Faris Joins Baseball Coaching Staff as Volunteer Assistant

Clemson, SC –

Clemson Baseball Head Coach Jack Leggett announced the addition of former Tiger righthander Stephen Faris to the coaching staff as the volunteer assistant on Wednesday.  Faris replaces former Tiger first-baseman Michael Johnson, who served as the volunteer assistant for the previous five seasons (2009-13).  Faris will assist Associate Head Coach and Pitching Coach Dan Pepicelli with the pitching staff.  Faris was a starting righthander on three Clemson teams (2004-06) before playing four seasons in the minor leagues.

“We are very excited to have Stephen at Clemson as our volunteer assistant coach,” said Leggett.  “He was an outstanding pitcher and leader when he was a player at Clemson.  He knows our system and what it takes to run a successful program.

“Stephen was one of the most competitive pitchers I’ve ever coached, and he will bring that same competitiveness and work ethic to our coaching staff.  We couldn’t be more pleased to have Stephen join our staff.”

Faris (pronounced FAYR-ihs) was a student assistant on the 2013 Tiger team that posted a 40-22 record, advanced to the Columbia (SC) Regional, and finished the season ranked #25 in the nation in the USA Today coaches poll.  That pitching staff had a 3.21 ERA and featured All-ACC righthander Daniel Gossett and freshman All-America lefthander Matthew Crownover.

As a Tiger, Faris had a 16-10 record and a 3.24 ERA in 242.0 innings pitched over 55 appearances (33 starts).  He had 189 strikeouts against 56 walks, good for a 3.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio, fifth-best in school history.  He also had a 2.08 walks per nine innings pitched mark, fourth-best in Tiger history.

After pitching limited innings as a freshman in 2004, Faris emerged as a versatile pitcher in 2005 with a 6-4 record, a team-best 2.60 ERA, and one save while allowing just one home run in 20 appearances (10 starts) to earn Second-Team All-ACC honors.  The highlight of his 2005 season came against #4 South Carolina when he pitched a complete game five-hitter to earn the win.  He received ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors for that effort.

As a junior in 2006, Faris had a 9-3 record and a team-best 2.36 ERA in a team-high 103.0 innings pitched over 18 starts on Clemson’s College World Series team that finished the season ranked #5 in the nation.  He added 86 strikeouts against only 20 walks, good for a 4.30 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

In four seasons in the minor leagues, Faris had a 23-24 record and a 4.24 ERA in 411.2 innings pitched over 99 appearances (69 starts).  He reached as high as AAA in 2007 with the Portland (OR) Beavers of the Padres organization.

The 29-year-old Faris, a two-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll during his time as a player, graduated from Clemson this past May with a degree in sport management.  He was born June 30, 1984 in Richmond, VA.