Clemson Baseball Historical Timeline

Courtesy Clemson Sports Information
Fri, June 06, 2014

April 24, 1896 - Clemson played its first baseball game, a 20-13 loss to Furman. The home games were played on Bowman Field in front of Tillman Hall. The Tigers' first head coach was R.T.V. Bowman.

May 12, 1899 - Clemson played South Carolina for the first time. The Tigers won 21-8 in eight innings in Charleston. The Gamecocks are the Tigers' most common opponent to date.

1900 - Head Coach John Heisman, who coached Clemson's gridders for four seasons, was named the Tigers' baseball coach. Heisman compiled a 28-6-1 (.814) record in three seasons (1901-03), which still stands today as the best winning percentage in Tiger history, slightly ahead of another legendary football coach, Frank Howard.

1904 - Vet Sitton played in his first season at Clemson. The Pendleton, S.C. native, a 5'11", 170-pound righty, played one season (1909) for the Cleveland Indians, where he was 3-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 50.0 innings pitched. He later was the Tigers' head coach in 1915 and 1916 and compiled a 26-18-1 (.589) record.

April 12, 1913 - Doc Ezell pitched Clemson's first no-hitter in a 5-0 victory over Erskine.

March 27, 1916 - Clemson defeated West Virginia Wesleyan 4-2 in the first game played on Riggs Baseball Field. Clemson played on this field until the 1970 season.

April 29, 1916 - Elmer Long pitched a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Virginia Military.

1921 - Clemson joined the Southern Conference and was a charter member.

1922 - Flint Rhem, one of the Tigers' greatest players of the 20th century, played in his first season at Clemson. He played during the 1922-24 seasons and later went on to play 12 major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves. He had a 105-97 career record with a 4.20 ERA and 534 strikeouts. He was 20-7 with a 3.21 ERA with the Cardinals in 1926 in his best season. He once pitched a no-hitter (in 1924, one year before his rookie season in the majors) while playing for the Fort Smith (Ark.) minor league team. He struck out 16 batters in the game and made it in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" by not allowing a ball to be hit out of the infield.

April 17, 1924 - Lefty Smith pitched a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over South Carolina.

1931 - Clemson's season was cut short due to an outbreak of meningitis on campus in April. Clemson finished 6-2.

1932 - Legendary Head Football Coach Jess Neely, who coached the Tiger gridders for nine seasons (1931-39), coached his first season as Clemson's baseball coach. He compiled a 67-66-2 (.504) record in seven seasons (1932-38).

1941 - Dude Buchanan set the school record for batting average in a season with a .485 mark (33-for-68).

1943 - Frank Howard, the Tigers' career leader in football victories (165), coached the baseball squad for one season, compiling a 12-3 overall record. His career record is still the second-best of any coach in school history.

March 29, 1946 - Joe Landrum pitched a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over Erskine.

June 12-20, 1947 - Clemson participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Eastern Finals and lost to eventual finalist Yale (and first-baseman George Bush) on June 20 at New Haven, Conn.

1947 - Joe Landrum was Clemson's first baseball All-American. He earned first-team honors from ABCA after posting a 12-2 record and 2.23 ERA. Landrum went on to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Clemson won the Southern Conference title with a 13-2 record.

May 5, 1950 - Fred Knoebel hit for the cycle (the first by a Tiger) at South Carolina. He walked in the first, tripled in the second, singled in the fourth and hit a home run in the fifth. Knoebel also doubled in the seventh and was hit-by-pitch in the eighth. Clemson won the game 14-5.

June 8,9, 1950 - Clemson played Alabama and Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament at Kannapolis, N.C., losing both games.

April 4, 1952 - Billy O'Dell struck out a Clemson-record 21 batters in a 5-2 win over South Carolina at Orangeburg, S.C.

May 8, 1953 - Billy O'Dell pitched a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over South Carolina. That same day, Clemson officially joined the newly-formed Atlantic Coast Conference.

May 22-24, 1954 - Clemson participated in the NCAA Playoffs in a home-and-home series against Virginia Tech but lost to the Hokies twice in as many games. Clemson lost the first game 11-10 on May 22. It marked the first NCAA Tournament event in any sport played at Clemson. The Tigers lost to Virginia Tech 7-1 two days later in Blacksburg.

1954 - Clemson won the ACC title with an 8-4 ACC regular-season record in the conference's inaugural season. Bob Smith was also named ACC Coach-of-the-Year.

Fall, 1957 - From the advice of North Carolina Head Coach Walter Rabb, Frank Howard hired a 27-year old assistant from China Grove, N.C. named Bill Wilhelm.

March 24, 1958 - Bill Wilhelm coached his first game and defeated Michigan State 7-5 in seven innings at Clemson.

May 19, 1958 - Clemson defeated North Carolina 4-1 at Gastonia, N.C. in a playoff game to determine the ACC Champion. Both teams had 11-3 records after the regular season, forcing the one-game playoff.

June 5-9, 1958 - The Tigers won the NCAA District III Playoffs to advance to the College World Series. The Tigers lost their opening game of the NCAA Tourney to Florida 8-6. Therefore, the Tigers had to win five games in a row to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., a destination never made before by Clemson at the time. So the Tigers promptly defeated George Washington and Florida State to stay alive. The only problem was that Clemson had to defeat Florida twice on June 9 to advance. In the first game, the Tigers won a thriller 15-14 when Bailey Hendley singled home Larry Wilson in the bottom of the ninth. Later in the day, Clemson won 3-1 to advance to Omaha. Harold Stowe, who went on to play for the Yankees, pitched a four-hitter to earn his 13th victory of the season. The two victories in one day still stands today as the only time that Clemson has won twice in one day to advance to the College World Series.

June 14-16, 1958 - Clemson participated in the College World Series for the first time. The Tigers defeated Arizona 4-1 on June 14 but lost to Holy Cross 17-4 on June 15 and Western Michigan 5-3 on June 16.

