In this file photo, Ringgold High School starting pitcher Matthew Crownover throws a pitch to a Columbus hitter during a game at Columbus State University.RINGGOLD, Ga. – Orange was the popular color on the campus at Ringgold High School Wednesday. No, the school hasn’t changed its colors, but on this day the bright orange of Clemson University was on display as Ringgold pitching ace Matthew Crownover signed his letter of intent to play collegiately for the Tigers.
Crownover committed to coach Jack Leggett’s national powerhouse program as a sophomore, before he had thrown a pitch that season. Two showcase games at Clemson were enough to prove to coaches there and to Crownover that this was where he belonged.
“I looked at several programs — Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, pretty much everybody in the SEC and ACC — but I just felt at home at Clemson,” Crownover said. “I pitched there twice, first against the No. 1 18-year-old team in the country when I was 15 and threw a three-hitter, and the next year I threw a no-hitter. I think it’s destiny that I go there.”
The signing is another step in a journey that began before Crownover attended his first high school class. Coaching parents David and Susan Crownover decided to put Matthew in the prestigious East Cobb baseball program, where he excelled against the south’s top talent and immediately caught recruiters’ attention.
“We sat in the living room last night and remembered when we first went to East Cobb and recalling thinking about how much time and commitment it would take,” said David Crownover, a Ringgold baseball assistant coach. “But, our goal was to get him a college scholarship, and it’s been unreal how hard he’s worked to get there.”