Clemson baseball Head Coach Erik Bakich announced a 2022 signing class of 19 players on Tuesday, including 16 high school players, 2 four year college transfers and 1 junior college transfer.
Bakich praised Monte Lee’s staff for their work on the class, which was supplemented by the Bakich’s first staff once they came on board.
Eleven of the players list a city in South Carolina as their hometown, but there are players from everywhere from Oregon to New Hampshire among the 19 newcomers.
Bakich also noted that many of the players announced Tuesday were already on campus working with strength and conditioning staff.
Bakich comes to Clemson from Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the College World Series final in 2019, going 50-22.
The 44 year old began Bakich began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach under Head Coach Jack Leggett at Clemson in 2002, when he worked with the Tiger outfielders and infielders.
Clemson baseball announces 19 members of the 2022 signing class
The class is ranked 16th by Perfect Game, ahead of North Carolina State, South Carolina and Miami, FL.
Tristan Smith, a left-handed pitcher out of Boiling Springs High School in Chesnee, South Carolina is the highest ranked recruit at number 24 by Perfect Game.
Jack Crighton (248) and Nolan Nawrocki (296) are the other two players listed in the top 300 by Perfect Game.
The Tigers had gained the commitment of number 4 commit Brock Porter, but he ended up signing with the Texas Rangers after being taken in the fourth round, but being offered first round money.
Bakich and his staff have begun the process of reworking the roster after several veteran players opted to move on after Lee’s dismissal and the loss of Max Wagner (2nd round pick of Baltimore Orioles), Mack Anglin (7th round, Kansas City) and Geoffrey Gilbert (13th round, New York Yankees) among others.
Optimism is high among Clemson baseball fans that Bakich’s brand of baseball will lead the Tigers back to Omaha, where they once regularly finished the season, but have not been to since 2010.