J.D. Burgess Class: Sophomore Hometown: Pickens, SC High School: Pickens HS Height / Weight: 5-11 / 175 Position: INF Experience: 1VL Major: Secondary Education

Head Coach Jack Leggett on Burgess: "J.D. is a hard-working, tough player who was forced into action early on last year and did a good job. He was solid at second base. He is solid at the plate, and he knows how to execute and play the game. He plays extremely hard and has a great desire to win. He has some versatility in the infield, and I expect him to be someone who helps this team win in 2008."

Versatile infielder who is not spectacular, but he is very steady in the field...can play second base, shortstop, or third base...two-time winner of the Omaha Challenge competition among position players.

2007: Hit .236 with three doubles, a triple, homer, 16 RBIs, and a team-high 13 sacrifice bunts in 55 games (45 starts, including 44 at second base and one at shortstop)...the 13 sacrifice bunts were fourth-most in Clemson history...had a team-tying-high five bunt singles...became the everyday starter at second base during the second half of the season; regular second-baseman Taylor Harbin was moved to shortstop after shortstop Stan Widmann suffered a season-ending neck injury in late February...started the last 18 games and 26 of the last 27 games after starting 19 of the team's first 37 games...was 16-for-47 (.340) in the last 14 games...hit .304 in 20 games against top-25 ranked teams...hit .308 with a .500 on-base percentage in neutral-site games...did not ground into a double play...had a .969 fielding percentage, committing just seven errors in 224 chances...went 22 games in a row (95 chances) without committing an error from the end of March to the end of April...hit a pinch-hit single in his first career plate appearance against George Mason on Feb. 16...starting for an injured Harbin, he had three RBIs, the first three of his career, against Duke on Mar. 18...went 2-for-3 with a triple, RBI, and sacrifice bunt at Maryland on Mar. 25...won the Omaha Challenge, the team's offseason endurance and condition competition, among position players in the fall of 2006...went 2-for-2 against #19 Georgia Tech on Apr. 29...went 2-for-2 at #2 Florida State on May 12...went 2-for-4 with his first career homer, two runs scored, and three RBIs against College of Charleston on May 15...went 2-for-3 with two walks and the game-tying single with the Tigers trailing 4-3 in the 13th inning against #25 Miami (FL) in the ACC Tournament on May 23...went 2-for-4 with two doubles against #3 Florida State in the ACC Tournament on May 26; he was 4-for-10 (.400) with a .538 on-base percentage, two doubles, and three runs scored in the tournament...hit a double with two RBIs at #17 Mississippi State in the Starkville Super Regional on Jun. 9...played for Thomasville in the Coastal Plain League in the summer, where he hit .233 with a .343 on-base percentage in 28 games (27 starts) and pitched an inning on the mound; the HiToms captured the league title.

BEFORE CLEMSON: All-state selection as a senior at Pickens High School...#3 player in South Carolina by Baseball America...played on the 2005 Big League World Series Championship team...all-region selection as a sophomore and junior...hit .366 with six homers and 28 RBIs as a junior...USSSA 15-and-under All-American in 2003...lettered six times in baseball and once in football at Pickens High...coached by Stan Butler.

PERSONAL: His father John Burgess, Jr. played baseball at North Greenville...majoring in secondary education...born John David Burgess on Sept. 16, 1987 in Greenville, SC.