EVERETT – On July 19th, Everett AquaSox pitcher Drew Fiorenza reacted with anguish when Boise’s Tyler Colvin laced his 2-2 pitch for a double to the left-center gap.
One month earlier Fiorenza’s reaction to Colvin’s feat would have been the complete opposite.
But such is life when a college baseball powerhouse is finally broken up.
Fiorenza, fellow Everett pitcher Steve Richard, and Colvin were all members of the Clemson University team that won the ACC title, reached the College World Series and was ranked as high as second in the nation this spring. Now they’re three of what’s been a Clemson invasion of the minor leagues this summer.
“It’s actually an interesting experience to play against someone you played with, and now you’re competing against them,” Fiorenza said. “I hope they all do well and I’m sure they hope I do well, but it’s always competition.”
Fiorenza, Richard and Colvin are just three of the 10 players who were drafted from Clemson this season. Richard (eighth round) and Fiorenza (15th round) were both taken by the Seattle Mariners and are teammates again, this time in Everett. Six of the other eight Clemson players drafted have signed and are playing at various locations in the minors – Colvin and pitcher Stephen Faris (Eugene) joined Fiorenza and Richard in the Northwest League.
Which makes starting their pro careers a group experience for the former Tigers.
“We’ve played teams where we’ve known kids. One of my best friends is Tyler Colvin,” said Richard, gesturing toward the visiting dugout at Everett Memorial Stadium, where the AquaSox were facing the Hawks. “So you run into kids all around. You’re always looking on the Internet seeing how they’re doing, talking to them. So it’s good to have friends who know what it’s like and know what you’re going through.”
In recent years Clemson has become one of the best college baseball programs in the country, and the 2006 season was perhaps the Tigers’ greatest year in the history of the program. Clemson compiled a 53-16 record and was the No. 1 seed at the College World Series, where the Tigers won one of three games and were eliminated.
How talented was that team? Despite being eighth- and 15th-round draft picks, neither Richard nor Fiorenza appeared in the College World Series.
And the collection of that much talent in one location can provide a boost for everyone. Just glancing at their Clemson statistics this season, it wouldn’t seem that either Richard (4.30 earned run average in 21 relief appearance) or Fiorenza (6.60 ERA in 12 relief appearances) was a hot prospect. However, because the team was under such scrutiny, the scouts were able to view the players beyond their stats.
“Clemson’s definitely a hotspot, and all the teams in the ACC have a lot of talent,” Fiorenza said. “So everywhere you go it’s easy for scouts to see you play. I feel like even with the level of talent on our team, we actually raised our level of play up sometimes. You’re trying to compete – even inter-team competition, trying to be the best on a team where there’s that much talent.”
So far, Fiorenza and Richard have had good starts to their professional careers. Going into Thursday night’s game, Fiorenza was 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings. Richard was 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in nine innings.
Most of the other Clemson players are also adjusting well to pro ball. Colvin had a torrid series against the AquaSox and was named the Northwest League’s Player of the Week. He’s batting .284 with four home runs and 23 RBI. Pitchers Jason Berken of Aberdeen of the New York-Penn League (0-2, 4.00 ERA) and Josh Cribb of Idaho Falls of the Pioneer League (1-1, 3.06 ERA) also had solid starts.
It’s no surprise to Richard and Fiorenza to see their former teammates doing well.
“Coming from a program like that the guys are pretty talented, so it’s only a matter of time before they really figure it out and work their way through the system,” Richard said. “We had so much depth on the Clemson team that me and Drew didn’t even get to pitch that much, but we still got a chance. I know a lot of guys are doing well, so it’s not surprising at all.”
By turning pro en masse, the Clemson players have their own built-in support system for making the adjustment from college baseball to professional baseball. That support is amplified for Fiorenza and Richard, who have that support system readily on hand.
“It’s really nice to have a teammate, a face you know before you come in, because meeting new people is sometimes difficult,” Fiorenza said. “We have the same routine, we practice together sometimes, he’s my roommate. It’s just a comfort level, it’s nice to have a comfort level.”
And if the former Tigers maintain that comfort level and continue to progress, it’s possible that in a few years they’ll be going through a similar group experience in the major leagues.
Said Fiorenza: “I look forward to seeing them in the next levels up and for a long time after that.”
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