Leggett hunkers down

Jack Leggett kicked back in a chair last night in Clemson's press box, briefly taking some time to soak in the impressive milestone of passing Bill Wilhelm for 16th place on the all-time wins list in Division I (1,162).

The talk then turned to this season, a topic that produces more frustration than reflection.

"We're in where we're at," Leggett said.

I wrote the phrase down in my notebook and jokingly asked him afterward if a famous philosopher once uttered those words. He laughed and acknowledged that it didn't exactly come out right.

The good thing for Leggett is that he doesn't have to be a philosopher or a master turner of phrase. All he has to do is win baseball games, and he seems much more confident in that possibility after what he saw Tuesday and Wednesday.

At this point you're probably saying: "Wait a minute. This team is only a few days removed from a sweep at the hands of North Carolina, and less than two weeks removed from losing two of three at N.C. State. Please don't tell me all is cured with a come-from-behind win over Coastal Carolina and a drubbing of a weak Western Carolina outfit."

Certainly the past two victories have not wiped away all the concerns. This team is 16-12 overall and 4-8 in the ACC, and there's not much good at all in that when you consider how lofty the standards were heading into the season. Anything short of a return trip to the College World Series would be a major disappointment, and those records don't portend a charter flight to Omaha in June.

Yet Leggett thinks he learned something about his team this week -- surely as much as you can learn from two mid-week games.

"This was huge," he said. "I told you guys it was a 20 out of 10 yesterday, winning the ballgame. And today's probably a 30. It's important that we just win, but at the same time play well and win. To me, that's the most important thing right now."

Leggett would love to go back and change some of the teeth-gnashing results that have dramatically shrunk his team's margin for error. He'd love to somehow keep the Tigers' extraordinary rash of injuries from happening, or at least temper them.

This coach doesn't find it easy to flush unsettling things, and no doubt he's had a hard time resolving the lost series to South Carolina, the midweek defeat to Presbyterian, the home sweep against Virginia, and the aforementioned weekend disappointments against the Wolfpack and Tar Heels.

But the man seems at peace with all that, ready to move on. And the improving health of his team certainly helps him take a more optimistic view of things.

Shortstop Brad Miller has returned to the field, allowing everyone to return to the positions they were playing at the start of the season.

Through their 14-12 start, the Tigers produced just four error-less games. With Miller back in the field -- not to mention Jason Stolz back at second, John Hinson back at third and Richie Shaffer back at first -- the past 18 innings have been error-free.

Leggett said he knew the team would miss Miller, but he had no idea he'd be missed that much.

"We really were playing for a month, at least, with everybody in different positions and the chemistry was a little bit different. ... You want the guys you started the season off with to be where they're supposed to be and to be able to play together for long periods of time."

The struggles thus far have made every forthcoming game important, and that's one reason you saw Scott Weismann on the mound last night.

"We've kind of got it in our mind that we've got a 30-game season," Leggett said.

There are reasons to think this team can turn it around. The rest of the schedule seems pretty friendly. The health continues to improve. Freshman Dominic Attanasio is blossoming into a really good leadoff hitter.

There are also some reasons to think this bunch will have a very hard time getting back to Omaha. Doesn't sound like Kevin Brady will be back soon, if at all. The weekend rotation is undefined. The offense is leaving too many men on base.

But maybe Leggett's take on Weismann could serve as the embodiment of an entire team. The coach says Weismann is at his best when he's "playing on the edge, with no fear of failure, a reckless abandon type thing."

"That's when his fastball and his breaking ball are a little more crisp. That's when he's at his best."

Maybe this team will be at its best with a similar mentality. If that happens, maybe this season will be known for more than Leggett surpassing his mentor.

"It's why I hope people trust what we're doing," he said, referencing the milestone. "We know what we're doing, and we're going to get this thing right and play well the rest of the season."

LW