Weekend Preview | College Notebook | Field of 64
The First Family of University of Texas Baseball is still very much front-and-center at UFCU Disch-Falk Field and around UT’s Austin campus this spring, with the youngest family member helping lift the Longhorns back up to a prominent position in college baseball’s hierarchy.
Junior second baseman Kody Clemens is the youngest son of Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, a legendary figure in UT baseball lore who helped pitch the Longhorns to the 1983 College World Series National Championship. An 11-time All-Star, Roger also won two MLB World Series Championships and seven Cy Young Awards during a brilliant 24-year big-league career.
For the last two seasons, it was Kody’s older brother Kacy Clemens who was the face of the Longhorns’ offensive attack; Kacy is now a Toronto Blue Jays farmhand. So, it is left to Kody to not only carry on the Clemens family legacy but also to help Texas return to both an NCAA Super Regional and the College World Series for the first time since 2014.
That’s not much of a drought for a lot of programs, but this is Texas. Playing a killer schedule both within the Big 12 Conference and during the non-conference portion of the slate, the No. 25-ranked Longhorns are 31-17 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 play heading into a pivotal weekend series against No. 8 Texas Tech in Lubbock.
“This weekend is definitely going to be exciting,” Kody Clemens told PG over the phone Thursday, shortly after boarding a team bus bound for Lubbock. “I like how we’re still in a good position to maybe win the conference championship, and maybe even host a Regional if these next two weekends go well for us.”
Heading into the weekend of Big 12 play, No. 21 Oklahoma State (15-3) enjoys a three-game lead over No. 25 Texas (12-6), four games over No. 8 Texas Tech (11-7) and five games over Oklahoma (10-8). Baylor is six games back at 9-9 but the Bears have won 10 straight and 12 of their last 13.
After facing Tech this weekend, Texas finishes the regular-season at home with three games against TCU, which at 23-18, 8-9 is having an uncharacteristic sub-par season by its standards.
“I think they’re one of the best teams in the country; we’ve got to play well to win the series,” second-year Longhorns head coach David Pierce told PG Thursday when asked about the Texas Tech. “The Big 12 is so tough – we’ve got many good teams and coaches. The pitching in the Big 12 is not only good with ‘stuff’ but they command the ball really well.”
Perfect Game’s rankings of the top 250 prospects in this year’s draft bears that out. Texas Christian enjoys the services of No. 56 Sean Wymer and No. 179 Durbin Feltman, both right-handers; Texas Tech counters with No. 42 Steven Gingery, a lefty, and No. 103 Davis Martin, a righty. There is also No. 170 right-hander Jake Irvin (Oklahoma) and No. 221 right-hander Jonathan Heasley (Oklahoma State).
The Longhorns also faced elite pitching in several of their non-conference series, including three-game sets against Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana State, four games with No. 2 Stanford and two with No. 7 Arkansas; they went 4-8 in those games.
“I think our schedule has prepared all of our players to be a position in the Big 12 right now where we’re still in the hunt for a championship, and definitely in the hunt to go to a Regional and possibly host,” Pierce said. “Our schedule has been very tough, and I think that’s a piece (people) should know when looking at Kody’s numbers.”
Ah yes, the numbers. After 48 games this season, Clemens is slashing .333/.437/.644, all team highs, while also leading the team in hits (60), home runs (13), RBI (50), runs (44) and total bases (116). He was named the first-team second baseman on the PG/Rawlings College Mid-Season All-American Team.
“He’s done a great job,” Pierce said. “I truly believe that he’s a pure hitter, and you’re starting to see that this year as opposed to the last two years when he was developing and becoming a hitter; now he’s putting it all together. He sees the ball really well and his plate discipline has been, in my opinion, the biggest reason for his success.”
The Longhorns lost three full-time starters – including Kacy Clemens – and two prominent part-time starters from the 2017 roster, returning Kody Clemens, sophomore infielder David Hamilton and sophomore infielder Ryan Reynolds as the only players that started as many as 44 games last season. Hamilton hit just .218 during his freshman campaign but tied for the team lead with 14 stolen bases.
