Preparation and "The Sleeve" pays off for Jordan Greene's moment
CLEMSON -- The bottom of the 9th approached in Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Monday night with Clemson and Florida State tied at four in a critical series with postseason implications.
Freshman Sam Hall had just made the play of the game. His catch while colliding into the wall in the top of the 9th prevented the Seminoles from breaking the 4-4 tie.
Even after four Clemson errors kept Clemson down for most of the game, all it took was one defensive play to capture momentum for good.
Then, the magic happened.
Jordan Greene swung his bat, and the ball quickly traveled out into the night sky on a warm night, securing the walk-off victory for Clemson (36-12 overall, 19-8 ACC) over the Seminoles.
Once the ball left his bat, he took a moment to marvel at what he had just done. He was in disbelief as he looked at his teammates with a look on his face that said, "look at what I just did."
Monte Lee said after the game that Greene's home run was the biggest at-bat of Clemson's season so far. He wasn't lying.
However, for Greene, what happened before the moment of his career prepared him for his time to shine Monday night. The junior out of Fort Mill, South Carolina who attended Charlotte Country Day School didn’t come in as the starter.
He patiently waited his turn, making the most of his opportunity off the bench. It’s something he says comes from his father, Anthony Greene, who spent some time in the NFL with the New York Giants in 1991.
“He grew up in a rough neighborhood, but he made it. He had to grind his way up, nobody gave him anything. Those little lessons he taught me along the way, just kind of kept me straight in the head even when times aren’t pretty.” Greene said.
If not for those principles, along with the work Greene puts in, last night’s walk-off homer may not have happened. It’s something Greene noted all started with his confidence.
“You’ve just got to keep having confidence, even fake confidence is better than no confidence. I work during the week just act like I’m about to start every day,” Greene said.
The only thing that was on his mind as he rounded the bases: make sure you touch every base before getting to home plate.
Whether it was some confidence or no confidence, it gave Greene the opportunity to lead his team to a critical series win. The moment was one he said doesn’t come often and it’s why he can be seen hitting with slugger Seth Beer in the Clemson batting cages until midnight on some nights.
Greene also has a close friend in Clelin Ferrell, who plays on the defensive line on Clemson's football team. Clelin Ferrell has been known to wear a sleeve that reads, “Dream With Me Baby” in Death Valley on Saturdays and Greene brought the same thing with him on the diamond Monday night.
“I write different things on it, you know, whatever is on my mind, inspirational quote I may hear for the day," Greene said. "I guess it’s the team motto for me because it’s one of the things I live by. You’ve got to play like a little kid, never stop dreaming, never ever give up, just keep going at it.”
It was a moment every kid dreams about - a walk-off home run against a rival that will pay dividends as the season concludes.
Greene’s preparation and the sleeve were well on display for everyone in Doug Kingsmore Stadium to see last night, and it paid off in an enormous way to help the Tigers as they head down the home stretch in the regular season and beyond.