If there were any lingering questions about how Erik Bakich will rebuild a roster full of new faces, the opening weeks of the 2026 season have given a loud, clear answer.
The Clemson Tigers are now on point, and they were just announced as the college baseball world’s current talking point following a 7-0 start. On Monday, the Tigers cleared four in positions to No. 15 in the D1Baseball Top 25 (and No. 14 on Baseball America). Though they currently rank the fourth-highest ACC team in the polls, the metrics indicate that this group may be more dangerous than the scoring indicates.
The headline in Clemson isn’t just that they’re winning—it’s just how they’re winning. The Tigers lead the nation in the country at the moment with a whopping 1.35 team ERA. Even though it has lost key reliever Jacob McGovern to a season-ending elbow injury, the rotation has been clinical. Tennessee transfer Michael Sharman is the steal of a portal. In 11 innings, Sharman has yielded a tiny .083 batting average to his rivals. His 2-0 start included leading a double-header shutout against Army—the first offense for the program since 2001. Lefty junior Justin LeGuernic has been an enigma for hitters behind him, seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.
Even Preseason All-American Aidan Knaak, who had a clubhouse-wide flu early on, resembled his highest-level self this weekend, when he fanned eight batters in an impressive victory over Bryant. So long as the arms have been historic, the bats are following. Clemson is currently hitting .345 as a team (Top 15 nationally) with a 1.002 OPS.
The sophomore Luke Gaffney is now making the case for early ACC Player of the Year honors, with a cool .500 with 12 hits on a team-high and a single strikeout in seven games. Senior catcher Jacob Jarrell is now tied for third in the nation by four home runs, while Loyola Marymount transfer Nate Savoie holds the leadership for RBIs (10) and total hits (13).
The Tigers are likely most surprising, though; they have only struck out 30 times all season — the 13th-fewest in Division I — a maturity at the plate that can’t be had until May.
The scheduled "honeymoon phase" is coming to an end. Clemson will return to Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday to play Presbyterian, yet everyone’s eyes are already turning toward the weekend. The Tigers will be traveling to Columbia for their first road visit of the season to open their important Palmetto Series title to South Carolina. It will be a final litmus test for a team that has spent February proving that “rebuilding” is not in their vocabulary.
If Bakich’s ensemble can maintain that combination of elite pitching and disciplined power against their competition, No. 15 will look like a floor, not a ceiling.