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Clemson

Clemson executes hidden ball trick against Ole Miss

Wade-Peeryby: Wade Peery02/16/25
Erik Bakich Clemson
Erik Bakich, Clemson - © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson baseball has been no stranger to the hidden ball trick in the past few years. They utilized it last year against Coastal Carolina. On Sunday afternoon, third baseman Josh Paino pulled it off again for the Tigers, catching Ole Miss napping in the process. Paino casually walks over to third, acting like he didn’t have the ball in his glove. Then, when opportunity arose, he struck.

It was an impressive trick by Paino, but unfortunately for him, Clemson lost 15-5 on Sunday to Ole Miss. Paino finished with two hits and one RBI. The eighth-ranked Tigers lost thanks to the Rebels blasting four home runs. Ole Miss scored seven runs in the first two innings, with five of those coming from homers from Ryan Moerman (three-run blast) and Judd Uttermark (two-run blast).

Luke Hill led the way for Ole Miss, driving in five RBIs. He was 3-for-3 at the plate. Hill was walked twice.

Ole Miss pitcher Will McCausland (1-0) earned the win in relief. Tigers starter Justin LeGuernic (0-1) took the loss for Clemson. The Tigers will return to Clemson to host their home opener against Presbyterian. That one will be televised at 4:00 PM EST on ACC Network Extra. Clemson now sits at 2-1 overall. Ole Miss improved to 2-1 overall with the win and they sit at No. 15 in the country.

Clemson used the hidden ball trick again in 2024

Clemson’s Blake Wright also used the hidden ball trick in 2024 in the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson third baseman Blake Wright delved into his bag of tricks on Sunday evening in the Clemson Regional vs. Coastal Carolina in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. With the runner off the bag, Wright decided to pull off his best acting job in making them believe he handed the ball off to Clemson’s pitcher, Ethan Darden. Wright beautifully executed the fake hand off. And he calmly stood near third base, and waited for his moment to pounce, and eventually tagged out the Coastal Carolina runner.

Clemson was ranked No. 15 in the preseason poll from D1Baseball for 2025. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare the rest of the season, as they’ve been one of the more talented programs in the ACC over the years.