46 ❘ O R A N G E : T H E E X P E R I E N C E

hen the Clemson base-

ball team opened the 2014 season

last Friday against Eastern Michigan, it

did so with ace Daniel Gossett on the mound.

A native of Lyman, SC, Gossett grew up a Clemson fan.

“My parents are huge Clemson fans and

we’ve been coming to games since I was little,” he said. “I fell in love with the campus then and it has stuck.”

That early love for Clemson is part of what drives Gossett to succeed here. One of the first steps in the process is to not only play well in college, but also to continue on his career into the professional ranks.

Gossett is a self-proclaimed guy who is just trying to have fun. Pitching Coach Dan Pepi-celli describes his ace as a “funny kid with a

lot of energy” that is always “wired up and en-ergetic.” But if you talk to Pepicelli, you will also hear the adjectives planner, focused, and great work ethic used to describe his pitcher.

“He’s a really good kid and has that ability to hit the switch when it’s time to focus on the details,” Pepicelli said. That attention to detail has allowed Gossett to become the player that he is today.

A highly touted recruit from nearby Byrnes High School, Gossett entered the Clemson

program with a lot of hype. Despite having a slow fall his freshman year, Gossett’s great work ethic allowed him to overcome early struggles to become one of the best arms in the program where he was later named Clemson’s rook-ie-of-the-year.

“He clearly had talent, but in the beginning he was just trying to figure out how to compete at this level,” Pepi-celli said. “By the end of the year he was as effective of a starter as we had. When we went to the Columbia Re-gional that year, he pitched a very good game and showed everyone what he had. It was impressive.”

That success carried over to his sophomore season when he was the Friday starter from

PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY by Joey Johns

Junior hurler Daniel Gossett hopeful of Tigers’ return to Omaha

Gossett is a preseason All-American and Clemson’s No. 1 starter heading into the 2014 season.Photo by Dawson Powers

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 47

the beginning and finished the year with 10 wins, was a second-team All-ACC selection and currently sits ninth in program history in strikeouts-per-nine-innings pitched with 9.14.

Now a junior, Gossett looks to build on that success.

“I think everyone knew who he was, es-pecially after beating (Carlos) Rodon at NC State last year,” Pepicelli said. “But I was curi-ous, once he becomes ‘the guy,’ will he still fol-low the process that allowed him to get to this point or will he stray off? There is no doubt in my mind that he will stay the course.”

Entering the 2014 season, Gossett has been named a preseason third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA and has also been named the No. 77 preseason prospect in the nation by Baseball America.

Gossett will be the first to admit that base-ball is a team game and at the end of the day, the success of the team is what really counts.

“He’s the tip of the spear,” as Pepicelli de-scribes it, the guy who goes out on the field and sets the table for the rest of the staff to fol-low suit. What the typical fan sees on the field in just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Gossett’s value to the team.

“Everyone wants to get where he is at,” Pep-icelli said. “You see it with the younger guys and their play continues to elevate as they fol-

low Gossett’s lead in work ethic, attention to detail and focus.”

That attitude will go a long way toward helping the Tigers to achieve their ultimate goal. The goal of advancing to Omaha and the College World Series, a place Clemson has not been since the 2010 season.

One look at the Clemson baseball program

is all you need to see the importance of Oma-ha to the Tigers. The city’s name is stitched on the back of all player hats, in the dugout and pictures of past teams that made it to the ultimate destination fill the locker room. But look closely at those Tiger teams and you’ll notice that there has not been a streak of four years without an appearance.

“We have to make it happen,” Gossett said. “If we don’t make it this year, then we are the team to break that streak and that can’t hap-pen.”

In a way, you could say that Omaha has be-come the rallying cry of the 2014 squad.

“This year, all we need is for Daniel to be who he is. If he does that, it will be more than enough,” Pepicelli said.

That journey began last weekend in Doug Kingsmore Stadium where Daniel Gossett stood on the mound as Clemson’s Friday starter. Tiger fans have a comfort level with Gossett on the mound, knowing that his at-tention to detail and outstanding work ethic has put him amongst the Clemson elite. He is ready to dominate and make that trip to Omaha in June.

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Gossett has been listed as one of the top 100 collegiate draft-eligible prospects by multiple publications. Photo by Rex Brown, IPTAY Media