Hard-throwing righthander who was one of the team’s top midweek starters in 2016, became the closer in 2017 and was one of the best closers in the nation in 2018 … in 104.1 innings pitched over 69 appearances (six starts) and three seasons, he had a 9-6 record, 15 saves and a 3.19 ERA while allowing 77 hits (.205 opponents’ batting average), five homers and 54 walks with 120 strikeouts … fourth in Tiger history in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.35), eighth in saves and eighth in hits per nine innings pitched (6.64).
2018: Drafted in the fifth round (No. 140 overall pick) by the New York Mets and signed in June … NCBWA Stopper-of-the-Year Watch List member … second-team All-American by Baseball America and NCBWA … third-team All-American by ABCA … NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American, the first in program history … first-team All-Atlantic Region by ABCA … First-Team All-ACC selection; became Clemson’s first relief pitcher to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since 1998 (Scott Clackum) … All-ACC Academic selection … had a 3-3 record and 1.41 ERA in 27 relief appearances … in 38.1 innings pitched, he allowed 22 hits (.165 opponents’ batting average), two homers and 22 walks with 54 strikeouts … tied for third in Tiger history in saves … tied for first in the ACC in saves … led the team in saves and games finished on the mound (20) … only allowed five of his 19 inherited baserunners to score … held opponents to 0-for-8 with five strikeouts with the bases loaded … had nine saves, an 0.41 ERA, a .125 opponents’ batting average and 31 strikeouts in 22.0 innings pitched over 13 relief appearances in ACC regular-season games … had eight saves, an 0.00 ERA, a .109 opponents’ batting average and 23 strikeouts against five walks in 17.0 innings pitched over 12 relief appearances on opponents’ home fields … had a save in five straight appearances in April, only the second Tiger in history to do that (Paul Harrelson in 2002 is the other). … pitched a hitless and scoreless 10th inning with three strikeouts against no walks to earn the win against William & Mary on Feb. 16 … pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to record the save against William & Mary on Feb. 18 … pitched 2.0 innings in relief with four strikeouts to record the save in the second game of a doubleheader against No. 10 Dallas Baptist on Feb. 24 … pitched 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no earned runs with two strikeouts at No. 23 South Carolina on March 2 … pitched 1.2 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no earned runs with a strikeout to earn the win against No. 23 South Carolina on March 4 … pitched 1.1 perfect innings in relief with three strikeouts to record the save in the first game of a doubleheader at No. 11 Louisville on March 25 … pitched 1.1 hitless and scoreless innings in relief with one strikeout to record the save against Boston College on March 31 … pitched 2.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no runs with two strikeouts to record the save in the second game of a doubleheader at Notre Dame on April 8 … pitched 1.2 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no runs with four strikeouts against Miami (Fla.) on April 13 … pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to record the save at Wake Forest on April 21 … pitched 2.2 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no runs with five strikeouts to record the save at Wake Forest on April 22 … pitched 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with one strikeout to record the save at Virginia on April 27 … pitched 1.1 perfect innings in relief to record the save at Virginia on April 28 … pitched 1.2 innings in relief, allowing no hits, no runs and no walks with three strikeouts to record the save at Virginia on April 29; earned the save in all three one-run wins in the series and became the first Tiger in history to record a save in all three games of a three-game series … pitched 4.0 innings in relief, allowing three hits and one run with seven strikeouts against No. 15 Florida State on May 5 … pitched 3.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no runs with four strikeouts against Austin Peay on May 13 … pitched a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout to record the save at Pittsburgh on May 18 … pitched 2.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no runs with two strikeouts at Pittsburgh on May 19 … pitched 0.2 scoreless innings in relief, allowing no walks with one strikeout to earn the win against Morehead State in the Clemson Regional on June 1 … NCBWA Stopper-of-the-Year Watch List member in the preseason … No. 87 college prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 74 junior in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game … No. 7 relief pitcher in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 14 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by Perfect Game … No. 15 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 16 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by Baseball America.
2017: Had a 3-1 record, four saves and a 2.57 ERA in 27 relief appearances … in 35.0 innings pitched, he allowed 29 hits (.225 opponents’ batting average), two homers and 14 walks with 50 strikeouts … led the team in appearances, games finished (16) and saves … held opponents to a .133 batting average with two outs … in 22.0 innings pitched after the eighth inning, he allowed just 12 hits (.158 opponents’ batting average), two earned runs (0.82 ERA) and seven walks with 36 strikeouts … pitched 2.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with four strikeouts against Wright State on Feb. 18 … pitched 1.1 perfect innings in a relief with a strikeout to record his first career save against Western Carolina on Feb. 22 … pitched 4.1 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with nine strikeouts against Elon on Feb. 24; combined with Charlie Barnes and Brooks Crawford to set a school record with 23 strikeouts … pitched 2.0 innings in relief with three strikeouts to earn the win against No. 4 South Carolina at Greenville, S.C., on March 4 … pitched 1.1 hitless and scoreless innings in relief with a two-out, bases-loaded strikeout in the ninth inning at No. 4 South Carolina on March 5 … pitched 1.2 hitless and scoreless innings in relief with three strikeouts to record the save at Boston College in Kingston, R.I., on March 26 … pitched a hitless and scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout to record the save against Virginia Tech on April 8 … pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with four strikeouts against Charleston Southern on April 11 … pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing two hits, no runs and no walks with five strikeouts to earn the win at No. 25 Florida State on April 15 … pitched 3.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with three strikeouts to record the save against Nevada on May 8 … pitched 1.2 innings in relief, allowing no hits, no runs and no walks with three strikeouts to earn the win against No. 24 Coastal Carolina on May 16 … pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in relief with two strikeouts against Duke in the ACC Tournament on May 23 … No. 35 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball … played for the USA Collegiate National Team in the summer, where he was 1-1 with three saves, an 0.00 ERA, a .148 opponents’ batting average and nine strikeouts against two walks in 8.1 innings pitched over nine relief appearances … played for Hyannis in the Cape Cod League in the summer, where he was 0-1 and allowed six hits, five runs and one walk with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched over one start.
2016: Had a 3-2 record and 6.10 ERA in 15 appearances (six starts) … in 31.0 innings pitched, he allowed 26 hits (.230 opponents’ batting average), including only three extra-base hits (two doubles, one homer), and 18 walks with 16 strikeouts … pitched 6.1 innings in his first career start, allowing six hits, three earned runs and three walks with two strikeouts to earn the win at Western Carolina on March 30 … pitched 5.0 innings in a starting role, allowing one hit, no runs and one walk with one strikeout to earn the win against Georgia on April 19 … pitched 2.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with one strikeout against No. 3 Florida State on May 1 … pitched 4.0 innings in a starting role, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with one strikeout against Furman on May 4 … pitched 5.2 innings in a starting role, allowing five hits and three runs with four strikeouts to earn the win at Georgia Southern on May 15 … No. 94 freshman in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game.
Before Clemson: Cobb County Pitcher-of-the-Year as a junior … lettered four times in baseball at Kennesaw Mountain High School, where he was coached by George Hansen.
Personal: Majoring in sports communication … born Ryley Carswell Gilliam on Aug. 11, 1996 in Marietta, Ga.
