SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant baseball team heads to South Carolina this weekend to face No. 19 Clemson in a three-game series.

Bryant and Clemson open the series on Friday at 4:00 p.m., with games scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.     

The Particulars
Opponent: No. 19 Clemson
Location: Doug Kingsmore Stadium (Clemson, S.C.)
Date and Time: Friday, Feb. 20 - 4:00 PM | Saturday, Feb. 21 - 2:00 PM | Sunday, Feb. 22 - 1:00 PM
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Video: ACC Network Extra
Game Notes: Bryant
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Probable Starting Pitchers 

Friday - Kaden Hilburger vs Aidan Knaak
Saturday -  Dylan Scudder vs Michael Sharman
Sunday -  Jackson Vanesko vs Talan Bell

• Kaden Hilburger will get the ball on Friday night for the second-straight weekend. He shined in his return from Tommy John last Friday, striking out six over 3.0 hitless and scoreless innings in his first collegiate start.
• Dylan Scudder also made his first start as a Bulldog last weekend, allowing five runs on three hits over 3.2 innings at Davidson. The majority of the damage came from a three-run home run.
• Jackson Vanesko also struggled a bit in his first start of 2026, allowing three runs on six hits over 2.1 innings. 
• Preseason All-American Aidan Knaak gets the ball for Clemson on Friday nights and is coming off 3.0 innings of one-run ball last weekend vs Army. He walked two, struck out six and allowed just three hits.
• Michael Sharman shined in game two of the series, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over 6.0 scoreless.
• Talan Bell closed out a strong weekend for Clemson pitching with a short start in game three. He tossed 2.0 scoreless before handing ot Justin LeGuernic who tossed 5.0 scoreless.

Bryant vs. Clemson

• Bryant and Clemson are meeting for the first time on the baseball field.
• The two programs met in basketball during the 2021-22 season.
• This weekend will also be a familiar one for head coach Ryan Klosterman who started his collegiate career at Clemson before transferring to Vanderbilt. 

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Bryant opened the season with a series victory for just the fourth time in DI program history, taking 2-of-3 from Davidson.
• All three games in the series were decided in the final inning, with two games needing extra innings. 
• The Bulldogs hit .300 as a team, collecting seven extra-base hits (4 2B, 3 HR). They stole eight bases and posted a team OPS of .820.
• Bryant's pitching staff struck out 37 and issued just 11 walks in 24.2 innings. That included a single-game program record 19 strikeouts in the season opener.
• Casey Wensley led the way, going 7-for-11 with five RBI and five runs scored. A majority of that production came in the series finale as he went 4-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored.
• Charlie Saul added a double, two home runs and a team-high seven RBI, while Hunter Kingsbury doubled in all three games and scored four runs.
• Ellis Garcia also had a strong Bryant debut, picking up four hits in the opener and going 6-for-13 on the weekend.
• Outside of its three starters, Bryant used 10 pitchers on opening weekend. The bullpen combined to post 27 strikeouts and issue just eight walks.

Scouting the Tigers

• Clemson is 3-0 after an opening-weekend sweep of Army. The Tigers rallied to win game one 3-2 before posting 10-0 and 7-0 shutouts in the final two games.
• The Tigers hit .376 with four home runs and struck out just eight times all weekend.
• Nate Savoie led the way, hitting .727 with a double, a home run, seven RBI and three runs.
• Preseason All-American Jarren Purify went 5-for-11 with three runs scored.
• Clemson's pitching staff stole the show, striking out 34 and issuing just two walks in 26.0 innings.
• The Tigers held Army to just 16 hits (.172 average) on the weekend.