Clemson Baseball celebrated Military Appreciation Day during a 4-2 win over Gardner-Webb University on April 9, 2025. When it came time to honor the chosen “Hero of the Game,” fans turned their attention to the video board for a message from Clemson student Gavin White. He was unable to attend while serving on a deployment in the Middle East with the Army National Guard.
Fast forward nearly a year, and White was again involved as Clemson celebrated “Heroes Weekend” in their 2026 season-opening series against Army West Point. This time around, he was able to attend in person.
White tossed the ceremonial first pitch on Friday, Feb. 13 — a full-circle moment receiving the congratulations of Tigers fans in Doug Kingsmore Stadium. It was nearly perfect.
Nearly, that is, because little did the fans know, he originally planned to make his way to the pitching mound on horseback. But some pre-game jitters from one of the horses on his family farm made for a late adjustment to the athletics marketing team’s plan.
“We’ve had her about 10 years now, and she’s usually good,” joked White, who grew up just down the road in Liberty, South Carolina. “Something had her irritated, so we didn’t want a frantic horse on the field.”
Tying White’s experience to horses made sense. The family farm partners with Guiding Reins, a nonprofit that provides equine therapy to veterans, active military and first responders. White has enjoyed horseback riding since he was young.
White was one of many involved in “Heroes Weekend,” a blend of both Clemson’s rich military heritage and Army’s presence as the Tigers’ opponent. Military VIPs were recognized, ROTC cadets and student veterans performed the national anthem, and branch flags waved high and proud during the armed forces medley.
Head Coach Eric Bakich has infused several new traditions that honor the military, including the playing of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” in the middle of the fourth inning each game where his players leave the dugout and go into the stands to shake hands with attending veterans. Last weekend, Army players joined them to a roaring applause.
But without a doubt, one of the highlights was in the middle of the first game on Saturday when both teams stopped and came together at home plate to hang dog tags memorializing the names and sacrifices of the 498 men on Clemson University’s Scroll of Honor.
All of it left a big impression on White, who went to boot camp just weeks removed from his graduation at Daniel High School. He’s now a reservist who drills once a month while balancing his responsibilities as a student.
“It was awesome to show my respect for and be part of an appreciation ceremony like that,” he said. “Coach Bakich came up and thanked me for my service. It means something to you in general, but in that moment, it meant a lot more because I was honored on the same weekend as our true heroes memorialized in the Scroll of Honor and other veterans and military leaders here at Clemson.”
White spent two semesters away on deployment in 2024-25. For five months, he was in the middle of the desert in Syria. He also spent time in Jordan while awaiting orders to return home. During that time, he took advantage of “cool life experiences” such as swimming in the Dead Sea.
This past semester, he was a VA work-study student with the Office of Military and Veteran Engagement on Clemson’s campus. But he’s also a regular student as well. He pledged a fraternity and serves as risk manager for the Tau Epsilon chapter of Psi Epsilon. And in an appropriate nod to his upbringing, he’s majoring in animal and veterinary sciences — with the hopes of pursuing a career in animal nutrition or a postgraduate degree following his 2027 graduation.
“Clemson was the only notable in-state school offering an agricultural-based degree program,” he says. “Being able to join the National Guard was big, too. My drill battery is only 10 minutes up the road from where I am now. It’s been a great way to get my feet wet in both ends of the pool, so to speak, and a great developmental experience as a young adult.”
