Lucas Mahlstedt has been downright dominant in his role as the Clemson closer this season.

With the No. 2 Tigers up 3-0 heading into the ninth over No. 10 Georgia, head coach Erik Bakich called on his sidearm closer to come in and finish off the Bulldogs.

Mahlstedt answered the challenge by doing what he’s done all season, sitting the Bulldogs down in order to notch his nation-leading 15th save of the season. However, this save had a little more meaning as it tied the program record set by Nick Glaser back in the year 2000.

“I didn’t mention it to the team, I will obviously make a big deal of it when he breaks the record,” Bakich said after the win. “He is just on that methodical path. He cares a lot about his pitching and how he does it and his craft. He is always working on it. No surprise that he is achieving a high level of success. That is the type of kid, the type of player that you want to have records broken.”

The senior reliever readily admits that tying the record was on his mind throughout the game, but at the same time insisted that once he took the mound, it was all business.

“Before I went out there, yes it was,” Mahlstedt said. “Once I got on the mound, it was what I always do. Attack with a plan, pound the strike zone and just compete every pitch.”

“Obviously, couldn’t do it without the coaching staff or my teammates. All the outfielders. How many games ended with a wall catch or whatever. All the infielders laying out, making the same plays. The coaching staff trusting in me to be able to go out there and do what I do.”

Even better, he got to tie the record in front of a packed Doug Kingsmore Stadium, as 6,584 rabid fans were in attendance for Clemson’s fourth straight win over SEC competition this season.

“It was awesome,” Mahlstedt said. “We brought the cannon over from the football games. The whole student section was packed. You even saw the area by the visitors bullpen absolutely packed with fans. Then you got all the fans up by Jervey. It was a really special atmosphere tonight and I know we’ve only got one more home series left, but we are going to need that going forward.”

For Mahlstedt, the performance on Tuesday night was no different than what he’s done all season. In 33.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed just four earned runs, while striking out 48 hitters. Equally impressive is the fact that he has only walked five all season and his ERA is now a minuscule 1.08.

He’s been the kind of closer every team dreams of having, and with the Tigers now set to hit the road for a three-game set against No. 25 NC State, followed by a road trip to Tallahassee to face off with a Top 10 Florida State team, his next save will be a milestone for himself and the Clemson program.

“Bring it on, we want the challenge,” Mahlstedt said. “We haven’t played on the road much, but we are ready for it.”