Clemson's Max Wagner Named ACC Player of the Year
Max Wagner has been named the ACC's Player of the Year.
The Clemson infielder becomes the 14th player in program history to win the award after leading the league in home runs (26), SLG% (.867) and OPS (1.373). His 74 RBI were good for second in the conference. Wagner also earned first-team All-ACC honors.
Wagner has paced the Tiger's offense all season long, hitting a team-best .379, and is just one home run shy of the program record set by Khalil Greene in 2002. His 74 RBI are 30 more that anyone else on the team. Wagner's 26 home runs have come in 55 games, while Greene's came in 71, as the Tigers made a deep postseason run in 2002.
Wagner made a huge jump between his freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2021, the infielder from Green Bay hit just .214 in 35 games, and Wagner attributes his dedication to the game for the jump in production, as well as the support from his coaches and teammates.
"Just all the hard work and dedication I've been able to put in pretty much ever since I was a kid just working with my dad a lot," Wagner said on The Packer and Durham Show. "But really just the support of my coaching staff and my teammates. They really helped me be the player I am this year."
Clemson wrapped up the regular season with a three-game sweep of Boston College over the weekend and will now head to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament. The Tigers are the No. 12 seed and a member of Pool A and will face No. 8 seed North Carolina on Tuesday, and No. 1 seed Virginia Tech on Thursday, with Wagner, still chasing history.
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