Russell Triplett Position: Volunteer Assistant Coach Season: 2nd at Clemson

Russell Triplett is in his first season with the Tiger coaching staff in 2006. Triplett serves as the volunteer coach, working primarily with infielders and hitters. The four-year Clemson letterman is coming off a two-year minor league career that concluded in 2005.

The West Columbia, SC native starred at Brookland-Cayce High for four years (1996-99). He was named High School Sports Report AAA State Player-of-the-Year along with region player-of-the-year as a junior in leading his squad to the AAA state title. Triplett was also a standout signal-caller on the gridiron.

After red-shirting at Clemson in 2000, he played in 37 games as a freshman in 2001. As a sophomore, he was a Second-Team All-ACC pick as a utility player on the College World Series team that finished tied for third in the nation. Overall, he hit .301 in 58 games (37 starts).

His teammates took notice of his leadership qualities in his junior year, helping him become a captain for the first of back-to-back seasons. He hit .335 with seven homers and 32 RBIs with a .414 on-base percentage in starting all but one game at shortstop. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors for the second time.

His senior season of 2004 saw the tri-captain hit .304 with 17 doubles, four homers, and 41 RBIs. He was the only Tiger to play and start all 65 games, as he played in all but one inning at shortstop.

Triplett, 25, spent the summers of 2004 and 2005 playing minor league baseball. In the summer of 2005, he played for the Hagerstown Suns (A) and Binghamton Mets (AA), where he hit a combined .286 with 15 doubles, four homers, and 25 RBIs in 61 games.

The four-time Tiger letterman played in 222 career games and hit .312, mostly at shortstop. He was also a part of four NCAA Tournament teams.

Triplett, who wears #11 as a coach (wore #5 as a player), graduated from Clemson in May of 2004 with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. He was born January 18, 1981 in Aiken, SC.

Full Name: Calvin Russell Triplett III
Born: January 18, 1981 in Aiken, SC
Education: Bachelor of arts degree in elementary education at Clemson (2004)
Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at Clemson (2001-04)...Kingsport, TN (Mets, R) (2004)...Brooklyn, NY (Mets, SS) (2004)...Hagerstown, MD (Mets, Low A) (2005)...Binghamton, NY (Mets, AA) (2005)
Family: Single

Coach Leggett on Triplett
"Russell is our volunteer coach, and we are very excited to have him as he begins his first year. He just finished up playing some pro ball. He knows our system very well. He knows what the expectation levels are, not only at the end of the season and in conference play, but what they are every day in practice. He was an outstanding asset in the fall, and we look for him to be an outstanding coach, and provide a lot of help in the infield and hitting areas. We couldn't be happier to have him back in the program."