True freshman Brendon Bennett is set to make his first collegiate start on Tuesday when No. 13 Clemson hosts Winthrop on Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Bennett, who is from Michigan, was originally committed to playing for the Wolverines but would flip to the Tigers in the summer of 2022, about a month after the hiring of Erik Bakich. Bennett ranked as the fifth-best player in his state coming out of high school.

The hard-throwing lefty has a fastball that tops out in the low to mid-90s, and the fact that Bakich is running him out there this early in the season shows just how much confidence the staff has in the first-year player.

“Winthrop is the most important game right now,” Bakich said after Sunday’s win. “Because it’s the next game. We will not overlook them.”

Winthrop is off to a 4-3 start under first-year head coach Mike McGuire. The Eagles hired McGuire away from USC-Upstate, who notched a couple of wins over the Tigers in recent seasons, including an 11-1 win at Fluor Field last year.

“We know they are coming in and they are a good team and capable, “Bakich added. “Coach McGuire does a hell of a job and had our number at USC Upstate last year.”

Bakich’s Tigers are off to a 6-1 start, which includes sweeping all four games of the Clemson Invitational last weekend.

The Tigers got quality starts from Aidan Knaak, Ethan Darden and Justin LeGuernic over the weekend, and in turning to Bennett in the first midweek game of the season, Bakich is hoping the true freshman can continue that trend.

With the big series with rival South Carolina looming this weekend, not looking ahead will be key, but Bakich is confident that his players realize they will get Winthrop’s best shot.

“We know they are going to be well-coached,” Bakich said. “They’ll be fired up and playing hard. We will be ready for the Gamecocks when it’s time for the Gamecocks but right now we’ll be ready for Winthrop.”