CLEMSON, S.C. – A total of 17 Tigers were named to the All-ACC Academic Baseball Team, announced Friday by the league office. The 17 selections set a program record, six more than the previous record of 11 set by the 2011 team.
Blake Wright (economics) made the team for the third time, the first Tiger to be a three-time selection since Logan Davidson (2017-19). Joe Allen (communication), Nick Clayton (parks, recreation & tourism management), Jack Crighton (financial management) and Reed Garris (parks, recreation & tourism management) made the team for the second time.
First-time selections were Tristan Bissetta (financial management), Austin Gordon (sports communication), Jacob Hinderleider (data science & analytics), Rob Hughes (computer science), Aidan Knaak (pre-business), Lucas Mahlstedt (physics), Matthew Marchal (athletic leadership), Alden Mathes (athletic leadership in education), Nolan Nawrocki (financial management), Jimmy Obertop (athletic leadership in education), Will Taylor (communication) and Drew Titsworth (pre-business).
Requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative GPA during one’s academic career. In addition, position players must compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests and pitchers in at least 20 percent.
Wright (Belleair, Fla.) was an All-American who led the team in batting average (.340) and RBIs (75) while tying the team lead for homers (22). Allen (Hampton Falls, N.H.) held opponents to a .190 batting average and Clayton (York, S.C.) had a 2-0 record in 15 relief appearances.
Crighton (Rochester Hills, Mich.) came on to be the starter at first base late in the year and hit .313 on the season. Garris (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) had 25 strikeouts against only six walks along with a .225 opponents’ batting average.
Bissetta (Greenville, S.C.) hit .298 with seven homers and 34 RBIs in 44 games (36 starts). Gordon (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) totaled 11 saves as Clemson’s closer for the second half of the season. Hinderleider (Kaneohe, Hawaii) hit .336 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs.
Hughes (Rock Hill, S.C.) had three saves in 13 relief appearances. Knaak (Fort Myers, Fla.) was the national freshman pitcher-of-the-year by NCBWA and a First-Team All-ACC selection who had a 5-1 record and 3.35 ERA while leading the team in innings pitched (83.1) and strikeouts (108). Mahlstedt (Ormond Beach, Fla.) was one of the team’s top relievers, as he made a team-high 28 appearances.
Marchal (Greenville, S.C.) had a 5-0 record and one save, while Mathes (Broomall, Pa.) hit .308 with 10 homers, 33 RBIs and a .445 on-base percentage. Nawrocki (Rockville, Centre, N.Y.) had 24 RBIs and tied for the team lead in steals (11).
Obertop (St. Louis, Mo.) hit .303 with 22 homers, 56 RBIs and a .438 on-base percentage. Taylor (Irmo, S.C.) missed the second half of the season due to injury, but still led the team in on-base percentage (.465). Titsworth (Frankenmuth, Mich.) had a 4-0 record, 3.15 ERA and .194 opponents’ batting average in 11 relief appearances.
