In the end, Tommy Lyon picked his blood over his alma mater.
Lyon had been a standout pitcher for Clemson during the early 1960s and has been a lifelong Tigers fan.
But when Clemson took the field Tuesday night against College of Charleston, he proudly wore his College of Charleston baseball hat.
That’s because his grandson, Alex Lyon, was going to pitch for College of Charleston.
“I don’t often root for a baseball team other than Clemson, but I have to when it comes to my grandson,” said Tommy Lyon, who led the Tigers and the ACC with seven wins during the 1962 season. “I enjoy watching him pitch, and to have it be against Clemson was a real treat for me.”
The elder Lyon got to see his grandson throw four scoreless innings, giving up three hits with one strikeout.
“Alex has excellent control,” said Tommy Lyon, who was a knuckleball pitcher for the Tigers. “He’s one of those pitchers where everything he throws, moves. That’s the key. The ball has to move. I thought he threw really well tonight.”
Nate Savoie belted two home runs and drove in three runs, and three Clemson pitchers combined to scatter seven hits to lead the Tigers past College of Charleston 3-1 before a record crowd of 1,680 at Patriots Point on March 17.
This was Alex Lyon’s first appearance against Clemson.
“It means a lot for me to pitch against Clemson,” said Alex Lyon, who recorded a school-record 10 wins for a reliever during the 2025 season. “He’s a through and through Clemson fan, but before the game he told me he was going to stick with the blood.
“I knew he had my back. I love my grandfather. We are pretty similar in the way we pitch, according to him. This is the first time I’ve pitched against Clemson. Wish we could have come out with a victory.”
This was also a rare appearance for Clemson in the Lowcountry.
This was only the ninth time that Clemson has made the four-hour trek from the Upstate to play against College of Charleston.