All it took was one.

It took one hit for Chad Fairey to find his groove and get into a routine at the plate.

Up until last Saturday, Fairey was still looking for his first hit of the season. That hit came in the form of a single against Gardner-Webb. But since then, Fairey has tacked on even more hits.

The freshman now has four hits including his first career home run which he hit against The Citadel Wednesday night in the Tigers’ 17-3 victory over the Bulldogs at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

“It feels great,” Fairey said after the game. “Previously it had been a mindset like, ‘Dang it’s about time,’ but now that I’m seeing the ball and putting good at-bats together it feels great, honestly. So rewarding.”

Fairey said waiting on that first hit could get frustrating at times, but he just tried to stay confident and take it one at-bat at a time.

“The first 15 were really tough for me. That’s when I was kind of getting in my own head, but after that I just stayed positive and took it one at-bat at a time and it’s starting to come together now,” he said.

Clemson head coach Monte Lee said he has given Chad opportunities because he believes in him and knows who he truly is as a ballplayer.

“I thought Chad Fairey had a great day,” Lee said Wednesday night. “Chad Fairey is a young man who we’ve given a lot of opportunities to over the course of this year because we believe in him. He’s had a tough time but here recently he’s started barreling up some baseballs.

“He hit that hard single against Gardner-Webb, followed it up the next day with another hit and the next thing you know he’s off and rolling. He’s starting to show signs of being the hitter that we all know that he is. He had a big night (Wednesday) so I’m really happy for Chad.”

Knowing his team and coaches are behind him helps that much more for Fairey.

“It means everything,” he said. “Having them behind me makes me feel that much more confident. Knowing they have my back when I go up to the plate gives me all the more confidence.”