When Clemson’s baseball team begins practice for the 2021 season in a few weeks, Monte Lee and his coaches will have a hard time trying to figure out who is going to play in the outfield.
“It is probably the toughest group we got in trying to figure out who is going to play,” the Tigers’ head coach said to The Clemson Insider recently.
Lee said Kier Meredith, Elijah Henderson and freshman Cooper Ingle were voted by the pitching staff this spring as the three toughest outs on the Tigers’ roster.
“They all have to be in the lineup,” Lee said. “They all bring something to the table in that one, two and three-spot. By the time you get to who its fourth in our lineup the starting pitcher has already thrown 15 to 20 pitches just trying to get through those three guys.
“So, when you talk about wearing out a pitching staff and you put those three guys in the top three, they are going to cause havoc on a pitching staff.”
Scouting Clemson’s outfield, according to Monte Lee
Dylan Brewer, **So., OF, 5-10, 185: “He played every day as a freshman. He can play right field and can play center in a pinch, but he can play right field or first base. He is arguably our most athletic first baseman as well.”
Elijah Henderson, **So., OF, 5-10, 185: “The one thing Elijah brings to the table is that he can come in and play second base as well and we do have the DH spot.”
Kier Meredith, **So., OF, 5-10, 185: “Kier this fall, he hit .367 with a .439 on base percentage. Kier is going to be in the lineup every day. Kier played centerfield the whole fall and got better defensively. That was the area he really needed to improve on. It was not on the offensive side. We got to keep him healthy and he has to show us that he can play centerfield just because we have such an elite defender in Teodosio as well. But right now, if the season were starting today, Keir would be our starter in centerfield.”
Cooper Ingle, Fr, OF, 5-8, 160: “He is going to be in the lineup. There is no doubt about it. He is an everyday player. He can catch, and he is going to catch a little bit too. He can also play some left field. So, whether it is left field, DH or second base, Cooper Ingle is going to be in the lineup and if we started today, Ingle would be our lead-off hitter. He is a little scrappy left-handed hitter.”
Bo Majkowski, *Jr., OF, 5-10, 210: “He had the best fall he ever had here. He hit three home runs. He had a .424 on base percentage. He was 16 to 9 walk-to-strikeout. So, he has gotten better when it has come to plate discipline.”
Bryce Teodosio, *Jr., OF, 6-4, 215: “He is arguably one of the best defensive centerfielders in the country.”
Note: *redshirt; **NCAA’s extra year of eligibility