CLEMSON, S.C. – Forget the long home runs, the walk-off hits or Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson tweeting in amazement about outfielder Seth Beer’s stellar freshman season. Beer’s father said his son’s most eye-popping moment came as an 8-year-old when he deftly swiped a loose tooth from younger sister Savannah’s mouth.
“Just reached in and snatched it out. We couldn’t believe it,” a still awed Michael Beer told the Associated Press. “To me, that’s the legend of Seth Beer.”
Maybe dentistry could still be in his son’s future, it’s Beer’s abilities on the field that have college baseball buzzing.
He’s tied for the Atlantic Coast Conference lead with 15 homers, tying a freshman record for the Tigers. He’s spent most of the year hitting over .400, although he’s down to .387 as teams have begun pitching around him.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Beer said recently. “But I’m learning how to help the team in other ways.”
Beer did that Tuesday night in a 3-2 victory over Charleston Southern. He made a running one-handed grab on a sinking liner in right field to end the eighth inning with the tying run on second. Beer’s leadoff walk in Clemson’s half of the inning led to two necessary runs for the Tigers (35-18).
“That’s what I want to do, my part to help this team win,” Beer said.
For a long time, Beer was uncertain what team – or country – he might be competing for.
Beer, 19, was a successful youth swimmer whose times in the backstroke (he set age group records in the 50- and 100-meter backstrokes) gained him national attention and appeared to have him on an Olympic track. Michael Beer said his son’s path changed for good as a 13-year-old when he was disqualified from an important meet because he mistook a camera flash for the starting light.
“That really upset him because he worked so long for that event,” the elder Beer said.
So Seth Beer locked into baseball at Lambert High in Suwanee, Ga., and rose into a likely high-round pick in this year’s Major League Baseball draft. Beer, though, wanted to play at Clemson.
“It was a difficult choice for him,” said Jeff Petty, Beer’s coach with the EvoShield Canes travel team. “But he knew the majors would be there for him after college.”
Beer was also thrown for a loop when Clemson changed coaches, Monte Lee was hired to take over last June for Hall-of-Famer Jack Leggett. Beer said he talked with other schools until he got a call from Lee, the former College of Charleston coach. The two talked baseball for about 90 minutes. “When I hung up the phone, I felt at peace. I knew I was going to Clemson,” Beer said.
Beer’s performance this season has shown that comfort. He has reached base in 49 of the 51 games he has played – and thrilled Clemson fans who routinely tweet about “The Legend of Seth Beer.”
“I’ve never had a freshman play like this,” Lee said.
Beer had a 26-game hitting streak, tied for fourth longest in Clemson history. He had four homers as Clemson swept a series against Wake Forest last March. He had a walk-off, 10th inning home run on March 20 to beat Boston College, a feat Clemson’s Heisman Trophy finalist Watson too notice of with a tweet of a goat emoji, a popular acronym for “Greatest Of All Time.”
“I was sitting around with some friends that night when they told me,” Beer recalled of Watson’s post. “You can’t believe when something like that happens.”
Beer is confident he’ll break out of his late-season slump – he’s hitless in six of his last eight games – and help the Tigers’ drive for their first home NCAA tournament games since 2011.
“It’s been a really cool experience to be part of this, hit the home runs and hit a couple of walk offs,” he said. “I’m glad to be where I am.”