CLEMSON — After making the jump from the Big 10 to the ACC, Luke Gaffney experienced some growing pains at the plate in his first season at Clemson.

After hitting .359 with 13 homers, 64 RBI and slugging .646 as a redshirt freshman at Purdue in 2024, Gaffney saw a stark decrease in production in 2025. He hit .271 with five homers and 39 RBI, while slugging just .388.

Now in his second season with the Tigers, the first baseman is looking to reverse that trend. Gaffney went to work in the offseason, making some tweaks in his approach at the plate.

“My swing. I was pretty much downhill chopping at the ball,” Gaffney said. “I’m just trying to match the plane of the ball better to drive the ball in the air. That is the goal.”

He turned in a strong fall and compounded that into a solid start at the plate, finishing 6-of-11 with two walks in the weekend sweep of Army. With Collin Priest sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Tigers need Gaffney to be one of the producers in the middle of the lineup.

“It just comes down to trying to win each pitch,” Gaffney said. “You can’t really control too much. Just focus on winning the pitch and sticking to the game plan that we get from our coaches and executing that at a high level.”

After the 3-0 start, Gaffney and the Tigers will look to keep the early momentum going on Tuesday. Clemson is set to host Charlotte, with first pitch at 4 p.m.

“The outcomes will take care of itself,” Gaffney added. “I just feel good, having a good mindset at the plate. But the top four was hitting the ball really well. I think we have one of the best 1-9 in the nation.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright