Erik Bakich has been more than pleased with how his team has attacked the offseason.
After entering regional play riding a 16-game winning streak, Bakich's first team at Clemson saw its season end in excruciating fashion.
After knocking off Lipscomb to open the Clemson Regional, the Tigers would drop a heartbreaker in 14 innings to Tennessee, missing on opportunities to walk it off in both the bottom of the ninth and tenth innings. The season would end the next day when the emotionally drained Tigers fell to Charlotte.
Over the offseason, Bakich has seen a very determined group, and one that has used the experience from last season as motivation for 2024.
"This isn't a group that you have to coach attitude or effort with," Bakich told All Clemson Tigers. "They're just very driven, and it just looked like a team that was on a mission to put in the work and do what it takes in order to earn the opportunity to get hot at the end, because that is something that definitely has to be earned, it doesn't just happen."
With guys like Cam Cannarella, Blake Wright and Will Taylor back, along with some new faces, including transfers Jimmy Obertop and Alden Mathes and freshmen Jarren Purify and Devin Parks, Bakich feels like this team might be one of his deepest to date.
"Probably the most total depth you know one to 40," Bakich said. "Some of those Michigan teams, you know our 2019 rotation were three second rounders Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so I guess that's (to be determined) but I do think we have a lot of very talented players."
"And sometimes it's not always that superstar, but it's the guys that have enough talent, very talented from the neck up as well, that form the team. it's not always about having that top end guy but having a very balanced pitching staff, very balanced lineup. That's what this feels like."
The Tigers also have a lot of experienced pitchers returning. Austin Gordon, Billy Barlow, Tristan Smith and Joe Allen are all back and vying for spots in the rotation. Bakich also brought in Matt Marchal from Wofford, who has 36 career starts over his four year career.
With that kind of balance, it feels like Bakich has put together a team that is certainly capable of once again getting hot at the right time and potentially leading the Tigers out of regional play for the first time since 2010.
"I do think we have some guys who have a chance to kind of be that high draft pick, or that quote unquote superstar. But it feels much more balanced than that, where one through nine, the lineup is good. And every pitcher that's going to go into the game is... there's no one that's going into the game that's a liability."
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