Did Seth Beer just complete the greatest freshman season in the history of Clemson athletics?
I have pondered that question for weeks, really since the baseball regular season ended. Beer’s personal trophy case continues to clog with additional awards, and as it does, he moves farther and farther up the rankings into an elite class of Clemson student-athlete. But is it truly the best? How does Beer’s season compare to other great freshman campaigns we have seen (or heard about) over time?
We will attempt to answer that question over the next several days. I have ranked the ten best freshman seasons in Clemson history based on my own personal criteria. This list does not factor in the remainder of a student-athlete’s career, just the first season he/she competed for Clemson. Every sport was considered, too; this wasn’t just a list of the most familiar great seasons. The aim was to truly find the greatest seasons in a way that spans the spectrum.
As I compiled the list, however, it became difficult to whittle it down to ten without telling some of the other stories, especially the ones I had never considered before. Therefore, as a precursor to the top ten list, we will begin with a look at some of the greatest freshman seasons that didn’t make the cut, in alphabetical order.
Terry Allen, Football, 1987: One of the best running backs in school history, Allen got off to a fast start. He led the Tigers with 973 rushing yards as the key cog in Clemson’s 15th-ranked rushing offense. His 5.3 yards-per-carry average has only been bested seven times since by an annual rushing leader. Allen was a First Team All-ACC selection, as well as the league’s Rookie of the Year. He was also named the team’s co-MVP in a win over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.
Jessi Betcher, Volleyball, 1999: Betcher is arguably the greatest setter in Clemson history, and her exploits began immediately. In 1999, she set the school’s freshman record with 1,431 assists, a total that ranks inside the top ten in Clemson history. Four of the top seven single-game freshman assist totals in school history are attributed to her. Betcher led the ACC and ranked sixth in the country with 14.17 assists per set during her freshman campaign. Clemson’s all-time leader in career assists was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year in 1999, and she was also selected to the All-ACC Second Team and the AVCA All-District Team.
Patrick Boyd, Baseball, 1998: The oral history of Clemson baseball may often forget it, but Boyd’s freshman campaign was sneaky-good in the late 1990’s. The outfielder led the Tigers in runs (66), RBI (59), and walks (44). The ACC named him its Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. He earned Player of the Week honors once as a freshman and was named a Freshman All-American. Boyd was a 2nd-team all-conference choice, as well.
Matthew LeCroy, Baseball, 1995: LeCroy’s fantastic first-year campaign came to the forefront again in 2016 as Beer chased his freshman home run record. The Upstate native hit 15 bombs in 1995 to lead a team that won 54 games and went to the College World Series. The catcher was a Second-Team All-Atlantic Region selection, as well as a Freshman All-American.
Liz Robb, Rowing, 2008: In a sport where individual accolades are directly related to group performance, Robb is the only rower in school history to be named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year. She was also named an all-conference and all-region selection during her freshman campaign.
D.J. Trahan, Men’s Golf, 1999-2000: Trahan had the second-best freshman season in program history. He was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year and was named a first-team All-American. He sits in second place in school history in freshman stroke average (72.48). He was named an honorable mention All-American and a member of the All-ACC team for his play during the season. He finished 15th at the NCAA Championships.
Ronald Williams, Football, 1990: In an era where Clemson tailbacks routinely earned an array of accolades on an annual basis, Williams was named a first-team all-conference performer in his rookie campaign. He led the Tigers with 941 rushing yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Clemson was ninth in the country in rushing offense, and Williams was named the ACC Rookie of the Year for leading the charge.