1958 - Harold Stowe led the nation in appearances (21), innings pitched (127.0), strikeouts (126) and wins (14).

May 16-18, 1959 - After the 1959 regular season, Clemson, Wake Forest and North Carolina were tied for first place, forcing a playoff among the three. Clemson beat Wake Forest 4-2 at Thomasville, N.C. on May 16 and downed North Carolina 9-7 at Gastonia, N.C. to claim the ACC crown.

June 4-6, 1959 - Clemson raced through the NCAA District III Playoffs at Gastonia, N.C., downing Georgia Tech 9-6 and Florida State twice (24-2, 5-0) to advance to Omaha.

June 13-15, 1959 - The Tigers lost to Arizona 3-2 on June 13 in 12 innings in their first game in Omaha. They bounced back and defeated Colorado State 7-1 the next day, but were eliminated by Penn State 7-0 on June 15.

1959 - Clemson was ranked No. 7 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

May 8, 1962 - Clemson hit an ACC-record five homers in one inning (sixth) against South Carolina in a 27-17 win. Clemson also hit a Tiger-record eight homers in the game.

1962 - Clemson led the nation in homers per game (1.6).

April 10, 1965 - May 17, 1966 - Rusty Adkins had a 41-game hitting streak. Adkins hit .438 during the streak that still stands as the longest in ACC history.

1966 - Clemson led the nation in runs per game (9.1), homers per game (1.28) and slugging percentage (.502).

May 6, 1967 - Nelson Gibson and Charlie Watson combined to pitch a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over Georgia Tech.

June 2-5, 1967 - Clemson participated in the NCAA District III Playoffs at Gastonia, N.C. After losing the first contest against Florida State, Clemson rebounded with three straight victories. But Auburn ended Clemson's season by defeating the Tigers 6-5 in 13 innings in the championship game.

1967 - The Tigers won the ACC title (11-2). Clemson was ranked No. 7 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

June 6, 1968 - Lefthander John Curtis became Clemson's first first-round major league draft pick. He was the No. 10 overall pick in the secondary phase by the Boston Red Sox.

March 7, 1970 - Clemson played its first two games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers defeated Louisville 10-0 and 8-1 in two seven-inning games. The field featured a "Crosley-like" terrace around the outfield fence that gave the field a more closed-in perspective and reduced maintenance for drainage purposes.

1970 - Clemson was ranked No. 18 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 17, 1971 - Dave Van Volkenburg pitched a no-hitter in an 11-0 win over Florida State in a seven-inning game.

1971 - Clemson was ranked No. 22 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

March 16, 1973 - Lindsay Graham pitched a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over Maryland in an eight-inning game.

1973 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 10-2 record.

April 19, 1974 - Chuck Porter pitched a Tiger and ACC-record 16.0 innings in earning the victory over Virginia 3-2 in the first game of a doubleheader at Clemson.

1974 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 10-1 record.

April 22, 1975 - Steve Tucker hit for the cycle at Georgia Tech. He doubled in the first, tripled in the fourth, homered in the sixth and singled in both the seventh and ninth innings. Clemson won the game 18-3.

May 23,24, 1975 - Clemson participated in the NCAA Mideast Regional in Ypsilanti, Mich. Eastern Michigan and Penn State defeated the Tigers 5-3 and 5-4, respectively.

1975 - Denny Walling led the nation with 1.58 RBIs per game. Clemson tied for the ACC regular-season title with a 10-2 record and was ranked No. 25 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 17, 1976 - Ron Musselman pitched a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Virginia.

1976 - Clemson was ranked No. 5 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 23-25, 1976 - Clemson won its first ACC Tournament Championship, as the Tigers defeated Wake Forest 2-0 and Maryland in two games (2-1, 3-2) at Clemson.

May 21-24, 1976 - The Tigers won the NCAA Atlantic Regional in Columbia, S.C. by downing Furman 13-2 in game-one, defeating South Carolina 10-4 in the second game and beating Furman 6-2 to advance to Omaha.

June 11-14, 1976 - Clemson participated in the College World Series. The Tigers defeated Auburn 9-4 on June 11 and lost to Eastern Michigan 3-2 in 10 innings on June 13. Arizona eliminated the Tigers 10-6 on June 14.

1976 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 10-2 record.

Feb. 26 - March 27, 1977 - Clemson opened the season with a 26-game winning streak, the longest winning streak in school history.

March 17, 1977 - Brian Snyder pitched a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over UNC Wilmington.

May 20-22, 1977 - Clemson defeated Mississippi and won two of three games from host Miami (Fla.) in winning the NCAA South Regional to advance to the College World Series.

June 10-14, 1977 - In the College World Series, Clemson lost to Arizona State 10-7 on June 10 but beat Temple 13-4 the next day. However, Cal State Los Angeles eliminated Clemson 1-0 on June 14.

1977 - Clemson captured the ACC regular-season title with a 9-1 record. Clemson was ranked No. 5 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 22-24, 1978 - The Tigers won the ACC Tourney title at Clemson. The Tigers swept through the tourney with wins over NC State (12-1), Duke (13-0) and Wake Forest (7-2).

May 19-21, 1978 - In the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Coral Gables, Fla., the Tigers beat host Miami (Fla.) 8-5 in the first game, but lost to Marshall (9-3) and Miami (7-5).

1978 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 10-2 record. The Tigers also started the tradition of wearing ankle-long, white pants for every game. Clemson was ranked No. 25 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 7, 1979 - Clemson's most productive offensive game came at NC State. The score...41-9. The Tigers led 18-6 after four innings and capped off the day with 18 runs in the ninth. Robert Bonnette had three hits in the ninth in which 22 Tigers batted. Neil Simons went 4-for-6 with three walks, six runs, three homers and a Tiger record-tying 10 RBIs. Dave Buffamoyer also set a record with seven runs, while Bonnette and Tony Masone had five hits apiece. Future major leaguers Tim Teufel and Bill Schroeder batted fifth and sixth, respectively, and combined for five hits, nine runs and nine RBIs.