Redshirt freshman infielder Zach Zubia, sophomore outfielder Duke Ellis, junior catcher DJ Petrinsky, junior infielder Masen Hibbeler and redshirt junior outfielder Tate Shaw have all made at least 41 starts this season.
The primary starters have been sophomore right-hander Blair Henley (5-6, 3.32 ERA), junior right-hander Nolan Kingham (5-2, 4.38) and junior righty Chase Shugart (4-2, 4.43); Kingham was 10-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 13 starts (16 app) as a sophomore, Henley was 4-5/4.23 and Shugart was 3-2/.3.43 after making 29 appearances out of the bullpen.
Redshirt junior right-hander Parker Joe Robinson is another key piece that returned this year. A relief specialist, Robinson is 2-0/1.96 in 13 appearances (18 1/3 innings) this season after going 1-0/1.93 in seven appearances out of the pen in 2017.
“Everything’s been great,” Clemens said. “We’ve been trying to mesh as a team and everything’s been working out pretty well so far. … The biggest key is that we had some juco guys that came in and stepped up and filled some roles that we lost from last year; they’ve been a huge part of this team.
“The same with the pitching staff,” he continued. “A bunch of freshmen have stepped up and filled roles that we needed to be filled, and everything is just going great so far.”
Pierce is pleased with the way his team has played defensively this spring – Texas has been one of the top defensive teams in the Big 12 the past two seasons – and is thrilled with an everyday lineup that is scoring six runs per game. It’s an offense that can be explosive (42 HR’s) but can also push across runs by shortening the game.
“I think we’ve done a great job of winning games that we should win,” Pierce said. “We’ve won some games when we played really well, and we had to play well to beat a better team. Our players have been very consistent from the beginning of the season until now, and that’s what I’m proud of. I do think that we have plenty of room for improvement in every aspect of the game, especially on the mound.”
… … …
LEGENDARY LONGHORNS HEAD COACH AUGIE GARRIDO – WHO PASSED AWAY MARCH 15 – threw Kody Clemens into the fray right away during his freshman season in 2016, when Clemens played in all 57 games, 56 as a starter; he hit .242/.306/.386 with 18 extra-base hits (5 HRs), 28 RBI and 32 runs.
Adversity paid Clemens a visit late that summer when he learned he needed to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery. The procedure was performed by none other than the noted Dr. James Andrews in August 2016 and Clemens began the long process of rehabbing.
It was not immediately known how much Clemens would be able to contribute during his sophomore season in 2017, but he recovered enough to go to the plate in 54 of the Longhorn’s 63 games, including 47 starts as the designated hitter; he slashed .241/.356/.365 as designated/pinch hitter, never playing the field.
The season was a tough one for Clemens as he tried to adjust to be a designated hitter for the first time in his playing career. It was difficult for him to sit in the dugout while nine of his teammates ran out to their respective defensive positions and he was left with nothing to do but think about his last at-bat.
“The rehab for my elbow was tough, but I got through it; it definitely gave me a different look at the game of baseball,” Clemens said. “But I guess God had a plan and everything is going well.”
Despite the temporary set-back in 2017, Kody Clemens’ first two seasons in Austin were special in at least one regard: he got to play alongside of and hangout with Kacy, watching from a front row seat as his older brother helped the Longhorns reach an NCAA Regional last year.
“It was definitely something special to play with my brother; I don’t think many people get to say that they’ve done that,” Clemens said. “I loved every minute of it, and it was definitely fun throwing across the diamond to you brother.”
Although Pierce wasn’t yet at UT in 2016 when Kacy was playing first base and Kody was over at third, he did have the opportunity to pencil their names into the starting lineup in every game last season when Kody was the DH.
With the Clemens name so prominent in the history of Texas baseball, Pierce wanted to make sure people understood that Roger’s two youngest sons were playing not because of their last name but because through hard work they deserved to be out there.
