CLEMSON — The Clemson Baseball team opened their season with a bang as they followed up their impressive season opening win on Friday with an 8-3 victory over Xavier in Game 2 of the three-game series on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

With the win, the Tigers clinched the series.

Some of Clemson’s standouts on Saturday, Jacob Hinderleider and Tristan Smith, spoke to the media following the victory.

–One of the seven Division I transfers in this year’s Clemson team, Hinderleider was asked about his perspective on the environment of Doug Kingsmore versus his previous school. “The community here is amazing. It is a little different of an atmosphere, but it’s definitely awesome to play in front of these fans.” The graduate attended Davidson College prior to his transfer to Clemson.

–Hinderleider was at-bat four times throughout the game and tallied two RBIs on his first start wearing purple and orange. The Tigers trailed for the first three innings but came back Nolan Nawrocki’s double to left center as the catalyst. Hinderleider was asked about what the players in the dugout are doing to stay motivated when the team isn’t in the best scoring position. “Do what you can to contribute to the team, and don’t let missed opportunities take away from the next ones you know you’re going to get. Keep your foot on the pedal and keep competing.”

–On the mound, Smith, who started the game for Clemson, pitched four innings, allowing one run on one hit, as well as striking out five and walking two.

–Clemson head coach Erik Bakich commented on Smith’s pitching. “It was a little rocky there in the first inning, but he did a good job of settling in. His first ten or fifteen pitches he wasn’t throwing very many strikes, but he did a much better job as the outing went along. For a guy like him, he’s got the stuff. When he’s in the zone, he’s tough to hit.”

— A highly recruited athlete out of high school, Smith’s start as a Clemson Tiger last season was highly anticipated. Smith had a total of six starts and pitched in 24 games during the 2022-’23 season. He was asked about the biggest thing he worked on in the off-season to take his game to the next level. “It was working my two other pitches: my changeup and my slider. I still have a lot to improve, but as the season goes on, I’m going to keep getting better, keep working, and trusting the guys behind me.”

The Tigers will face the Musketeers for the third and final time of the series Sunday at 1p.m.

Get your signed Valerie Cagle replica road sign today.  The nation’s top player has signed a limited number of these signs that have the same properties as a road sign.