May 18-20, 1979 - In the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Coral Gables, Fla., the Tigers defeated Georgia Southern 8-4, but lost to Miami (Fla.) 2-1 in the Tigers' next game. The next two games yielded the same results, as Clemson downed Georgia Southern 2-0, but lost to Miami 4-1.

1979 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 10-1 record. There was no ACC Tourney that year. Clemson was ranked No. 9 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

March 10, 1980 - Mike Brown pitched a perfect game in a 2-0 win over UNC Wilmington in seven innings.

April 22-26, 1980 - Clemson won the ACC Tournament held at Raleigh, N.C. by winning four games in a row without a defeat. The Tigers downed Wake Forest (4-0), Maryland (9-4), NC State (5-4) and North Carolina (12-3).

May 22-25, 1980 - In the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Clemson, the Tigers beat East Tennessee State (22-4) and South Carolina twice (6-2, 17-12) to advance to Omaha.

May 31 - June 1, 1980 - In the College World Series, Clemson lost to Miami (Fla.) 13-5 and California 6-4.

1980 - Clemson was ranked No. 4 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 22-26, 1981 - Clemson won the ACC Tournament held at Chapel Hill, N.C. Clemson defeated North Carolina 7-5 in the championship game. The Tigers won four straight games after losing their second game of the tournament.

May 22,23, 1981 - In the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Clemson, the Tigers lost to Wichita State (7-2) and East Tennessee State (2-1).

1981 - Clemson tied for the ACC regular-season title with a 10-4 record.

March 5, 1982 - Jeff Gilbert pitched a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over Western Carolina.

1982 - Clemson captured the ACC regular-season title with a 10-2 record.

March 6, 1984 - Scott Parrish pitched a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over The Citadel in a seven-inning game.

1984 - Clemson tied for the ACC regular-season title with a 12-2 record.

May 13, 1985 - The Tigers played host to the first night game ever at Clemson. The Tigers downed Furman 13-1.

1985 - Clemson tied for the ACC regular-season title with a 9-4 record.

May 4, 1986 - Clemson's longest streak of not being shut out (232 games) ended with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of South Carolina in Columbia.

May 21-24, 1987 - The Tigers played in the NCAA South Regional at Huntsville, Ala. The Tigers defeated West Virginia, Seton Hall and Auburn, but lost to Arkansas twice and were eliminated from the tournament.

1987 - Clemson was ranked No. 10 in both the final Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls. The Tigers won 54 games, the first time Clemson reached 50 wins.

May 26-30, 1988 - The Tigers participated in the NCAA Northeast Regional at New Britain, Conn. Clemson defeated Fordham 3-2 in game-one in 19 innings. It still stands today as the longest game played in school history. The Tigers also defeated St. John's, but lost to Rutgers and Kentucky and were eliminated from the tournament.

1988 - The Tigers won the ACC regular-season title with an 18-2 record. Clemson was ranked No. 15 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 21 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. Lefthander Mike Milchin was also a member of the United States Olympic team.

May 13-16, 1989 - Clemson defeated Maryland, Georgia Tech, NC State and North Carolina (twice) in winning the ACC Tournament title at Chapel Hill, N.C. Clemson defeated the Tar Heels 12-4 in the championship game.

May 25, 1989 - Brian Barnes won his 16th game in a 6-2 win over Stetson in the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Tallahassee, Fla. He also set the Tiger record and led the nation with 208 strikeouts.

May 25-28, 1989 - The Tigers participated in the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Tallahassee, Fla. Clemson defeated Stetson twice and Auburn once, but losses to Florida State and Auburn eliminated the Tigers from the tournament.

May 27, 1989 - April 10, 1990 - Brian Kowitz had a 37-game hitting streak, second-longest in Clemson history. Kowitz, who later played with the Atlanta Braves, hit .430 with 43 RBIs during the streak.

1989 - Clemson was ranked No. 14 in both the final Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls. Brian Barnes ended his career with an ACC-record 44 wins.

April 29, 1990 - Bill Wilhelm won his 1,000th career game in a 17-10 win over Georgia Tech at Atlanta, Ga.

May 25-27, 1990 - Clemson played in the NCAA Central Regional at Austin, Texas. Clemson beat Texas-Arlington, but lost to Creighton twice and was eliminated from the tournament.

May 11-14, 1991 - The Tigers won the ACC Tournament held at Greenville, S.C. The Tigers beat Georgia Tech 24-8 in the championship game, winning for the fifth time in as many games.

May 23-26, 1991 - Clemson swept though the NCAA Northeast Regional at Orono, Maine and advanced to the College World Series. Clemson downed Princeton, Villanova, Mississippi State and Maine.

June 1-3, 1991 - In the College World Series, the Tigers lost to Creighton and Long Beach State.

1991 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with an 18-3 record. Clemson was ranked No. 4 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 8 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. The Tigers ended the season with a school-record 60 wins. Eric Macrina hit 24 home runs and Clemson led the nation in runs per game (9.97), winning percentage (85.7) and wins (60).

May 21-23, 1992 - The Tigers participated in the NCAA Mideast Regional at Starkville, Miss. Clemson defeated Yale but lost to UCLA and Oklahoma.

1992 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 19-5 record. Clemson was ranked No. 7 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 10 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

April 20, 1993 - Keith Williams hit for the cycle at Furman. He homered in the first, doubled in the third, singled in the sixth and tripled in the ninth. Clemson won the game 17-2.

May 15-19, 1993 - The Tigers won the ACC Tournament at Greenville, S.C. Clemson defeated NC State 11-7 in the championship game, a game that ended at 1:21 a.m. Jeff Morris' grand-slam propelled the Tigers to victory. It was just the senior's second career homer. Ironically, both of his homers were grand slams off NC State pitcher David Allen. Both came in the eighth inning with one out and both gave Clemson the lead.

