CLEMSON — Over the first four games, Clemson’s pitching staff has allowed three runs, including a stretch of 25 scoreless innings.

Half of those scoreless innings, thrown during a span from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday night, came courtesy of four pitchers in the Tigers’ freshman class. Clemson, who is ranked No. 15 in the country, utilized seven freshmen pitchers over the course of the quartet of non-conference matchups, including five freshmen less than a year out of their high school careers.

One of these rookies is Eston Simpson, who was the first in his class to get a starting, picking up a midweek win over Charlotte in his debut.

“You get a little jitters because I’m a freshman, but, other than that, Coach [Erik Bakich] always talks about owning our preparation,” Simpson said after the Tigers’ 11-1 win on Tuesday. “Even if you have good stuff or bad stuff that day, at the end of the day you know your preparation’s good. So, I had full faith in that.”

Simpson’s preparation resulted in four scoreless innings against the 49ers, allowing only two hits with two walks and a strikeout. The Jefferson, Ga., native got 10 of the 14 batters he faced out over the course of the evening.

After a six-pitch first inning, the 6-foot-5 lefty had a long time to think while the Tigers (4-0) put up a five spot in the bottom half. Simpson gave up a leadoff walk to start the second, then settled in to leave two stranded. Only one more batter reached after the second inning with the freshman on the mound.

“It was basically opening day for Eston Simpson and I thought the long bottom of the first, we were on offense for a long time which was great,” Bakich said. “But that was a good learning moment, because (Simpson) came out and threw a four-pitch walk to the leadoff hitter in the top of the second and then settled in… He looked poised, looked confident, looked in control, and that’s really what you want to see.”

After Simpson wrapped up his collegiate debut, two more freshmen came on and shut the 49ers down. Redshirt freshman Brendon Bennett, who battled injuries last season, gave Clemson one inning of work, in which he walked three and struck out three. He allowed no runs. The lefty routinely threw his fastball for 96 miles-per-hour, improved from his top speeds last season.

“It’s electric, you just don’t want to get electrocuted,” Bakich said of Bennett. “He’s got electric stuff and he’s a perfect example. If he can harness his stuff in the strike zone, it is nasty. For him it’s just trusting his stuff. Knowing his stuff is plenty good enough and the more he’s in the strike zone, good things are going to happen. He’s got two different breaking balls, a 96 mph fast ball. I mean, it is pure stuff.”

Another freshman, Landon Fowler, closed out the game for the Tigers, allowing one run on a solo-shot out of the park, along with a strikeout and no walks. 

Simpson, Bennett, and Fowler were not the first rookie pitchers to make strong starts to their collegiate careers this week. In Clemson’s season-opening series against Army, true freshmen Dylan Harrison gave the Tigers 4.1 innings, entering the game after ace Aidan Knaak. He allowed only one run with no walks and three strikeouts in a high-stakes, one-run game. 

One day later, redshirt freshman Talan Bell and true freshmen Danny Nelson combined to throw three scoreless innings, allowing no runs and striking out three.

“The freshman class, we all get after it,” Simpson said. “We know that it’s not much of a big difference between us and the big guys. We’ll be there eventually but a lot of us are hungry and we want to get after ourselves. So every day is just competition out there and the best man that’s out there.”

Quickly in the season, Simpson’s class had the opportunity to prove its hunger, after sickness and injuries sidelined veteran pitchers like Drew Titsworth and Jacob McGovern ahead of opening weekend. According to Bakich, their success was contagious.

“I think it’s contagious when you have an opening weekend where we kind of establish ourselves as this is what we do,” Bakich said. “We pound the strike zone. We try to minimize the opposing team’s free passes. I think everybody kind of sees that that’s what we’re doing. We’re just going to fill up the strike zone and let the defense play.

“There’s such a benefit to just letting the defense work and trusting the guys behind you and if nothing else, just attacking the zone and making them earn it.”

The determination to “pound the strike zone” has been visible in the first week. Clemson’s pitching staff recorded 37 strikeouts over the first four games, with 11 coming at the hands of freshmen pitchers. 

With rookies Dane Moehler and Dan Margolies still on the mend from injury, the class will only add to its depth in the coming weeks. Veteran Drew Titsworth is expected to return for Clemson’s upcoming weekend series against Bryant University, while Jacob McGovern’s timetable is less fixed.

Clemson’s freshmen, along with the rest of the squad, will be back in action Friday, as the Tigers take on the Bulldogs at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch in Game 1 is set for 4 p.m.

—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications