Clemson Baseball Lands at No. 20 in Baseball America Preseason Rankings

Clemson sits at No. 20 in Baseball America's preseason top 25 for the 2026 college baseball season. Seven ACC programs made the poll.

Erik Bakich enters his fourth year as head coach after steering the team to 133 wins across three seasons. The Tigers posted a 45-18 record in 2025 and hosted an NCAA Regional for the third consecutive year.

Bakich is shaping roster around the development of pitchers and using the broader pitching philosophy to keep players rested. The team used this same approach during the fall with ace Aidan Knaak. The two-time All-ACC selection rested his arm in preparation for June. Drew Titsworth and Talan Bell also threw limited innings.

"Everybody's going to lift, run and train, but it's the standards by which you do those things that are going to determine those Omaha teams, and then you just hope you do that consistently enough that you can get hot at the end and be one of those teams." said Bakich according to Sports Illustrated.

Clemson is also adding new players from the transfer portal. Ty Dalley is coming from Mercer and Nate Savoie is coming from Loyola Marymount to play outfield. Several infielders will be joining the team including Tyler Lichtenberger from Appalachian State and Bryce Clavon from Georgia.

The Tigers haven't reached Omaha since 2010. One super regional rally separated them from a berth in 2024 before Florida eliminated them. The team opens its season Feb. 13 with a three-game series against Army at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.