May 28-31, 1993 - Clemson participated in the NCAA Mideast Regional at Knoxville, Tenn. The Tigers earned victories over Rutgers and Fresno State in their opening two games, but lost to Fresno State and Kansas.

July 2, 1993 - Bill Wilhelm announced his retirement after 36 seasons with the Tiger program. His retirement press conference was fittingly held in the first-base dugout at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. He had a 1161-536-10 (.683) record and never had a losing season. He was the fifth-winningest coach in NCAA history at the time of his retirement.

1993 - Clemson was ranked No. 17 in both the final Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls.

March 19, 1994 - Shane Monahan hit for the cycle at Hawaii-Hilo. He tripled in the first, singled in the second and homered in the sixth. He also doubled in the eighth and singled in the ninth. Clemson won the game 13-5.

May 18-22, 1994 - The Tigers won the ACC Tournament Championship at Greenville, S.C. The Tigers defeated Florida State 4-1 in the championship game.

May 26-28, 1994 - Clemson participated in the NCAA East Regional at Clemson. The Tigers downed The Citadel and Old Dominion, but lost to Notre Dame and Auburn.

1994 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 20-4 record in Jack Leggett's first season as the Tiger head coach. Leggett received ACC Coach-of-the-Year honors. Shane Monahan set the ACC record and led the nation with 137 hits. He also led the nation in runs (97) and the Tigers led the nation with 57 wins. Clemson was ranked No. 4 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 9 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

Feb. 18, 1995 - Gary Burnham hit for the cycle at Texas-Arlington. He doubled in the first, tripled in the third, walked in the fifth, homered in the seventh and singled in the ninth. Clemson won the game 18-0.

April 14, 1995 - The greatest comeback in Clemson history took place on this date, the first game of a three-game series at NC State. The Wolfpack had just scored three and six runs in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, to take a 15-4 lead. The Tiger leadoff batter struck out to start the ninth inning. Clemson then got three straight hits and two walks. Seth Brizek hit into a fielder's choice for the second out, as David Miller scored on the play to cut the deficit to 15-7. The next six Tiger batters all reached safely on hits, highlighted by Shane Monahan's three-run homer that cut the Wolfpack lead to just two runs. After two more hits and a walk, Matthew LeCroy tied the score with a clutch double. The Tigers went on to win 17-15 in 10 innings. Clemson did so being down 11 runs on the road with no runners on base in the ninth inning and one out, and without the benefit of a Wolfpack error in the ninth.

May 25-28, 1995 - The Tigers won the NCAA East Regional held at Clemson with wins over Navy, Jacksonville, Winthrop and Alabama.

1995 - Clemson won the ACC regular-season title with a 20-4 record. Jack Leggett received ACC Coach-of-the-Year honors. Paul Galloway became Clemson's first Academic All-American. Clemson was ranked No. 8 in both the final Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls.

March 8, 1996 - Jack Leggett won his 500th career game as a head coach with a 8-4 win over Virginia Tech at home.

April 21, 1996 - Clemson played in one of the longest non-stop days of baseball in history. The Tigers and Georgia Southern were slated to play two nine-inning games, but the two games lasted a total of 28 innings. The first was a 10-inning affair, with Georgia Southern winning 8-6. The latter game also saw Georgia Southern win, this time 9-7 in 18 innings. The games combined for eight hours and 44 minutes in length (not counting the 31 minutes in between).

May 23-26, 1996 - The Tigers won the NCAA East Regional at Clemson and advanced to the College World Series. Clemson recorded victories over Charleston Southern, Old Dominion, West Virginia and Tennessee.

May 31 - June 5, 1996 - When Clemson made its eighth College World Series appearance, it had lost seven straight games in Omaha and had never won more than one game in the double-elimination tournament. Miami (Fla.) defeated the Tigers to open the tournament, so Clemson had to win to stay alive. The Tigers responded with a 10-inning, 8-5 win over Oklahoma State and next faced Alabama, the No. 1 seed. The morning of the game, Kris Benson and Billy Koch learned they were the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks, respectively, of the major league draft. The Tigers, though, sent out Ken Vining, who was 10-3, to face a potent Crimson Tide hitting attack. But it was the Tigers who jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. Alabama battled back to take a 12-10 lead after eight innings. Gary Burnham and Jerome Robinson led off the ninth with singles. Then, second-baseman Doug Livingston hit an opposite-field double to give Clemson the lead. But the Tigers, who led 14-12, had to contain the hot Alabama bats in the bottom of the ninth. Brett Taft led off with a double. Rusty Loflin flied out to Livingston and Drew Bounds singled. On came Koch, who was making a rare relief appearance. He struck out David Tidwell and seemed to throw a game-ending groundball off the bat of Joe Caruso, but the ball went through the legs of shortstop Kurt Bultmann, plating Taft and putting runners on first and third. But Koch got Dax Norris to bounce out to first-baseman Jason Embler, who made a spectacular grab ranging to his right and looking into the sun. Embler flipped to Koch to record the final out of the game, as the Tigers won 14-13 and advanced further in the College World Series than it ever had before.

1996 - Clemson led the nation with a 3.03 ERA. Clemson was ranked No. 5 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 4 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. Kris Benson was named national player-of-the-year by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. One of the most decorated players in Tiger history also received the Dick Howser Trophy and the Smith Award. He won his first 14 decisions and had a 2.02 ERA in 156.0 innings pitched. He allowed 109 hits and 27 walks while striking out 204 (7.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio), easily a Tiger record. He had seven complete games and four shutouts as well. Benson was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1996 draft (Pirates), becoming the first Tiger to be picked at that position. He donned the Red, White and Blue for Team USA in the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, earning a bronze medal. Tiger teammates Billy Koch and Matthew LeCroy joined Benson on the Olympic team.

May 22-24, 1997 - Clemson played in the NCAA Central Regional at Lubbock, TX. Clemson defeated Nevada in its opener, but lost to Rice and Texas State.

1997 - Matthew LeCroy hit 24 homers and set a Tiger record with 53 career homers. Kurt Bultmann set a Clemson record with 31 doubles, a mark later eclipsed by Khalil Greene.

March 21, 1998 - Clemson scored 19 runs in one inning against Maryland. Ironically, Clemson did not score in any other inning of the game. The run total set an NCAA record for most runs in a third inning. In the inning, Clemson sent 23 batters to the plate and had 12 hits and six walks. Like the 11-run comeback in the ninth inning at NC State in 1995, the first Tiger to bat in the inning was retired. The next 17 batters reached base safely. Patrick Boyd and Kurt Bultmann both reached base in all three plate appearances and scored three runs in the inning.

April 24, 1998 - Rusty Adkins had his jersey retired and was inducted into the Clemson Baseball Ring of Honor.

May 21-23, 1998 - Clemson hosted the NCAA East Regional. Clemson lost to South Alabama in 16 innings and eventual National Champion Southern California.

1998 - Clemson was ranked No. 21 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 23 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

March 8, 1999 - Clemson's streak of 146 weeks being ranked in one of the major polls ended. The last time the Tigers were not ranked was at the end of the 1990 season. Clemson had a 407-138 (.747) record over that span.

May 28-30, 1999 - In the NCAA Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional, Clemson lost to Missouri State 23-5 in the first game and needed to win four games in two days to advance. The Tigers came through with wins on Saturday over Delaware and host Arkansas. Clemson had to beat Missouri State twice on Sunday and did just that by scores of 8-7 and 7-5.

June 4-6, 1999 - Texas A&M won two of the three games in the NCAA Super Regional at College Station, Texas. Despite coming up short, Clemson battled back after a 20-3 defeat in the opening game and had the lead entering the ninth inning in game-three in a hostile environment.

1999 - Clemson was ranked No. 17 in the final Baseball America ranking and No. 13 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.

March 20, 2000 - Clemson was ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball after opening the season 19-3. The Tigers spent two weeks as that poll's top team.

May 26-28, 2000 - Clemson played host to Middle Tennessee, Illinois and Old Dominion in regional playand claimed wins over Middle Tennessee (4-0, 21-3) and a win over Illinois (9-3) to earn the right at hosting the first-ever super regional at Clemson.

June 2,3, 2000 - The Tigers defeated Mississippi State 11-4 and 9-4 in the Clemson Super Regional to earn their ninth trip to the College World Series.

June 9-14, 2000 - Clemson made its first appearance in the College World Series since 1996. The Tigers beat San Jose State 10-6 before losing to top-ranked Stanford 10-4 to fall into the losers' bracket. Clemson was then eliminated by Louisiana-Lafayette 5-4.

2000 - Clemson had a 51-18 record and was ranked No. 7 in the final Baseball America ranking, No. 6 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 5 in the final USA Today poll.

May 25-27, 2001 - The Tigers drew a No. 2 seed in the Clemson Regional and played host to South Alabama, William & Mary and Seton Hall, claiming wins over William & Mary (4-1) and Seton Hall (24-4, 8-2) to advance.

June 1,2, 2001 - Clemson met Miami (Fla.) in the Coral Gables Super Regional and was eliminated with a pair of losses (10-8, 14-6). The Hurricanes went on to win the national title.

2001 - The Tigers finished 41-22 and were ranked No. 17 in the final Baseball America ranking, No. 13 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 14 in the final USA Today poll.

Feb. 22 - March 15, 2002 - Clemson opened the season with 13 straight wins to vault to No. 2 in the polls. The Tigers defeated Auburn (3), South Carolina (2) and Purdue (3) during the stretch.

March 12, 2002 - Clemson set the school record for batting average (.522) in a game in defeating Georgia Southern 20-8. The Tigers had 23 hits in 44 at-bats.

March 17 - April 5, 2002 - Clemson won 13 more games in a row to start 26-1. The winning streak helped the Tigers rank No. 1 in all three polls for seven straight weeks.

April 16 - June 14, 2002 - Khalil Greene had a 34-game hitting streak, the third-longest streak in Tiger history. He batted .519 with 48 RBIs during the streak. The streak ended against Georgia Tech in the College World Series.

May 12, 2002 - Khalil Greene set the ACC record for career hits with his 367th at Virginia. He went on to total 403 hits, second-most in NCAA history. In the series, he also went eight straight at-bats with a hit and 13 consecutive plate appearances reaching base safely.

June 7-9, 2002 - After sweeping through the Clemson Regional the weekend before, the Tigers fell to Arkansas in the first game of the Clemson Super Regional. But the Tigers fought back to win the final two games and advance to Omaha for the 10th time in school history.

June 14-21, 2002 - Clemson had its most successful run in the College World Series when it won the first two games over hometown favorite Nebraska and Georgia Tech. Against the Cornhuskers, Clemson overcame a 7-2 deficit before rallying to win 11-10. Khalil Greene dramatic three-run homer in the seventh inning gave the Tigers the lead late in the game. Jeff Baker broke a 10-10 tie with a walkoff double. Michael Johnson then went 3-for-3 with a home run in Clemson's eight-run second inning against Georgia Tech, as the Tigers won their second straight game 9-7. Clemson ran into a buzzsaw in South Carolina, falling twice. Clemson had defeated the Gamecocks three out of four times during the regular season. The final game saw Greene start his 269th consecutive game, believed to be an NCAA record. He also played in his 272th straight game, or every game he was a Tiger. He broke the NCAA record for career doubles (95) during the College World Series as well.