“They earned it, and once that was obvious it became very relaxing and it became very fun to watch those two kids feed off of each other,” Pierce said. “It would have been nice to have Kacy hitting behind Kody this year. With the season Kacy had his last year and the season Kody is having this year, you put that together in the 3-4 (holes), that would have been real fun.”
Clemens insists he hasn’t changed anything about his approach at the plate from last season to this one, and the only physical difference is a slightly bigger leg-kick. The key, he said, is a noticeable improvement in his plate discipline and making sure he’s swinging at the right pitches and not the pitches the opposing pitcher would like to get him to swing at.
“I think it definitely comes through experience,” he said of developing that discipline. “You keep learning at the plate, you keep learning about yourself and maturing as a hitter. And, seeing the ball well.”
He then expanded on that last thought: “Whether it’s a fastball or an off-speed pitch, I just look at one area of the plate. It’s all about scouting reports and thinking you know what the pitcher is going to do to you and knowing your own strengths and weaknesses.”
It is an approach and a plate discipline Clemens has been developing since he first started working with his dad and older brothers as far back as he can remember. He also continued to develop while participating in nine PG WWBA and PG BCS tournaments from 2012-14.
Clemens earned all-tournament recognition at the 2013 16u BCS Finals playing with the Houston Heat Black, and at the 2014 17u PG WWBA National Championship, the 2014 17u PG World Series and the 2014 PG WWBA World Championship, all with the Houston Banditos.
The Houston Heat team he was on won the championship at the 2013 16u BCS Finals and he played on Houston Banditos teams that took home titles at the 2014 17u PGWS and the 2014 PG WWBA South Qualifier.
The 2014 PG National Showcase was his only PG showcase experience, but he made the most of it. Based on his performance there and at the tournaments he played in, Clemens was invited to the 2014 PG All-American Classic in San Diego, a nationally prominent all-star event played at Petco Park. Kacy Clemens starred for the West Team at the 2012 PGAAC.
“The PG Classic was definitely a lot of fun,” Kody Clemens said. “I loved everything we did, like the visit to Rady Children’s Hospital. That was obviously the top competition in the nation at the time and some of those guys are actually players I still play against. … Those events helped prepare me a little bit to see what I was going to deal with in college.”
Roger Clemens attended quite a few of the PG events Kacy and Kody performed at, including the 2012 17u PG World Series in Phoenix when Kacy was playing for the Houston Banditos. He was just another proud dad in the crowd who enjoyed watching his sons play the game.
“They love the game of baseball, as I did, and it’s an awesome game and these are awesome events,” he told PG in 2012. “You see a lot of really nice kids and really good baseball players that are chasing their dreams. It just tells you how strong the game is when there are events like (the ones) Perfect Game puts on. It’s fun for me to come out and watch good baseball.”
The Houston Astros selected Kody Clemens in the 35th round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Memorial High School but he decided to follow in Kacy’s footsteps on the road to Austin. Kacy Clemens, a full-time first baseman and part-time right-handed pitcher, was entering his junior season in 2016 and Kody would get the opportunity to play with his brother for two seasons.
Kacy produced a slash line of .303/.416/.470 with 20 extra-base hits (5 HRs), 31 RBI and 40 runs in 2016, went undrafted and returned to Austin for his senior season. He slashed .305/.414/.532 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI in 2017 and was selected in the 8th round of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Like Kody, Kacy had been a 35th round pick of the Astros out Memorial HS back in 2013. He was at the PGAAC in 2012 and scored the winning run and picked up a save in the West’s 7-6 victory that year.
… … …
THE LATE AUGIE GARRIDO LED TEXAS TO SEVEN CONFERENCE TITLES, four league tournament championships, eight appearances at the College World Series in Omaha and national championships in 2002 and 2005 during his 20-year career. When he stepped aside after the 2016 season, David Pierce was brought in to lead the Longhorn program.
