Brooks Crawford grew up in Bishop, Ga., and has a kid he was exposed to the Georgia-Florida football rivalry.

On the football side of things, everyone knows the Georgia-Florida game is one of the more intense rivalries in college football. However, on the baseball diamond, not as much.

So, when Crawford came to Clemson in the fall of 2015, he knew what to expect from the Clemson-South Carolina football rivalry and it did not take him long to understand why things were so intense in that game. However, unlike the Georgia-Florida baseball series, Brooks knew the baseball series with the Gamecocks rivaled that of the football series.

It did not take long for Crawford to experience why their matchup each year with South Carolina is so intense. Crawford was called into duty as a true freshman to pitch in the middle innings of Game 1 at Founders Park in Columbia.

“I had a clean inning. I probably came in around the sixth or seventh inning and I actually went out there and they started playing ‘Sandstorm’ and I was like, ‘God! This is crazy,’” the righty recalls. “You see all the towels and I think we were losing at the time, but getting that experience, that was my first away game, that settled me down as a freshman.”

Crawford pitched two scoreless innings that night in Columbia, but the Tigers lost the game. He has since pitched against the Gamecocks three other times. Twice in relief as a sophomore, a win in Clemson and a win in Columbia.

“The first year you pitch in this series, you kind of see how it is and stuff like that,” the senior said. “Being a Georgia fan growing up, you see how the Florida rivalry is and stuff like that, but once you commit here you understand the South Carolina series is the big deal.

“You get used to it. You see how their fans react to us. Seeing them kind of get into it is real exciting as well because they kind of get on to us a little bit. So, it is a lot of fun.”

Last year, Crawford got the start against South Carolina in Greenville, another victory in the series for Clemson.

“The baseball series is just as intense as football,” he said. “They get to play just once a year and we get to play them three times, but you have to win two games to win the series. Since I have been here, we have won the series every year.”

Crawford has played a role in the Tigers’ last three series wins over the Gamecocks. In his four appearances against Carolina (7-1), Crawford has a 1.29 ERA in seven innings of work. He has allowed just one earned run on seven hits.

Tonight, when he steps on the rubber to start Game 1 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, he hopes to get No. 14 Clemson (7-1) off to a good start against their rivals.

“I’m excited about it,” Crawford said. “It is going to be like a regional-type environment. I’m going in with a positive mindset and trying to get outs, try to get them out as quick as possible and have quick innings. I want to try to keep the pitch count down so I can go a little deeper and save the bullpen for the weekend. That is going to be crucial for us.”

The Tigers, who have won four straight series over South Carolina, will host the Gamecocks tonight with Game 1 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Game 2 is set to start at 1 p.m., at Fluor Field in Greenville on Saturday, while Game 3 will be at noon start on Sunday at Founders Park in Columbia.