2002 - Clemson had a 54-17 record and was ranked No. 3 in all three final polls. The Tigers set school records for homers (112), fielding percentage (.971) and saves (26). The trio of Jeff Baker, Khalil Greene and Michael Johnson combined for 77 homers and 259 RBIs. They were three of eight Tigers selected in the major league draft, including Greene, who was a first-rounder, and Johnson, who was picked in the second round. Greene went on to earn national player-of-the-year honors from all six services that gave the award.

March 4-24, 2003 - The Tigers won 14 games in a row. The streak helped catapult Clemson to a No. 10 national ranking.

2003 - Clemson extended its streak to 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, with defense being the key to many wins. Clemson fell one win short of its 18th-straight 40-win season. Robert Rohrbaugh earned freshman All-America honors.

April 21-24, 2004 - In three games during this span, Clemson won with a walkoff play in all three games. On April 21 against Western Carolina, a Catamount error gave the Tigers an 8-7 victory. Two days later, Russell Triplett lined a walkoff single to give the Tigers a 2-1 win over NC State. Then the following game, Zane Green, who was hitless in his previous 23 at-bats, hit a single to the wall in right-center to give Clemson a 4-3 win over the Wolfpack.

April 25, 2004 - Clemson's 9-6 win over NC State gave Head Coach Jack Leggett his 500th win as the Tigers' skipper in just his 11th season in Tigertown.

May 12, 2004 - Brad McCann became the eighth Tiger in history to total six hits in a 6-for-6 performance against College of Charleston. He also hit two homers, including a grand slam, a double, scored four runs and had six RBIs.

June 6, 2004 - Trailing 9-2 and on the verge of having its season end in the Athens (Ga.) Regional, Clemson rallied for a 10-9 victory at Georgia, capped by Lou Santangelo's grand slam in the seventh inning. The seven-run comeback tied the Tiger record for the biggest deficit overcome to gain victory in an NCAA Tourney game. In game-two that day versus the Bulldogs, Clemson led 6-4 entering the ninth. But against Tony Sipp, who had been nearly unhittable in the regional, Bobby Felmy and Jason Jacobs hit solo homers to tie the score, then Clint Sammons hit a solo shot in the 10th for the game-winner.

2004 - Clemson came one inning away from advancing to a super regional. Brad McCann and Lou Santangelo were second-team picks. McCann was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, along with earning third-team All-America honors. Clemson had nine players taken in the draft, including first-round (supplemental) pick Tyler Lumsden.

March 19, 2005 - Kris Harvey hit two home runs and pitched 7.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball to lead the Tigers to a 9-1 win over No. 9 North Carolina. A school-record four times during the 2005 season, he hit a long ball and earned the win on the mound in the same game.

April 23, 2005 - Taylor Harbin had one of the best games by a Tiger in history. Against the Wolfpack in Raleigh, he went 5-for-5 with three homers, eight RBIs and five runs to lead the Tigers to a 16-9 win. The three long balls came on consecutive pitches over three at-bats. Harbin added a triple and single and only lacked a double for the cycle. The three homers tied a school record held by many, while his 16 total bases broke the Clemson record of 15.

May 19-21, 2005 - Clemson swept No. 4 Miami (Fla.) by a combined score of 30-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. It was the first time since 2002 that the Hurricanes were swept in a three-game series. In game-one, Clemson scored 11 runs in the fourth inning on its way to a 15-5 victory. The Tigers handed Cesar Carrillo his first collegiate loss in his 31st career start. The next week, the Tigers downed the Hurricanes 9-1 in the ACC Tournament, giving Clemson a 4-0 record against the Hurricanes in their first season in the ACC.

June 3-5, 2005 - The Tigers swept their way through the Clemson Regional with wins over North Carolina A&T, College of Charleston and Oral Roberts by a combined score of 26-5. Andy D'Alessio had the nation's highest batting average in a regional, as he earned Clemson Regional MVP honors thanks to going 7-for-9 (.778) with four doubles, one homer and four RBIs.

June 11-13, 2005 - Clemson traveled to Texas to play No. 6 Baylor in the Waco Super Regional. The Tigers won game-one 4-2, but fell in the last two games by scores of 7-1 and 6-1. The Bears advanced to the College World Series.

2005 - Clemson came one win away from a trip to the College World Series. The Tigers finished in the top 20 of all three polls, with a high ranking of No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball. Clemson won 21 ACC regular-season games, finishing second in the standings. The Tigers, who were 19-9 against top-25 ranked teams, started the season 15-13, but went 28-10 the rest of the way. They did all this while playing a difficult schedule, which included 42 of its 66 games against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. Kris Harvey earned first-team All-America honors and tied for second in the nation with 25 home runs. Freshman Taylor Harbin earned second-team All-America accolades by Collegiate Baseball, as he hit an ACC-best 28 doubles, also second-most in the nation.

Feb. 6, 2006 - Clemson had its earliest No. 1 ranking in school history when Baseball America put the Tigers atop its poll.

April 22 - May 25, 2006 - Clemson had a 17-game winning streak, its longest winning streak since 1995. The streak included 15 straight victories over ACC teams.

May 18, 2006 - Clemson defeated No. 22 Wake Forest 26-1 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium thanks to 25 hits, including seven home runs. It set a new mark for largest margin of victory (+25) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

May 24-28, 2006 - Clemson captured the ACC Tournament crown in Jacksonville, Fla. with a 4-1 record. Sean Clark made a surprise start in the title game against NC State and pitched 8.0 masterful innings of one-run and four-hit ball in his first career start in the 8-4 victory. Tyler Colvin earned ACC Tournament MVP honors.

June 2-4, 2006 - Clemson won all three of its games in the Clemson Regional, with wins over UNC Asheville, Elon and Mississippi State, to advance to the super-regional round. Taylor Harbin was named tourney MVP.

