Clemson Baseball Preseason Breakdown

Projected Lineup

Key Reserves

Transfers to Know

Freshmen to Know

Projected Weekend Rotation

Key Relievers / Closers

Pitching Transfers to Know

Pitching Freshmen to Know

Outlook

This year has a chance to be a special one.

Pitching depth is the identity. This is a team that is built around pitching depth. Coach Bakich is confident in 16-18 arms he can throw out there. The pitching staff is a mix of proven, experienced arms, promising young talent, and unproven arms with high potential.

Weekend anchors. Knaak and Titsworth are two weekend starters back from last season. Talan Bell is expected to make a big jump in his sophomore season now that he has been healthy for a full year.

Moehler’s ramp-up. Dane Moehler is back from TJ surgery. He will be on the same plan Bell was last season. He will most likely make his first appearance in March with a mid-week start so he can go through his pre-game routine. He won't be coming out of the bullpen early on, and if he has success, will most likely lock down the mid-week starting spot unless he can make a jump into the weekend rotation by May.

Experienced leverage arms + transfers. Jacob McGovern and Joe Allen are two ultra-experienced relievers who are back and can also provide a start if needed, but are expected to be go-to relievers in critical situations. You've added the three transfers, all of whom will be key bullpen guys. Sharman could be a mid-week starter early in the year.

The closer question. The real question is who is going to fill the roles left by Reed Garris and Lucas Mahlstedt? Simmerson was an All-American as a closer at the D2 level. Veasey has elite "stuff" that could translate to being a closer. Dion Brown is topping out in the upper 90's and could get an opportunity. LeGuernic could be a 1 inning option. The last option, and hopefully won't need to happen, would be sending Titsworth back to the closer role if another weekend starter can be developed or Moehler jumps into that role toward the season's end.

Midweek by committee early. Early in the season, I don't think it matters who starts the mid-week games because it will be a pitcher-by-committee situation. I don't see any starter going more than three innings, and I expect to see anywhere from 5 to 6 arms used, and most of them to be freshmen. This is the best way to provide the youngsters with opportunities. Nelson, Frusco, and Margolies have to get innings.

Managing workload for June. Coach has already said he will not extend his starting pitchers early in the year because he wants them to be at full strength come June. He feels he can do that because of the depth of our quality.

A different kind of depth. For the first time since Bakich has been at Clemson, the team has pitching depth capable of coming through a loser's bracket. They rested all the arms in the off-season more than usual. The injuries in the past three years have certainly changed his way of doing things to keep these arms healthy. The best ability is availability.

The Three Keys

• Health and I emphasize that. Bell, Moehler, Bennett, and Kissenberth all need to stay healthy.
• The development of current pitchers that have struggled but have potential like Leguernic, Samol, Fitzgerald, and Dvorsky.
• Rapid development of the Freshmen arms, and I'll include the Redshirt FR Dion Brown in that category as well.

Portal punch. The Tigers' batting order will look a lot more powerful than last season. The Tigers added plenty of power and talent through the portal with the acquisitions of two Freshmen All-Americans in SS Tyler Lichtenberger and OF/C Nate Savoie, the nation's leader in career homeruns in Ty Dalley, and 5-tool player Bryce Clavon, who is the least experienced of the transfers but is arguably the fastest player on the team and will be the best base stealer.

How it fits. Lichtenberger will start at SS and be a great replacement for Ciufo, who was the best defensive SS in recent memory. Dalley and Savoie will be big bats in the middle of the order, and do not sleep on Savoie's speed. For a big kid, he can move. Clavon is a fast, powerful athlete who can play infield and outfield, but most likely outfield due to his speed and arm strength.

Dalley’s key. Dalley will start in RF and be a huge power bat for us. The coaches emphasized "swing decisions" with him due to his high chase rate. If he can be more disciplined and get in better counts, he will see better pitches, which will improve his average, cut down on strikeouts, and allow him to continue to hit 20 bombs a year as he did for 3 seasons at Mercer.

The returning core. Jacob Jarrell, Jarren Purify, Jack Crighton, Tryston McCladdie, and Luke Gaffney are the core players back from last season. This is Purify's year to really shine and hit lead off for the Tigers.

Breakout watch. Crighton and, most notably, McCladdie are two guys that we are waiting to see flash after showing signs of promise and struggles for the past two to three years. McCladdie gives the coaches a unique ability to create different lineups because he can play any of the 7 positions behind the pitcher. The Junior needs to lock down his starting spot by hitting the ball consistently. Crighton is a solid contact hitter, but needs to provide more power or get on base more for the power bats the Tigers do have. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Senior hit .330 or better this season.

Gaffney’s swing change. Gaffney has transformed his swing, and it is unrecognizable. The coaches put in the most work with his swing in the off-season in the newly partnered state-of-the-art Maven Baseball Lab, co-founded by former Clemson Tiger and pro Tyler Krieger. Expect to see the Junior go back to his Freshman ways, which earned him All-American honors, and be a big bat in the top 3 or in the middle of the order.

Depth pieces that matter. Priest is a name that hasn't been mentioned, but his 54 RBIs last season, even while struggling to hit for average and make contact, can not go unnoticed. The former Freshman All-American needs to cut down on strikeouts. He could be a slugging run producer for the Tigers at the DH spot and provide more lefty/righty balance to the lineup. Jason Fultz is a very strong true freshman who will challenge for playing time at 3B. His pop will be hard to keep out of the lineup, and the freshman could see time at DH early on. Dylan Harrison is another freshman who can challenge for playing time with his sweet swing.

Defense + the main concern. Defensively, the Tigers look very solid around the diamond. Crighton, Clavon, McCladdie, Savoie, and Dalley are all plus defenders in the outfield with good to elite arms. The biggest question mark defensively will be replacing the left side of the infield. Lichtenberger has locked down SS, but McCladdie will have to be solid defensively, or he will lose his spot to the freshman Fultz fast.

Catching depth. Jarrell is back for what feels like his 6th year and will be backed up by Savoie, Gaffney, and Ty Marshall. The depth at catcher will allow Jarrell to have necessary rest throughout the season.

Bottom line. Overall, I think this is a lineup with a great mix of contact, power, and speed. There isn't much depth. Around 12 to 13 players will be counted on to get it done this year. The depth of the team is in the pitching room, and for good reason. This is mostly a veteran team mixed with really good young talent. There are no more excuses. This is the year to get to Omaha.