Of all the questions that need to be answered as Clemson baseball gets set for a new season, the biggest of them is which players will make up the Tigers’ weekend rotation?

Clemson, who begins practice for the 2018 baseball season on Friday, has to replace its entire weekend rotation from a season ago. Gone is ace Charlie Barnes, All-American Pat Krall, Alex Eubanks and Tyler Jackson, who was magnificent as the Tigers’ No. 4 man.

“We feel like we have some really good candidates,” Clemson head coach Monte Lee told The Clemson Insider. “We feel like we have had some questions answered, but we do believe these three weekends we have with full intra-squad (scrimmages) are going to answer those questions and kind of solidify for us who the weekend starters are going to be.”

Lee says the Tigers, who are coming off a 42-21 record from a year ago, have a number of players in the mix for those three starting spots, but they are going to use the next three weeks to see who earns the right to pitch for them on opening weekend.

Coming out of fall ball, senior Ryan Miller has the upper hand as one of the starters.  Last year, the righty pitched 11.2 innings in 11 games, while compiling a 3.09 ERA. Teams hit just .220 on him as he struck out 11 batters and walked just two. He was 1-0 in decisions and had one save.

Miller was drafted by the Atlanta Braves last summer, but came back to Clemson for his senior season. Miller spent the last half of 2017 injured, which he suffered in the Georgia Tech series.

“It really hurt us the last half of the year not having him in the bullpen,” Lee said. “When we had Ryan and Ryley Gilliam in the bullpen during the first half of the year last year, we were really good. We struggled a little bit once we lost Ryan because he was such a big piece in the pen.

“But Ryan is extremely talented. He is an older guy. He is a senior and he is healthy. We have tried to develop him as a starter because he has three pitches. We feel like right now he is definitely going to be one of those weekend starters.”

Freshman Spencer Strider is another pitcher Lee thinks has what it takes to be a weekend starter. Lee said the Knoxville, Tenn., native had some dominating outings towards the back half of the fall practice.

“He was highly touted and was drafted by the Indians coming out of high school,” Lee said. “He turned down what was significant money to come to Clemson. We feel Spencer has a chance to be special. We feel like he is one of those guys in the mix.”

Strider is not the only freshman being considered for a weekend spot. Sam Weatherly, who Lee calls one of the best athletes on the team, can also make a run at a starting weekend spot.

Weatherly, who is a lefty on the mound, was the Player of the Year in the state of Michigan coming out of high school last year. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman can play in the outfield and first base as well.

“He can play a couple of different spots in the outfield and can run,” Lee said. “He is an extremely athletic hitter, but is also a left-handed pitcher that pitches in the low 80s to the low 90s. He had a really good fall for us. He did not get hit at all. We had a hard time squaring Sam Weatherly up. He just needs experience. Coming from the North and not having a lot of innings under his belt, he is going to be a big part of what we do here this year on the mound. He has a chance as he continues to develop as a pitcher.”

Other guys vying for a starting role are veterans such as Jacob Hennessey, Jake Higginbotham– was redshirted last year due to a preseason injury—Brooks Crawford and Owen Griffith.

Last year, Hennessey went 2-1 in 26 appearances. He pitched 30.2 innings and had a 3.82 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks. He also had three saves, which was second on the team.

Crawford appeared in 17 games last year and recorded a 4-0 record with a 1.23 ERA in 22 innings of work. He had a 22-7 advantage in strikeouts to walks.

Griffith also had a 1.23 ERA, but he did his in 12 appearances, including 14.2 innings of work. He had 14 strikeouts and just three walks allowed.

“He was really good for us going down the stretch last year when he was healthy,” Lee said. “He was a little nicked up early in the year, but he showed in the UNC Greensboro game, when we took Krall out early in the ballgame, he can do it.

“Owen won that game for us. Owen has a chance to be special. He has a power arm with a power breaking ball and a good changeup. He is going to be in the mix as either as a weekend starter or a very valuable piece in the bullpen.”

Possible weekend starters for Clemson in 2018

Ryan Miller, Sr., RPP

Spencer Strider, Fr., RHP

Sam Weatherly, Fr., LHP

Jacob Hennessy, So., LHP

Jake Higginbotham, RSo., LHP

Brooks Crawford, Jr., RHP

Owen Griffith, So., RHP

—Above Photo: Senior Ryan Miller leads the way for a Clemson pitching staff that will have three new weekend starters in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications)