Charlie Barnes grew up a Clemson fan. One of his dreams was to one day pitch for the Tigers in what is known as college baseball’s best rivalry.

Today, he will get to live that dream. Barnes will take to the mound (7 p.m.) at Founders Park in Columbia in Game 1 of Clemson’s three-game series against No. 18 South Carolina.

“Growing up a Clemson fan, that’s what you go for. You want to beat your rival,” the sophomore said. “I can’t think of anything more exciting or fun than to get the chance to do that on the road on Friday night.”

Growing up in Sumter, S.C. did not make it easy being a Clemson fan, especially after the Gamecocks knocked the Tigers out of the 2010 College World Series and went onto win their first of back-to-back national championships. Columbia is just a short drive on I-20 West from Sumter, and it did not help matters that two pitchers on USC’s Championship teams—Matt Price and Jordan Montgomery—were Sumter High School products.

“They were pretty integral parts during their run so it was definitely tough, but we are looking to change the tides a little bit here and get it rolling on our side,” Barnes said.

So far this year Barnes has been rolling. The lefty has started in two Clemson victories already and is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA. He has allowed just four runs on eight hits in 11 1/3 innings pitched with four walks allowed and 14 recorded strikeouts.

But, Barnes understands he will see a little bit better competition tonight than what he saw from Maine and James Madison. The Gamecocks (9-0) have been tearing the cover off the ball so far this season. As a team they are averaging 8.6 runs per game and are hitting .341. John Jones leads USC with a .581 average, which includes three home runs and 19 RBIs. He has a .690 on-base percentage and has scored 12 runs.

“They are putting a lot of runs up and they are not striking out very much. They are making good contact on a lot of pitches so you just have to go in there and attack them and do our best about getting them out,” Barnes said.

Clemson (6-1) did a good job of getting the Gamecocks out in last year’s series. The Tigers took two of the three games a year ago, including a 7-0 victory in Columbia, to win the season-series for the first time since the 2006 season. Then Barnes’ brother, James, was a freshman quarterback on last year’s football team that beat the Gamecocks in Columbia.

Tonight it is Charlie Barnes’ turn to keep things going, while living out a dream.

“I’m just blessed to be at a school where baseball is such a big deal and then when you look at the rivalry, it is one of the most well-known rivalries in the country,” said Barnes, who comes from a long line of Clemson graduates. “You just look forward to playing in it. It is one of the best weekends in college baseball.”

If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.