June 9,10, 2006 - The Tigers won two close games in the Clemson Super Regional over No. 14 Oral Roberts to advance to the College World Series. Tyler Colvin walkoff grand slam, the first in school history, gave the Tigers an 11-8 win in the first game, then Clemson scored three runs in the eighth inning to beat the Golden Eagles 6-5.

June 16-20, 2006 - Clemson made its 11th trip to the College World Series. Clemson defeated Georgia Tech in its opening game, but fell to North Carolina and Cal State Fullerton.

2006 - The Tigers drew 184,946 fans for their 39 home dates, an average of 4,742 per date. Three Tigers were named to the NCBWA All-America team, including Andy D'Alessio and Tyler Colvin as first-team players and Josh Cribb on the second team. Colvin had a 26-game hitting streak, as Clemson had a 25-1 record during that stretch. Ten Tigers were taken in the major league draft, highlighted by Colvin's first-round pick by the Chicago Cubs.

Feb. 12, 2007 - Clemson moved to No. 1 in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls before it played its first game of the season.

March 25, 2007 - Clemson's 5-0 win at Maryland gave Head Coach Jack Leggett his 1,000th career win in his 28th season as a Division I head coach. He became the 29th head coach in Division I history and second-youngest at age 53 to reach the 1,000-win mark.

May 11-13, 2007 - Clemson defeated No. 2 Florida State twice in three games at Tallahassee, Fla. It was the Tigers' first series win at Florida State since 1993. The Seminoles entered the series with a 32-2 home record and had not lost back-to-back games all year until the Tigers won the final two games of the series.

June 1-4, 2007 - Clemson won all three of its games in the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Regional, with one win over St. John's and two victories over host Coastal Carolina to advance to the super-regional round. In the first game, Andy D'Alessio was named regional MVP.

June 8,9, 2007 - The Tigers lost two close games at Mississippi State by scores of 8-6 and 8-5 in the Starkville (Miss.) Super Regional in front of 26,335 combined fans.

2007 - Clemson averaged 4,810 fans for its 34 home dates and had 163,537 fans in all visit Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Andy D'Alessio tied the school record with 59 career home runs. Brad Chalk had a streak of 50 straight games reaching base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch that started in 2006 and ended in 2007. Eleven Tigers were selected in the major league draft, highlighted by Daniel Moskos, who was the No. 4 overall pick of the draft. Five Tigers were selected in the top-three rounds as well.

Feb. 24, 2008 - For the fourth time in school history, a player hit two home runs in one inning. In the third inning against Mercer at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Wilson Boyd hit a one-out, solo homer. Later in the frame, he belted a two-out, three-run homer in the Tigers' nine-run inning. Clemson won the game by a score of 10-3.

March 9, 2008 - In the second game of a doubleheader at Wake Forest, freshman Kyle Parker went 5-for-5 with three homers, a double, five runs, seven RBIs and 15 totals bases. His last homer, a three-run shot, tied the score in the ninth inning in a game Clemson won by a score of 12-11. Parker had just one homer and two RBIs in his career entering the game.

April 20, 2008 - Clemson and Duke played to a 6-6 tie in 10 innings at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C. It was the Tigers' first draw since 1987. Clemson scored four runs in the ninth, capped by Kyle Parker blasted a two-run homer with no outs in the 11th inning. Immediately thereafter, inclement weather halted play. The game was eventually called due to unplayable field conditions, meaning that Parker's long ball did not count.

2008 - Clemson finished the season with a 31-27-1 record and did not advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986, ending its 21-year streak. Clemson again played one of the nation's toughest schedules, as it was the second-toughest according to one unofficial RPI. D.J. Mitchell had 106 strikeouts in 98.2 innings pitched, while Kyle Parker was a freshman All-American after hitting .303 with a team-high 14 homers and 50 RBIs. Doug Hogan also had a 24-game hitting streak that started in 2007 and ended in 2008.

March 18, 2009 - Five righthanders combined to pitch Clemson's first no-hitter since 1984 in a 14-0 victory over USC Upstate. Justin Sarratt, Scott Weismann, Kyle Deese, Tomas Cruz and Matt Vaughn combined to allow just two baserunners, one on an error in the outfield on a routine flyball and one on a walk in the eighth inning. The five pitchers also combined to face only one batter over the minimum.

May 29 - June 1, 2009 - Clemson won three games facing elimination in a two-day span to capture the Clemson (S.C.) Regional title and advance to the Tempe (Ariz.) Super Regional. The Tigers won their opener over Tennessee Tech 5-4 thanks to Kyle Parker two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning. Chris Epps was named regional MVP.

June 6,7, 2009 - The Tigers lost two games at No. 2 Arizona State by scores of 7-4 and 8-2 in the Tempe (Ariz.) Super Regional.

2009 - Clemson had a 44-22 overall record and 19-11 ACC mark, third-best in the league. The Tigers finished in the top 16 of all three major polls. Clemson did not lose more than two games in a row all season. Clemson's 3.68 ERA was fifth-best in the nation, its best finish since 1996. The Tigers also averaged 4,727 for their 36 home dates.

March 7, 2010 - Clemson defeated No. 15 South Carolina 19-6 at Carolina Stadium in Columbia behind two grand slams, one by Chris Epps and one by Phil Pohl. It was the first time the Tigers hit two grand slams in one game since March 3, 1991.

March 17, 2010 - Clemson totaled 16 extra-base hits in its 22-6 victory over Georgia Southern at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers amassed nine doubles, one triple and six homers. Clemson hit four homers in an eight-run first inning. The Tigers also hit back-to-back home runs three times in the game.

May 20-22, 2010 - Entering the final regular-season weekend trailing Florida State by three games in the ACC standings, the Tigers swept the Seminoles in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to finish in a tie with Florida State in the ACC Atlantic Division standings. However, Clemson was crowned division champion thanks to the tiebreaker of sweeping the series. Clemson won by scores of 9-8, 8-4 and 8-3.