After spending 12 years as an assistant coach at Rice and Houston, Pierce was the head coach at Sam Houston State for two seasons (2013-14) and then the head coach at Tulane University for two years (2015-16); all four of those teams reached an NCAA Regional, as did his first Texas team.
The 2016 Longhorns had finished 25-32 (10-15 Big 12), and when Pierce first arrived on the scene he sensed the players that gathered for their first meeting were frustrated and eager to right the ship. The turn-around happened immediately, and once again the expectation at UT is to win and compete for league championships and deep runs into
the postseason.
“I truly believe that our players are developing and getting better, but we also absorbed some injuries as soon as we got in here that set us back,” Pierce said. “But it’s been very good … and we feel like our recruiting is going very well and we want to make a great run this year. I’m pretty impatient when it comes to getting to where we want to be, but it is a process and we’re going through that process.”
It was announced this week that Pierce has been named the manager for the Stars team at this year’s USA Baseball 17u National Team Development Program (NTDP), set for July 22-26 in Chicago. Clemens thinks the appointment is just more evidence that Pierce is re-establishing the UT baseball brand.
“The coaching staff here is amazing,” he said. “They help out every single way that they can, whether that’s scouting reports, film or video, they coach us in every aspect of the game. Everything that they’ve done has been perfect, and this coaching staff is really good for the program.”
It’s a program that since the early 1980s will be associated with the Clemens name. Roger and Debbie Clemens’ two oldest sons, Koby and Kory, also have ties to UT. Koby had signed with the Longhorns before the Astros selected him in the eighth round of the 2005 MLB Draft, and he decided to turn pro; he played 10 seasons of minor and independent league ball. Kory also attended Texas before beginning his career as a chef.
The university recently announced that Roger and Debbie had donated $1 million toward a $9 million project that has an indoor baseball training facility as its centerpiece, on behalf of the Roger Clemens Foundation.
“Roger Clemens is very passionate about the University of Texas since he played here, and I think he’s been recognized as a Texas Longhorn even through his professional years; he’s very proud of that,” Pierce said. “His boys have grown up around the University of Texas and they’ve become consumed with it.
“Roger and Debbie’s impact on and off the field has been awesome,” he continued. “That legacy has been carried down to Kacy and Kody and they play with that same passion. I truly believe (the Clemens) have been one of the most inspirational families in Texas baseball history.”
As soon as UT offered Kody, he began the countdown to becoming a Longhorn:
“I wanted to go play with my brother again and follow in my dad’s footsteps, and have my dad be able to see that; it’s really been cool,” Kody said. “Our family just bleeds Burnt Orange. Everything that my dad did here and everything Kacy did here and what I’m doing here, it’s going to stay in the family, and we all want to be a part of the Texas family as long as we can.”
It’s likely that this is the last season Clemens wears a Longhorns uniform. Perfect Game ranks him No. 294 on its list of top overall prospects for June’s MLB Amateur Draft, but it’s a list he could move up on if he continues his torrid hitting pace throughout the remainder of the season. He’s got a believer in his head coach:
“I definitely think he could play second base at the next level,” Pierce said. “I think he can be an offensive second baseman and maybe play left field or potentially play third base. It’s not my job to project where he should be drafted, but in my personal opinion he’s a third to sixth-rounder right now.
“He’s got a swing that will play against any pitcher, and I think he’s proven that,” Pierce continued. “He’s also got a body that still projectable – he’s going to get bigger and stronger – and he runs well enough. So, yes, I think he has a future in pro baseball.”
Clemens isn’t ready to jump into that conversation quite yet. He’s got his mind on other things.
“It’s pretty hard to stay off social media and then try to block all that out, but I don’t really think about it,” Clemens said. “I’m just focused on this year and focused on getting this team to Omaha, and then whatever happens, happens.
“If we just keep our heads down and mesh together and do all the little things right, I think we’re going to be playing pretty late this year.”