MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - On Friday, October 9, the Clemson Tigers defeated the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 5-1 at Pelicans Ballpark. The ballpark is normally home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Single-A Minor League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. 

The players who stood out for Clemson during the exhibition were a couple of their incoming freshmen. The Tigers had the 14th best high school recruiting class in the 2026 cycle, according to Perfect Game. 

Clemson head coach Erik Bakich talked about this group of freshmen and how promising they can be.

"They are all high ceiling guys," Bakich told World Baseball Network. "Some of them are going to push the older guys for playing time. You can easily envision these kids getting stronger and more physical as they make more trips around the sun."

Louis Hernandez Jr. gets the scoring started

The first big hit of the game for Clemson came from Louis Hernandez Jr. The towering six-foot-five-inch freshman hit a double into right-center field with the bases loaded. This allowed two runs to score and gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead over the Chanticleers. 

Hernandez Jr. was a top-ten player from Florida in the 2026 high school class. He played baseball for Lake Mary High School. Hernandez Jr. was also ranked in the top 100 nationally in the 2026 class. 

He was the second-highest ranked recruit in Clemson’s top 15 recruiting class. The only player who was ranked higher than him was Blake Bryant. Bryant was selected 31st overall in the 2026 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and ended up signing with them. 

Carson Adomnik strikes out three batters 

Right-handed pitcher Carson Adomnik had a great relief outing for the Tigers. He struck out three Coastal Carolina hitters in a 1-2-3 inning. 

Adomnik is an incoming freshman for Clemson who played for South Paulding High School in Douglasville, Georgia. He was a top 50 high school player from Georgia in the 2026 high school class. 

Due to Bryant signing with the Diamondbacks organization, Adomnik is the only incoming freshman from the state of Georgia for the Tigers.

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