USC-Clemson rivalry coming to Spirit Communications Park

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South Carolina and Clemson’s baseball rivalry is coming to Spirit Communications Park.

The award-winning baseball venue at BullStreet will play host to the neutral-site game of the series in 2020 and 2022.

“I think this is a great evolution for the best series in America,” South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said in a news release. “Our state supports this at such a high level, and this will allow Columbia to host at beautiful Spirit Communications Park. Greenville does a tremendous job in hosting this event, and I know fans of both teams will continue to sell these games out.”

Athletic directors from each school said the departments worked together to determine the format and site locations. Greenville’s Flour Field will play host to the series in 2019 and 2021.

The athletic directors said bids were taken from venues throughout the state and Charlotte.

“Flour Field and Spirit Communications Park are among the finest stadiums in minor league baseball,” South Carolina AD Ray Tanner said in a story on USC’s athletics website. “Their staffs are committed to making a first-class environment for our student-athletes.”

The series switched to a three-game weekend series in 2010 with each school hosting a game and having one neutral-site game. Flour Field has been the site for seven of the eight seasons, with Riley Park in Charleston hosting once.

The neutral-site venue will allocate the same number of tickets to each school.

“We are excited to take this game to a new venue at Spirit Communications Park,” Clemson AD Dan Radakovich said. “With the tickets at Spirit Communications Park distributed equally, we hope to see our loyal fans from the Midlands.”

Times and dates, as well as ticket information, will be released at a later date

“We’re obviously excited to have the opportunity to play at such a great ballpark,” Clemson coach Monty Lee said. “These games will be a great experience for our respective fan bases, our players and our baseball programs. We’re looking forward to bringing this great rivalry to Spirit Communications Park. It’s going to be fun.”

Spirit Communications Park opened April 2016 and was named Ballpark of the Year by Ballpark Digest. It seats 9,077 fans. South Carolina’s baseball team played the College of Charleston at the venue during the 2018 season.