After receiving an offer from the Clemson baseball program about a month ago, right-handed pitcher Reed Garris from Wando High School (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) announced his decision to commit to the Tigers on Saturday night.

Garris, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound rising senior in the class of 2021, chose Clemson over other offers from College of Charleston, Wofford, USC Upstate, The Citadel, Western Carolina and Air Force.

“Honestly, I’ve been wanting to go to Clemson for a while now,” Garris told The Clemson Insider shortly after going public with his commitment. “So, when the opportunity presented itself, it pretty much wasn’t a hard decision.”

Although he is now a future Tiger, Garris said he actually grew up a fan of the South Carolina Gamecocks while living a couple of hours away from Columbia.

However, the chance to be a student-athlete at Clemson was too good for Garris to pass up.

“Honestly I felt like I could connect better with the coaches and just from an overall education standpoint, and they have a great baseball program as well,” he said. “And I want to do something in either sports medicine or wildlife, and they have two really good programs for that.”

Asked what he likes most about Clemson, having been on campus a bunch of times in the past, Garris answered, “I’d say the general atmosphere of just everything. It’s a winning atmosphere, and I like to win.”

Clemson head coach Monte Lee and his staff are excited to have Garris on board.

“I know he and his coaching staff want me to be there and want me to compete, so I plan on doing just that,” Garris said.

“I’ve heard from them that I’m just a competitor, and I work really hard,” he added. “So, I think I’ll fit in really well.”

Garris gave a rundown of the pitches he features in his arsenal.

“I throw a four-seam and two-seam fastball,” he said. “My four-seam is usually around 89-92 (miles per hour). My two-seam is usually around the 89-90 range. And then I throw a slider, which is usually like 79-83. I think what is my best off-speed pitch is my changeup, and it’s usually 80-84. And I can flip in a knuckle-curve for a strike.”

Garris posted a 2-1 record with a 0.70 ERA as a junior this spring during his season that was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. He walked only a handful of batters while striking out upward of 20 and was named MVP of the Coastal Invitational Tournament.

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