June 4-7, 2010 - Clemson won three of its four games in the Auburn (Ala.) Regional to capture the title. The Tigers trounced Southern Mississippi 10-1 in their first game and faced host Auburn in the winners' bracket.

June 12-14, 2010 - After falling to Alabama 5-4 in the first game of the Clemson (S.C.) Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers rebounded with a 19-5 win in game-two to even the series. The Tigers held on to defeat the Crimson Tide 8-6 in game-three to advance to the College World Series.

June 21-26, 2010 - Clemson made its 12th trip to the College World Series and went 2-2 in four games to finish in a tie for third in the nation. The Tigers topped No. 1 Arizona State 6-3 in their opener and then defeated No. 6 Oklahoma 6-4 to improve to 2-0. However, No. 5 South Carolina downed Clemson twice by scores of 5-1 and 4-3 to end the Tigers' season.

2010 - Clemson had a 45-25 overall record and 18-12 ACC mark in winning the ACC Atlantic Division title. The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 4 in the polls after winning the Auburn (Ala.) Regional, Clemson (S.C.) Super Regional and earning a bid to the College World Series, where it finished tied for third in the country with two wins in Omaha and advanced further than any other ACC team. Kyle Parker was named a first-team All-American and was picked in the first round of the major league draft. Head Coach Jack Leggett was named ABCA Atlantic Region Coach-of-the-Year. The Tigers also averaged 4,694 fans per date for their 35 home dates.

March 2, 2011 - Clemson recorded its 1,000th all-time victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in its 5-1 win over Wofford.

May 17, 2011 - Clemson totaled 23 hits and tied a school record for batting average (.523) in a game in its 19-0 win over Davidson. The Tigers scored in all eight of their innings in which they batted. There was also a 127-minute rain delay. During the delay, both teams conducted multiple skits on the field. The highlight video of the skits became a YouTube sensation.

July 3, 2011 - Bill Wilhelm, Clemson's head baseball coach for 36 seasons from 1958-93, was one of seven members of the 2011 class inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. He became the first person associated with Clemson to be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. He passed away on December 24, 2010 at the age of 81.

2011 - Clemson had a 43-20 overall record and 17-13 ACC mark. The Tigers finished the season ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation after hosting the Clemson (S.C.) Regional. After starting the season 14-12, the Tigers won 29 of their final 37 games. The Tigers were sixth in the nation in batting average (.318) and 15th in runs per game (7.1). Clemson led the ACC in batting average (.318) by 14 points and had an ACC-high 106 steals. The Tigers had eight draft picks, led by second-round picks Brad Miller and Will Lamb. Miller, who was 16th in the nation and first in the ACC with a .395 batting average, was named ACC Player-of-the-Year and was a first-team All-American along with earning the Brooks Wallace Shortstop-of-the-Year Award. Lamb had a 25-game hitting streak, the longest by an ACC player in 2011.

Feb. 25,26, 2012 - Clemson overcame deficits of 4-0 and 6-0 to defeat Maine in both games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers defeated the Black Bears 9-5 after trailing 4-0 on February 25, then rallied from a six-run deficit for a 9-6 win the following day.

April 13,17, 2012 - Thomas Brittle hit a walkoff single in the 12th inning to give Clemson a 7-6 win over No. 17 NC State on April 13. Four days later, he hit another walkoff single in Clemson's 3-2 win over Charleston Southern. Both walkoff singles scored Tyler Slaton.

May 12,14,25, 2012 - Clemson notched three wins over top-ranked Florida State, including its first-ever top-ranked victory at home on May 12. Jon McGibbon's three-run walkoff homer in the ACC Tournament on May 25 gave Clemson a 9-7 win over the Seminoles. The Tigers won three of their four games against No. 1 Florida State, who went on to play in the College World Series.

2012 - Clemson had a 35-28 overall record and 16-14 ACC mark. The Tigers lost just two games by more than four runs and had 19 comeback wins. Clemson led the ACC in fielding percentage (.973). The Tigers had seven draft selections, led by first-round pick Richie Shaffer. Shaffer, who tied for third in the nation in walks (63), was a first-team All-American. Thomas Brittle had a 22-game hitting streak, the longest by an ACC player in 2012. Shortstop Jason Stolz committed just four errors in starting all 63 games.

April 1, 2013 - Clemson defeated No. 1 North Carolina 5-4 in 11 innings on the road. Scott Firth stranded runners at second and third in the eighth, 10th and 11th innings without allowing a run, while Garrett Boulware's groundout scored Jay Baum for the winning run. It was the first of Clemson's 11 wins in a row, its longest winning streak since 2006.

May 14, 2013 - Trailing 7-5 with one out in the ninth inning against USC Upstate, Kevin Bradley hit an opposite-field, three-run homer to give Clemson an 8-7 win. It was his first career homer, while he entered the game with just two career RBIs. He became the first Tiger since 1988 to have his first career long ball be in walkoff fashion. He only started at the last minute due to Jon McGibbon's illness.

May 16, 2013 - Thomas Brittle hit a two-run, inside-the-park home run at No. 8 Florida State in Clemson's 8-2 victory. Center fielder Seth Miller made a diving attempt, but could not make the catch and the ball bounced well behind him.

2013 - Clemson had a 40-22 overall record and an 18-12 ACC mark. The Tigers, who were ranked No. 25 in the final USA Today poll, totaled an ACC-high 111 steals, 16th-most in the nation. After starting the season 16-11, Clemson won 23 of its next 27 games thanks to winning streaks of 11 and nine games. Garrett Boulware led the team in homers (8) and RBIs (45), while Shane Kennedy led the team in batting average (.317), on-base percentage (.408) and steals (22). Daniel Gossett became the Tigers' first double-digit winner since 2002, as he was 10-4 with a 2.56 ERA. Freshman Matthew Crownover had a 7-3 record and team-best 2.19 ERA, while he led the ACC in ERA (1.73) in league games.