MONDAY BILLY AMICK UPDATE
By: Larry Williams
CLEMSON -- Billy Amick's decision to enter the transfer portal created a major sensation among Clemson folks.
Our reporting Friday afternoon generated a whopping 31,000+ views and 472 replies on The West Zone message board as of 11 this morning.
Yeah, in the age of the transfer portal and NIL it's going to cause a stir when an All-American baseball player decides to leave.
We've continued asking around about this, and here's what we are in position to share:
*** Everything is still status quo with Amick, according to a contact we communicated with this morning.
Clemson All-American and Batesburg native Billy Amick is still on the move as of Monday. (AP)
As in, apparently no apparent headway made by Erik Bakich as he tries to talk Amick into staying.
As we told you Friday, Bakich was in New England trying to get an audience with Amick and his father Lyndon. But as best as we can tell, the Amick camp hasn't been interested in talking.
*** The vibe coming out of Clemson last week was that surely a deal had to be in place for Amick elsewhere. But multiple contacts in Amick's camp pushed back on that notion.
We have received information that Amick has been in contact with South Carolina and Florida. John Whittle, a respected and plugged-in reporter in Columbia covering Gamecocks baseball, has reported that there's been contact between Amick and South Carolina's staff.
*** A connected contact who is not at Clemson and is not in the Amick camp told us that almost every SEC team has reached out to Amick, plus Florida State and North Carolina.
This contact told us Florida would make sense and was doubtful Amick would choose South Carolina because of his Clemson family, the rivalry and the drama that would come with him having to face the team he left.
"But," the source said, "I also didn't think he would leave Clemson."
*** We believe Amick's father Lyndon is a significant factor in his son's transfer. Clearly Lyndon and Billy didn't see eye to eye with Bakich on a number of topics including Billy's desire to play third base, and the decision to pull him during some situations in games including the NCAA Regional loss to Tennessee.
According to contacts in the Amick camp, Bakich had first base and designated hitter in mind for Billy next season and the rising sophomore wanted to play third to showcase his defensive abilities to MLB scouts.
Amick is currently playing third base for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod League.
On Friday evening, the same day news of his portal decision broke, Amick had two home runs in a game against the Bourne Braves.
*** Billy Amick called Bakich last Tuesday to inform him he was transferring from Clemson. Apparently this followed the 1-on-1 meeting between Amick and Bakich during which Bakich outlined his vision for Amick next season.
Amick was named first-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball, and entering the NCAA Regional he was hitting .418 with 12 homers, two triples, 17 doubles, 58 RBIs, a .778 slugging percentage in 43 games (39 starts). He was also named first-team All-ACC.
"You're just like, 'Whoa,'" Bakich said of Amick late in the season. "He's always been confident in his ability. He just needed consistent opportunities. Once he started getting them, he went from a guy we thought maybe he can provide us a little spark to there's no way we're writing a lineup without Billy Amick in it."
Bakich also said that at one point this season, after a sweep of Louisville, he turned to Amick and said: "You bleed orange if we cut you open, right?"
Bakich said the response was: "Oh yeah."
Billy's grandfather was Bill Amick, who spent three decades on Clemson's Board of Trustees. He died in 2013.
*** Last fall under Bakich, Billy Amick struggled to catch on. He hit just one home run and he was playing a position (catcher) he hadn't played in years.
His father told Jon Blau of The Post and Courier in May that entering the season he wasn't sure if his son was going to get a chance.
"A new coaching staff has to assess everything," Lyndon told Blau. "That's chaotic in itself. I understand from the coach's perspective, they have a hornet's nest they have to maintain. I'm looking at it solely as a dad.
"This is every parent's battle. You know their potential; is it being realized?"
Those words certainly take on new meaning with Lyndon's son now on the way out of Clemson.
NOTE: As is the case with all material posted by contributors here, please do not copy/paste or summarize any portion of this post to other message boards or social media, as it is a direct violation of copyright laws. Thank you.
