Spotlight – Patrick Andrews

Note: The following appears in the Troy gameday football program. To purchase a copy of the program while supplies last, send a check for $6 to Clemson Athletic Communications; P.O. Box 31; Clemson, SC 29633 with your return address.

In 2012, Patrick Andrews came to Clemson as a freshman engineering major and righthanded pitcher. In 2014, he received a medical redshirt because of an elbow injury that resulted in “Tommy John” surgery.

In 2015, he graduated with a mechanical engineering degree but did not pitch due to a setback in his surgical recovery. In 2016, he made a remarkable comeback and worked his way to being one of the team’s top relievers, posting a 2.31 ERA over 19 relief appearances.

And in 2017, he will be back for one more year and will become the first sixth-year player in program history.

“My Clemson experience has been unbelievable,” said Andrews. “That was a big part of wanting to come back and play a sixth year. Having the opportunity to play one more year at Clemson was something I couldn’t turn down because of what I’ve been able to experience so far as a student-athlete.”

The four-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member said that Clemson was the perfect fit for his college experience because it is a place where he could pursue his interests in mechanical engineering while also “being a student-athlete on a campus where the baseball program means so much to the university.”

In November 2014, he was chosen as one of three ACC student-athletes to hold voting power on proposed governance rule changes under the NCAA’s Division I autonomy process. He attended the NCAA convention in January 2015 as one of 80 voting members, including one of three ACC student-athletes, on legislation proposals.

Clemson prepared Andrews well for life after baseball, as he has already accepted a job with General Electric, but for right now, he is focused on continuing the success he found as a reliever for the Tigers last season.

“I’ve been middle relief for most of my career, and I enjoy that because you get the opportunity to pick up your teammates coming in during the middle of innings, and you get the opportunity to bridge games to the end for big-time relievers. I personally think that middle relief separates the good teams in college baseball, so I always enjoy having that on my shoulders.”

Middle relief or otherwise, Andrews is looking forward to having the opportunity to contribute in any way he can during the 2017 season, and he wants his final year to be a memorable one.

“My goal for this year is to win the national championship,” stated Andrews. “Winning the ACC Tournament last year was great, but that’s not all the way done. Personally, I want to give everything I can to the team and the program. Whatever my role is, I’m going to do everything I can for it. Hopefully, whatever I do impacts the end result of the game. At the end of the day, it’s about how many games we can win and being the last team on the field.”

He also is honored to be able to represent the university that has meant so much to him.

“Clemson has meant more than I ever could have imagined,” reflected Andrews. “Going through the experience of being hurt like that, having to come through recovery from ‘Tommy John’ and then having a setback that cost me another year…Clemson kept me involved in the process.

“Clemson grounded me, and the community and the family kept me in it every day. Knowing that there was going to be a day in the future when I’d be back out on the field in front of the fans…that’s what kept me in it every day.

“When I first came here, I never expected Clemson would mean as much to me as it does today.”