Brian Ellis Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina Height / Weight: 5-8 / 185 Position: Catcher Birthdate: 01/09/1977 Bats-Throws: L-R

One of seven captains for the 2000 season...hard-working catcher who has worked through various injuries in his three seasons at Clemson...is a consummate team player; he does so many things for the team that often goes unseen...has a career batting average of .305 and on-base percentage of .451...holds the Clemson career record for walks per at bat, walking once every 3.82 at bats...one of only two players (along with Brian Holstad) left on Clemson's last College World Series team of 1996.

1999: Hit .265 in 223 at bats as a catcher and DH...had 15 doubles, a triple, four homers, 45 RBIs, and was 6-7 on stolen bases in 61 games (60 starts, 56 at catcher and four as the DH)...scored 60 runs and walked 50 times...his 50 walks tied for the ninth most in a season by a Tiger...had 19 RBIs in 19 conference games...hit a team-best .714 (5-for-7) with the bases loaded, including a grand slam...22 of his 45 RBIs came with two outs...batted .333 with 38 runs scored and 33 RBIs in 29 games at Tiger Field...had 15 multi-hit games...was hampered by knee and foot injuries that limited his above average speed...had two hits and three RBIs against The Citadel on Mar. 3...had two hits and four RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader against George Mason on Mar. 13...missed the series at #24 Wake Forest from Mar. 26-28 due to injury...had three hits and two RBIs at #1 Florida State on Apr. 11...after going hitless in his first four at bats against #20 South Carolina on Apr. 21, he drove in two runs with the bases loaded and two outs on a single to give Clemson a 5-4 win over the Gamecocks; he was down 0-2 in the count to Gamecock closer Jason Pomar and took three consecutive balls to set the stage...had two hits and four RBIs against Duke on Apr. 16...had three hits, including a grand slam, against #19 Georgia Tech on Apr. 24...had three hits and three RBIs against Virginia on May 2...tied a Clemson single-game record by walking five times against #10 North Carolina on May 9; he walked five times in his first five plate appearances, all within the fifth inning...had two hits, including a double, against #2 Florida State in the ACC Tournament on May 22.

1998: Had an outstanding on base percentage of .535 in 123 at bats...walked 42 times, meaning he walked once every 2.93 at bats in '98, which broke the Clemson single-season record of 3.18 held by Doug Hoffman (1959)...hit in the leadoff spot, a rare occurence for a catcher, in the last third of the season...missed 10 games in late March and early April due to a hand injury, but still managed to hit .374, just two points behind the team-best...played in 43 games and started 38 (35 at catcher and three as the designated hitter)...hit .385 with a .560 on base percentage against ACC teams in the regular season...saw most of the duties behind the plate the last half of the season due to his .409 batting average against lefthanders...hit .450 with runners in scoring position...had a streak on the road in early May where he scored at least two runs in five consecutive games...hit a team-best .438 with an on base percentage of .584 and 29 RBIs in 80 at bats at Tiger Field...hit a team-best .404 in night games...walked four times in a single game twice (Apr. 17 versus #24 N.C. State and at #24 North Carolina on May 9)...reached base 58.7 percent of the time he led off an inning...went 7-for-9 with an on base percentage of .833 in three games in mid April to earn ACC Player-of-the-Week honors, and also had nine RBIs...had five sacrifice bunts and did not ground into a double play...one of only two players (along with Matt Padgett) to have two four-hit or more games...went 4-for-5 against UNC Charlotte on Feb. 26 and was 4-for-4 against UNC Asheville on Apr. 15...was 2-for-2 with five RBIs versus #24 N.C. State on Apr. 18...tied a Clemson record held by many with two sacrifice bunts against The Citadel in the East Regional on May 21.

1997: Had eight hits in 25 at bats (.320) in limited playing time...appeared in 23 games, starting four...had two hits in six pinch-hit at bats...had three hits in eight at bats versus lefthanders...was 5-for-10 at the plate in his last three starts...went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored against Kentucky on Feb. 23...went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and one run scored versus Coastal Carolina on Mar. 7...started at catcher for the Tigers on May 7 versus Charleston Southern and had a good night as he was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI...in the summer of 1997, he hit .310 with four doubles in 29 at bats for Winchester in the Valley League in Virginia.

1996: Red-shirted.

BEFORE CLEMSON: 1995 Carolina Independent School Baseball Coaches Association Player-of-the-Year...an all-area and all-conference selection in 1994 and 1995...Player-of-the-Year of the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association in 1995...all-state as well in 1995 by the same association...Hammond Academy team MVP in 1994 and 1995...earned three letters in football and three letters in baseball at Hammond Academy.

PERSONAL: Nicknamed "Elly"...majoring in Agriculture Economics...born Jan. 9, 1977 in Columbia, SC.

Coach Leggett on Brian Ellis:
"Brian has strong leadership qualities. He is a very good athlete who has a keen eye at the plate. He has been a leadoff hitter for us and that should say something about his athletic abilities. He draws walks and doesn't strike out much. He will come back strong this year because he is as good a conditioned athlete as we have on the team."