretty impressed,” said Wilkerson, who was a three-time All-ACC second baseman for the Tigers from 2011-’14.

The Tigers went on to beat Wake Forest the next day to advance to the championship game and then followed that up with an 18-13 victory over Florida State, giving the program its first ACC Championship in 10 years.

Clemson finished the season with a 44-20 record, hosted a regional for the first time in 11 years and were the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Wilkerson said he was impressed with the job new head coach Monte Lee did in his first year.

The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 15 in the final polls.

“I have heard nothing but good things,” Wilkerson said. “He actually recruited me out of high school, too. I had a lot of respect for him. I thought he was a really cool guy and was really down to earth.

“I like where the program is at right now. I think he has done a great job. I’m even more excited about what’s to come in the future.”

Wilkerson’s immediate future is pretty busy. Frederick is a high Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles based out of Frederick, Maryland. The Keys will play 140 games in 154 days this summer. That’s the life of a ball player in the minor leagues.

“The schedule is pretty grueling, but it is fun,” Wilkerson said. “You get to be around the guys, stay in the clubhouse and stay out of the real world. You make a lot of new friends and meet new people from all over the country and even all over the world with all the Spanish speaking players.

“It has been a good experience and I’m still having a good time doing it.”

Wilkerson says some of his teammates, who did not play college baseball, ask him what it was like playing in college, especially for a powerhouse program like Clemson’s.

“They are all curious about it and wonder what they missed out on it, but there are pros and cons to both,” he said. “Either way, it works out differently for everyone. But for me, I loved college and I loved Clemson. I still do. I wish I could go back.”