Rising Clemson Tigers Baseball Star Selected For NECBL Postseason Honor

The Clemson Tigers hope to get a solid second season from a versatile infielder/outfielder who is entering his second college season.

Harlem shortstop Tryston McCladdie (5) rounds second base at the Harlem and Ringgold AAA baseball championship game at AdventHealth Stadium in Rome, Ga., on Friday, May 19, 2023. Harlem won the first game with a score of 5-3. / Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson Tigers baseball player Tryston McCladdie turned his invitation to the New England Collegiate Baseball League into an honorable mention selection when the league announced its postseason honors recently.

The Harlem, Ga., product played for Martha’s Vineyard in the popular summer collegiate league.

In earning the honor, he batted .383 in 25 games, with two home runs and nine RBI. He also hit six doubles and had 12 multi-hit games.

McCladdie didn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title. But his .380 was only seven points behind the top qualifying average in the league, which was .390 by East Carolina’s Dixon Williams. He also stole a team-high 20 bases.

The NECBL is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. The league celebrated its 30th anniversary this season and has sent more than 230 alumni to the Major Leagues, including 30 first-round draft picks.

The right-handed hitting rising sophomore landed the invitation to the NECBL after he batted .235 with four runs, three RBI and a .409 on-base percentage as a true freshman for the Tigers. He also drew five walks and had a steal in 15 games, who of which were starts — one at first base and one at designated hitter.

His remaining 13 games were off the bench, which was a team high. As a bench player he batted .364 with three runs, five walks, a .563 on-base percentage and a steal.

As a prep player at Harlem High School he was ranked the No. 231 player in the country and the No. 50 shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game. That included a No. 21 overall ranking and No. 6 shortstop ranking in Georgia. With Harlem he was a three-time region player of the year and a member of the state championship team as a senior, when he hit .485 with three homers and 32 steals.

He was all-state his final two years of high school.

The Tigers went 44-16 overall last season and won the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Clemson claimed the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and was able to host both an NCAA regional and super-regional. The Tigers won their regional and lost to Florida in the super regionals, their first trip to the round of 16 since 2010.

Baseball America ranked Clemson No. 4 in its “way too early” rankings for the 2025 season.  

Baseball America wrote that the return of center fielder Cam Cannarella would be central to the Tigers’ hopes of reaching the College World Series. He played nearly all of last season due to an injury and still excelled. He should be an ACC and national player of the year favorite.