By: Larry Williams
CLEMSON -- Billy Amick's decision to enter the transfer portal created a major sensation among Clemson folks.
Our reporting Friday afternoon generated a whopping 31,000+ views and 472 replies on The West Zone message board as of 11 this morning.
Yeah, in the age of the transfer portal and NIL it's going to cause a stir when an All-American baseball player decides to leave.
We've continued asking around about this, and here's what we are in position to share:
*** Everything is still status quo with Amick, according to a contact we communicated with this morning.
Clemson All-American and Batesburg native Billy Amick is still on the move as of Monday. (AP)
As in, apparently no apparent headway made by Erik Bakich as he tries to talk Amick into staying.
As we told you Friday, Bakich was in New England trying to get an audience with Amick and his father Lyndon. But as best as we can tell, the Amick camp hasn't been interested in talking.
*** The vibe coming out of Clemson last week was that surely a deal had to be in place for Amick elsewhere. But multiple contacts in Amick's camp pushed back on that notion.
We have received information that Amick has been in contact with South Carolina and Florida. John Whittle, a respected and plugged-in reporter in Columbia covering Gamecocks baseball, has reported that there's been contact between Amick and South Carolina's staff.
*** A connected contact who is not at Clemson and is not in the Amick camp told us that almost every SEC team has reached out to Amick, plus Florida State and North Carolina.
This contact told us Florida would make sense and was doubtful Amick would choose South Carolina because of his Clemson family, the rivalry and the drama that would come with him having to face the team he left.
"But," the source said, "I also didn't think he would leave Clemson."
*** We believe Amick's father Lyndon is a significant factor in his son's transfer. Clearly Lyndon and Billy didn't see eye to eye with Bakich on a number of topics including Billy's desire to play third base, and the decision to pull him during some situations in games including the NCAA Regional loss to Tennessee.
According to contacts in the Amick camp, Bakich had first base and designated hitter in mind for Billy next season and the rising sophomore wanted to play third to showcase his defensive abilities to MLB scouts.
Amick is currently playing third base for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod League.
On Friday evening, the same day news of his portal decision broke, Amick had two home runs in a game against the Bourne Braves.
*** Billy Amick called Bakich last Tuesday to inform him he was transferring from Clemson. Apparently this followed the 1-on-1 meeting between Amick and Bakich during which Bakich outlined his vision for Amick next season.
Amick was named first-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball, and entering the NCAA Regional he was hitting .418 with 12 homers, two triples, 17 doubles, 58 RBIs, a .778 slugging percentage in 43 games (39 starts). He was also named first-team All-ACC.
"You're just like, 'Whoa,'" Bakich said of Amick late in the season. "He's always been confident in his ability. He just needed consistent opportunities. Once he started getting them, he went from a guy we thought maybe he can provide us a little spark to there's no way we're writing a lineup without Billy Amick in it."
Bakich also said that at one point this season, after a sweep of Louisville, he turned to Amick and said: "You bleed orange if we cut you open, right?"
Bakich said the response was: "Oh yeah."
Billy's grandfather was Bill Amick, who spent three decades on Clemson's Board of Trustees. He died in 2013.
*** Last fall under Bakich, Billy Amick struggled to catch on. He hit just one home run and he was playing a position (catcher) he hadn't played in years.
His father told Jon Blau of The Post and Courier in May that entering the season he wasn't sure if his son was going to get a chance.
"A new coaching staff has to assess everything," Lyndon told Blau. "That's chaotic in itself. I understand from the coach's perspective, they have a hornet's nest they have to maintain. I'm looking at it solely as a dad.
"This is every parent's battle. You know their potential; is it being realized?"
Those words certainly take on new meaning with Lyndon's son now on the way out of Clemson.
NOTE: As is the case with all material posted by contributors here, please do not copy/paste or summarize any portion of this post to other message boards or social media, as it is a direct violation of copyright laws. Thank you.
