CLEMSON — Not every kid gets the opportunity to play at his dream school, but that is exactly how things played out for Clemson hurler Eston Simpson.
Simpson more than got his feet wet as a freshman last season, making 12 appearances, including three starts, and finishing with a 4-1 record. The right-handed pitcher got off to a really strong start, throwing six shutout innings across his first two outings. He allowed just one run in his next start, throwing four innings in a win over Michigan State.
After that, it turned into a bit of a rollercoaster for Simpson. However, that’s not all that atypical for a first-year pitcher at the Power-4 level.
Simpson would finish with an ERA of 6.05, but that number is a little skewed. Only three times did he allow more than one earned run all season, so there was more good than bad.
For Simpson, it was a learning experience, and he is looking to build on that in year number two.
“Last year, I was so nervous as a freshman. I can’t lie, I freaked out at times,” Simpson told The Clemson Insider. “I feel like this year, I know where my place is on the team. I am going to prove that.”
Simpson feels like he was always destined to play at Clemson. Growing up less than a half-hour from Athens, his father was a die-hard Georgia fan.
With that in mind, and living so close to the campus in Athens, Simpson was willing to give the Dawgs a shot and eventually took a visit to Georgia. But he knew almost immediately it just wasn’t going to be a fit. His heart was in the Upstate of South Carolina, and had been since he attended baseball camps at Clemson as a youth.
“I grew up a Clemson fan,” Simpson said. “I went to the camps when I was little with Monte (Lee). I stayed overnight. Then I started watching football when Deshaun (Watson) was playing. Then they started winning, then Trevor (Lawrence) won, and I was like, alright, I am all in for this place. As soon as I got the yes, I was coming. Dream school. I definitely bleed Clemson.”
Ironically enough, Simpson has another connection to the school he now plays for. He was actually close friends with star linebacker Sammy Brown when the two were growing up. He was also tight with Sammy’s younger brother Max, who is currently committed to the football team.
While both attended Jefferson High School, they drifted apart as they grew older, with each one destined for different sports.
“It is a pretty cool story of how we grew up all together, then it kind of kindled off, and we still ended up at the exact same place,” Simpson said.
“I grew up with him. All growing up, he was one of my best friends. The same with his brother Max. We were in Sunday school at the same church. I grew up going to his mom’s pharmacy because I lived in Commerce at the time. When our parents were working and stuff, we would go to the same daycare. Funny enough, it worked out that he ended up going to Jefferson his freshman year. He chose Clemson over everything, and then I would end up being fortunate enough to come here. This was my dream school.
Now as he enters his second season in Erik Bakich’s program, Simpson says he has an all-new mindset, and he is looking to make his mark, whether that means starting or coming out of the bullpen.
“If I am being completely honest with myself, I think I have changed my whole mindset,” he said. “I was just trying to dip my toes in last year, and this year I am going full-on. The mindset has shifted big-time. I want to do everything with conviction and importance. Have meaning behind everything I do.”
