The Clemson pitching staff added veteran experience through the transfer portal, and have one of the most tested pitchers in the country. Wofford transfer Matthew Marchal joined the Tigers program after three years for the Terriers, and that consistency is represented in his game.
Marchal pitched in 216 innings over three years, totaling 227 strikeouts. That’s experience that can’t be matched and head coach Erik Bakich raved about him ahead of the January practice.
“Matthew Marchal has the most starting experience of anyone on our team and he could’ve gone to any team in the country and that would’ve most likely been the case,” Bakich said. “Just brings a wealth of experience, so many innings pitched. I couldn’t quote you on how many but he’s done it a lot and very well. He’s got credentials, he’s got a resume of Division-I success.”
While Marchal’s game doesn’t pop off the page as pretty, it’s the details that matter for him. He’s a strike-thrower and Bakich said that’s key when working with pitching coach Jimmy Belanger who is “almost maniacal” about the 64 percent strike clip he’d like his group to maintain.