As if freshman right-handed pitcher Davis Sharpe did not show everyone he’s going to be special after his impressive first career start on the mound, the two-way player then proved even more with his bat.

After pitching five complete innings in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, where No. 14 Clemson defeated South Alabama 7-2, the freshman from Dacula, Ga. allowed only two hits, two walks, no runs and had eight strikeouts to earn his first ever career win.

“I just went out there and competed,” Sharpe said after the second game. “Like Coach Lee says, he just wants us to go out there and compete. I was really proud of how I threw. I think I competed, all of my stuff was there.

“But I’ll take what I can get. I’m proud of both, about what I did on the offensive side too. So I thought it was a good day, a good start to my career and hopefully I can keep it rolling on both sides.”

If there were ever any nerves, Sharpe never showed it. He says he did think about the crowd in the beginning but once he got out there he found his groove.

“I got out there and I didn’t know if the crowd was going to be an issue for me,” he said after the game. “Just all of the people being in an atmosphere like that. But once I got out there I felt like I was in high school again. Just throwing to the catcher, pitching, and doing my thing.

“I know they’re a good opponent. They’re a good hitting team. They hit a lot of home runs and I just did what I’ve done for a long time. I just went out there and competed and came out good.”

In the second game on Saturday, Sharpe was penciled in the lineup in the five-hole as the designated hitter. In his first college game at the plate he went 2-for-4 with two home runs and had all three of the Tigers’ RBIs.

“I know they changed pitchers right when I came up. I thought they were just going to give me soft, away. But I recognized a fastball. My approach was away because I knew they were going to give me off-speed. But I saw fastball and just kept my hands inside and hit it.”

Focusing on both pitching and hitting can get tough, especially at the collegiate level but Sharpe says it’s something he enjoys and wants to continue doing.

“I’ve done it my whole life,” he said. “That’s what I really like doing. I like being on the field a lot. I’ve been doing it since I was three-years-old so I honestly enjoy it and it keeps me going. It helps me not put too much focus on one so I think it’s beneficial for me.”