Clemson baseball pitcher arrested on assault and battery charges
CLEMSON — Clemson baseball pitcher Ariston Veasey was arrested after being charged with two counts of third-degree assault and battery, public disorderly conduct and unlawful use of or fraudulent application for license stemming from an altercation at ROAR Clemson, a downtown bar, on Jan. 11, according to the Clemson City Police Department's incident report obtained by The Greenville News via an open-records request.
According to the report, officer Clayten Barnes was "flagged down" around 1:31 a.m. by a ROAR employee, who informed him that a patron was fighting people inside and had punched him.
On the way to the fight, Barnes was informed the suspect, Veasey, was "being pinned down by another customer." When Barnes and officer Tyler Cantrell arrived, Veasey was let go, then officers placed him in handcuffs.
Veasey, 20, was escorted to Barnes' patrol vehicle and was informed that he was under arrest after another person, who's name was redacted in the report, informed the officer that he was also punched in the face. While searching Veasey, officers found a fake Georgia driver's license, prompting the pitcher to be initially charged with public disorderly conduct and for having a fake ID (first offense).
The two individuals who alleged Veasey punched them declined to pursue charges for assault at the time, but he was placed on trespass notice from ROAR.
Records show arrest warrants were later issued following the Jan. 11 incident. On Jan. 14, Veasey was charged with two counts of assault and battery in the third degree and was released on a $930 personal recognizance bond.
Clemson athletics declined to comment on the matter.
Assault and battery in the third degree is a misdemeanor in South Carolina. Upon conviction, a person found guilty of assault and battery in the third degree must be fined no more than $500, imprisoned for no more than 30 days or both. Public disorderly conduct and having a fake ID both are misdemeanors too.
According to the Clemson athlete handbook, "all other misdemeanor charges/convictions, the head coach will recommend, within seven days, a course of action, and upon concurrence of the designated CUAD administrator, administer sanctions."
The Tiger, Clemson's student newspaper, was first to report.
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Who is Ariston Veasey?
Veasey, 6-foot-1, transferred to Clemson this season after spending two years at Alabama. The Georgia native appeared in five games with the Crimson Tide in 2025, posting a 9.82 ERA over 3⅔ innings.
Veasey, a junior right-handed pitcher, will likely be a reliever for Clemson this season.
Clemson started spring training on Jan. 13. The Tigers open their season on Feb. 13 (4 p.m. ET) vs. Army West Point at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Ariston Veasey, Clemson baseball pitcher, arrested on assault, battery charges
