A Debut to Remember: True Freshman Bryce Teodosio a player to watch this season

He stepped into the batter's box for Clemson with the game tied to lead off the bottom of the tenth inning.

Not a terrible position for your first game.

Many Clemson baseball fans didn’t know who their new centerfielder was. After Chase Pinder played the position for two years and got drafted in the seventh round of the MLB Draft, there was an empty void, which needed to be filled.

Little did those fans know a true freshman would play an integral role in Clemson’s first Opening Day victory in five years.

Bryce Teodosio ripped the fourth pitch on a 1-2 count deep to left field for a double to represent Clemson’s winning run against William & Mary in his first game as a Clemson Tiger. A few batters later, Chris Williams hit a single through the left side and Teodosio galloped across home plate in winning fashion for the Tigers in a 5-4 win over the Tribe.

The senior finished it. But the freshman started it.

Teodosio had been waiting for this moment his entire life. To start at centerfield on Opening Day for a team he grew up cheering for was nothing short of a dream.

“I’ve dreamed about days like this since I was a little kid,” Teodosio said after his debut where he went 2-for-4 with a single and a double. “I’ve grown up one of the biggest Clemson fans there is so today was a really awesome day to get a win with the team and be a part of so special at this awesome school.”

Teodosio grew up in Simpsonville, South Carolina, which is about a 45-minute drive to Clemson’s campus. He grew up loving the Tigers and found himself fortunate to be able to play right down the road.

He attended Mauldin high school, lettering in baseball for three years. According to Perfect Game, he was the No. 2 outfielder in the state of South Carolina in 2017, No. 5 player overall.

Teodosio was out during the fall during his first semester on campus with a hand injury but made up ground in the spring where he impressed coach Monte Lee. Fast-forward to January when Lee was making decisions about who would start where and what defensive combination would crack the winning code.

Lee narrowed it down to ten or 11 players days before Opening Day. Centerfield was one of the positions up for grabs, and it was either going to be Teodosio or Drew Wharton, a senior.

On gameday, Teodosio saw his name on the lineup and was grateful for the opportunity to step on to the diamond on Opening Day.

“We’ve all worked so hard as a team, and I’m just really happy coach had enough confidence in me in my ability to play centerfield as a freshman,” Teodosio said.

It didn’t take long for the freshman to get acclimated to the game in his first career start.

On the very first pitch of the season, a fly ball was blasted to centerfield, and Teodosio had to start Clemson’s season on a positive note. He showed poise and speed to get underneath the ball while recording Clemson’s first out of the season.

“I kind of anticipated that to happen,” Teodosio added with a grin. “Being a freshman, I knew the ball was going to find me first. I wasn’t too nervous because we practice balls like that every single day.”

Teodosio didn’t just secure Clemson’s first out of the season; he also scored Clemson’s first run.

Down 3-0 to William & Mary, Teodosio began the bottom of the sixth inning swinging the bat, chalking up his first career hit. Logan Davidson then knocked a single through the left side, and Teodosio showed off his speed to stretch out to third base on the play. He later scored on a sacrifice fly to help begin Clemson’s comeback victory.

His head coach spoke highly of Teodosio after his first game in orange and purple. 

“There’s a reason that Bryce Teodosio started in centerfield for us tonight,” Lee said. “First and foremost, being a true freshman and playing centerfield, a premium defensive position, that’s asking an awful lot of a young man, but he’s extremely tough. He is my kind of player.”

The toughness of Teodosio is the reason you should expect to see him playing a lot of centerfield for Clemson this season. Lee said having him in the game was like having a bull out there.

“He just runs everything down, he’s super aggressive, he’ll get hit by pitches, he’ll compete at the plate, and that’s why he is in there,” Lee said.

“How ‘bout that for a debut?”

It certainly was a debut to remember for Teodosio. Now he is on his way to helping Clemson have a season it won’t forget.