Tigers in the shadows? USC success puts pressure on Clemson; Leggett will get contract extension

CLEMSON -- After South Carolina captured its second straight national baseball championship, Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips offered congratulations to the Tigers' in-state rival Wednesday, calling it a "great accomplishment."

There is the polite, public congratulatory message. But there is also resolve and perhaps a sense of urgency at Clemson, where the program's own productive 17-year baseball run under Jack Leggett has become overshadowed.

Phillips said the program is close to announcing a contract extension for Leggett, a deal an official said would keep Leggett at Clemson through the 2016 season. Leggett has made six College World Series appearances at Clemson, but he has not been able to finish the climb. Still, Phillips said it is clear Leggett still has "a fire" as he approaches his 34th season as a coach next spring.

"There will be a forthcoming contract extension," said Phillips, who declined to announce the financial details of the new contract. "Jack is very competitive … (South Carolina) put back-to-back national titles together, something very few programs accomplish. You have to congratulate them. Having said that it, we have a very good program and an outstanding coaching staff and we've come awfully close (to a national title).

"So long as you are consistent, you have a fighting chance to do it in the future."

To understand the quality of the Clemson program, Phillips said all one had to do was look at the Florida dugout Tuesday night in Omaha, Neb., and see former Leggett assistant Kevin O'Sullivan guiding his own elite program. Vanderbilt, another team playing in the College World Series, has also blossomed into a power under Tim Corbin, another former Clemson assistant.

"It speaks nationally to how people view our program," Phillips said. "If it was not held in esteem, other programs would not be calling. It's speaks highly of Jack, of Clemson baseball."

Still, there is frustration bubbling in Clemson Nation.

There is its rivals' baseball success and Clemson's own failure to reach the top of the mountain. And there is the potential for more angst this fall with South Carolina football returning many of its key components from last year's Southeastern Conference Eastern Division championship team, and Clemson football coming off a losing season The Tigers will field a young team and face a daunting schedule.

"We are excited about our football season," Phillips said. "We are excited about our coaching staff, with how recruiting is going. With regard to football, when you build a program, it's a process. I recognize in this day and age, it's easy for people to sit on the sidelines and be critical. It's easy to jump off the bandwagon. That's the nature of the beast, the nature of society. I have every confidence in Dabo (Swinney)."