Hard Work Pays Off for Max Wagner as Clemson Slugger Ties Khalil Greene's Home Run Record

Max Wagner tied a program record set by Khalil Greene when he hit his 27th home run against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament, but the moment was a little bittersweet as the Tigers fell to the Hokies, likely ending the teams bid for an at-large bit in the NCAA Tournament.

Jason Priester All Clemson

Max Wagner's season has quite literally been one for the record books.

In a season full of inconsistencies, the sophomore slugger from Green Bay has been the one constant for Clemson, pacing the Tigers at the plate for much of the season and leading the team in most statistical categories. 

His .369 average is almost 20 points higher that any other player on the team. His 76 RBI are 32 more than Cooper Ingle's 44, which is second-most on the team. And his 27 home runs tie Khalil Greene's program record, set in 2002, and are second-most in the country.

Wagner has seen a major jump in production, after hitting just .214 with two home runs during his freshman season. The ACC Player of the Year and semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award credits all of the work put in during the offseason for his improvement.

“At the end of the day, I’m grateful for it,” Wagner said. “All the hard work I’ve put in really this year and this offseason I guess has paid off a little bit.”

Even more impressive was Wagner only needed 58 games to reach tie the record, while Greene needed 71, as the Tigers made a deep postseason run in 2002 with Greene also winning National Player of the Year honors. Wagner also set a new program record by hitting a home run every 7.5 at-bats, breaking the old mark of 8.9 set by Doug Kingsmore in 1954.

However, his record-tying shot came in Clemson's 18-6 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament, making the moment a little bittersweet. The Tigers came into the tournament likely needing just one win to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament but went 0-2 in Charlotte. 

“It’s not where myself or my team wanted to be at the end of the result,” Wagner said. “Just grateful for myself but wish things would have ended a little bit different.”

Despite the disappointing finish to the season, head coach Monte Lee is proud of how far Wagner has come in such a short amount of time, maintaining that the Clemson infielder is not only the best player in the ACC but also one of the best in the country.

"To see him come from Wisconsin, play some as a freshman, had some ups and downs, and to see where he's at now, all the hard work that he's put in," Lee said of Wagner. "Not only on the baseball field, I mean this is a young man that's a tremendous student, he's a tremendous teammate." 

"A lot of people don't know that when we finish games or practices, Max is the guy that makes sure that everything's picked up and cleaned up before he leaves. He's that type of leader, that type of young man. Just a high character, a young man of integrity. And obviously, he's a phenomenal baseball player. And he was the best player in our league and I think he's one of the best players in the country."

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