Two-way player Caden Grice leads Clemson baseball’s resurgence to national relevance
Caden Grice coming to life in March coincided with Clemson’s impressive second-half run that’s led to a 16-game winning streak, an ACC title and the No. 4 national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
It’s not a coincidence. Heading into Friday’s Clemson Regional matchup with fourth-seeded Lipscomb, the two-way player has become the face of the program’s resurgence with his ability to affect the game at the plate and on the mound.
“Everyone knows he’s a superstar and has a chance to play both ways at the highest level,” Clemson head coach Erik Bakich said. “This is one of the most physically gifted and talented kids in college baseball. But the teammate that he is, is really what allows him to play at the top of his potential as well.”
Grice, a junior who starred at Riverside High School in Greer, has been a menace at the plate, hitting .302 with 16 homers, 13 doubles and 63 RBIs. He’s scored 56 runs and sports a .409 on-base percentage in 56 games (55 starts).
Just how big of a difference has he made as a hitter? Grice had just two RBIs and no home runs through the first 18 games of the season. Clemson’s gone 32-10 since then.
“The risk is, someone in their draft year is just locked in on putting up personal stats and accolades for their own personal gain,” Bakich said. “But he’s a true team guy, and he’s turned into a glue guy on the team as well.”
On the mound, Grice is 8-1 with a 3.25 ERA, 91 strikeouts and 32 walks in 69.1 innings (13 starts). Opponents are hitting .195 on the lefty, and he hasn’t allowed more than four runs in a single outing this season. He’s scheduled to get the start in the regional’s Game 2 on Saturday.
It’s been a huge bounce-back season for a player who pitched seven relief innings and hit .244 a year ago. He struck out 97 times in 57 games. He’s cut that down to 70 through 60 games in 2023.
“He puts in so much work on the pitching and hitting side, and everyone knew that the type of player he was,” said third baseman Blake Wright, Grice’s roommate. “I think really last year (the struggles were) just baseball. He had a tremendous freshman year. He’s just an incredible player and he’s really showing it this year.”
Others are noticing as well. Grice was named second-team All-ACC last week. Then he followed that up with ACC tournament MVP honors as he racked up seven hits and nine RBIs while also pitching seven solid innings as Clemson won the conference title for the first time since 2016.
On Tuesday, Grice was named a finalist for the John Olerud Award, which goes to the nation’s top two-way player.
“Honestly, it’s all about the team,” Grice said Tuesday. “The awards are cool, but none of it would be possible and I wouldn’t be here without all my teammates. We just want to keep this team together as long as we can.”
Grice did acknowledge that being a two-way player isn’t easy. It’s something he’s done his entire life, so he’s used to the regiment. But there are days when he throws a bullpen session before practice followed by a full workout as a hitter and first baseman.
Still, he encourages younger players to not be deterred by the hard work.
“For any kids that are questioning about not doing two-way, I think every kid should at least give it a shot,” Grice said. “Why not? You don’t know what you can’t do, so you gotta give it a shot, give it an effort. And I really think it’s worth it because it’s a lot of fun.”
Clemson Regional schedule
Friday, June 2
Game 1 – (1) Clemson (43-17) vs. (4) Lipscomb (36-24), 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2 – (3) Charlotte (34-26) vs. (2) Tennessee (38-19); 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, June 3
Game 3 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (TV TBA)
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (TV TBA)
Sunday, June 4
Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 (TV TBA)
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 (TV TBA)
Monday, June 5
Game 7 – (if necessary): Rematch Game 6 (TV TBA)
