Leggett, Tanner get it right with three-game weekend series

After just one year with a new format, I think they’re on to something.

Clemson coach Jack Leggett and South Carolina head man Ray Tanner were both a little apprehensive heading into a three-game series over one weekend, taking the wait-and-see approach on whether or not change would be successful.

The new setup was planned last season, going from the old four-game series that the two teams played since 2000 to playing three contests consecutively, with a new venue thrown in. The teams played at Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday, the minor league Greenville Drive’s Fluor Field on Saturday and USC’s Carolina Stadium on Sunday.

And the coaches were glowing Sunday about a series that a total of 21,664 fans witnessed.

“We had two good teams out on the field three days in a row in beautiful weather in the state of South Carolina,” Leggett said. “I think it was really good for baseball in the state.

“I personally like it. Any time you can draw probably close to 22,000 people to watch baseball on a weekend in early March, I think it does good things for the rest of the season.”

Tanner fully agreed.

“I think it worked out well. I feel pretty good about the way it turned out,” he said. “Three different sites, three good crowds; there was a lot of attention.”

The two legendary figures of a pair of solid baseball programs couldn’t be more right.

While some folks weren’t happy about losing a home game at each school’s venues, the positives outweighed the negatives.

Friday and Saturday were action-packed as Clemson raced out to early leads only to see USC rally for late ties.

The Tigers edged out a victory at home only to drop the middle game in Greenville.

Clemson destroyed USC on Sunday in the Gamecocks’ home park, but that’s just a part of baseball. Sometimes teams “hit on all cylinders” like Leggett said after the 19-6 clincher.

Clemson now holds bragging rights for the year, something that can’t always be said when the two split a four-game series. And the two teams can now prepare for conference seasons, which is less than two weeks away, without having to worry about a big game at some point later in the season.

However, after only one attempt, Leggett and Tanner won’t have long to decide the future of this format. The teams are locked in to playing the same three-game series next year, but with scheduling needing to be done well in advance for the 2012 season, Tanner said he and Leggett will “revisit” the series this summer.

And Tanner is up for another change — moving that middle game to other venues.

He named Myrtle Beach and Charleston as other possible destinations besides Greenville, giving fans all over the state a chance to see Palmetto’s finest.

After what I saw this weekend, the state’s biggest baseball rivalry couldn’t be in better hands.

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