Krall Top ACC Scholar-Athlete

CLEMSON, S.C. – Junior lefthander Pat Krall (Downingtown, Pa.) was named ACC Baseball Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year, announced Friday by the league office. The ACC Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year awards were established in 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Krall, a management major who has a 3.60 cumulative GPA, became the first Tiger to receive the honor for baseball.

Krall joined four other Tigers as members of the All-ACC Academic Team, as Clemson’s five selections tied for second most in the conference. Sophomore outfielder Chase Pinder (sports communication) was named to the team for the second time, while sophomore lefty Charlie Barnes (parks, recreation & tourism management), freshman outfielder Seth Beer (parks, recreation & tourism management) and freshman righthander Alex Eubanks (parks, recreation & tourism management) were named All-ACC Academic for the first time.

Minimum academic 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 for undergraduate students. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the squad.

Krall became the first Tiger in history to lead the team outright in wins (10) and saves (5) in one season in 2016. He was 10-2 with an ACC-best 1.67 ERA and a .203 opponents’ batting average along with 65 strikeouts against 17 walks in 80.2 innings pitched over 29 appearances (three starts).

Barnes (Sumter, S.C.) was 6-4 with a 4.66 ERA, .256 opponents’ batting average and 84 strikeouts against only 24 walks (3.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio) as a weekend starter in 2016. He was the only Tiger pitcher to start every game he appeared in and made a team-high 16 starts on the mound.

Beer (Suwanee, Ga.) was the winner of the Dick Howser Trophy as national player-of-the-year, the first freshman in history to win the award. He batted .369 with 57 runs, 13 doubles, an ACC-high 18 homers, 70 RBIs, a .700 slugging percentage, 62 walks, 15 hit-by-pitches, a .535 on-base percentage and one steal in 62 games. He ended the season on a 60-game on-base streak and had a 26-game hitting streak earlier in the season.

Eubanks (Moore, S.C.) was 6-5 with a 4.09 ERA and 70 strikeouts against 21 walks in 81.1 innings pitched. In his first career start against No. 18 South Carolina on March 6, he allowed six hits and one run with eight strikeouts to earn the win and ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors.

Pinder (Poquoson, Va.) rebounded from injury in 2015 to become Clemson’s starter in center and leadoff batter in 2016. He hit .294 with 11 homers, eight doubles, two triples, 46 RBIs, 67 runs, a .412 on-base percentage and nine steals in 64 games. Pinder, who was second in the ACC in runs, received the Bob Bradley Award as Clemson’s MVP of the South Carolina series.