By William Qualkinbush.

Clemson baseball is getting a facelift this offseason, in more ways than one.

Passers-by can plainly see the construction underway on the first base side of the stadium that will eventually result in a brand new facility for players. Such a development is intended to keep Clemson in lockstep with its peers as far as student-athlete amenities are concerned.

The Tigers’ roster is also under construction—in virtual perpetuity, in fact. Assistant coach Bradley LeCroy oversees all recruiting efforts in Jack Leggett’s program. He has been responsible for infusing Clemson baseball with young talent for several seasons, and he feels this group of newcomers is one of his strongest.

The strength of the group, according to LeCroy, comes in two types of players: left-handed pitchers and outfielders. In both cases, there are several candidates for immediate playing time who will be making their debuts in less than a month.

The Tigers were able to cap the 2015 haul with a pair of southpaws. Pat Krall, who is eligible to pitch right away after transferring from Temple, and Hunter Van Horn, a Tampa native who originally signed with LSU out of high school, are the most mature prospects in the bunch.

But the lefty depth does not stop there. In fact, LeCroy is proud of a class that could feature as many as five such hurlers contributing in their respective first seasons in the program.

In contrast, only three left-handed pitchers were on Clemson’s staff a season ago, and one of them (Matthew Crownover) was drafted and decided at the eleventh hour to return to school.

“We haven’t had that option in a long time,” LeCroy said about the ability to match up as a pitching staff.

“You can never have enough pitching. Hopefully, we addressed that with this class.”

Three other left-handed freshmen should compete for a spot in the bullpen, as well. Alex Schnell was the Georgia AAAAAA Player of the Year and has established himself as a winner at the prep level. Sumter product Charlie Barnes and Boston native Paul Campbell will also have a shot to log some innings early.

The class of position players is led by Chase Pender, a utility player from Virginia Beach who could be a critical bench piece this season due to his jack-of-all-trades skill set. LeCroy is also high on local product K.J. Bryant from Greenville and Atlanta’s Drew Wharton, both of whom could see time in the outfield.

The good news, according to LeCroy, is that none of them are on the fast track because of the veterans already established on the roster.

“Fortunately, we’ve got a lot of position players back,” he said. “We’ve got some experience that can mold these young guys and get them ready to play.”

LeCroy makes his mark by identifying and signing talent, so he understands the important role facilities can play in the recruiting process. He is eager for the team to benefit from the new additions so the nation’s top baseball prospects will have another reason to put Clemson at the top of their respective lists.

“It’s a long time needed, as far as the players’ facility—locker room, lounge, support areas as far as a place to eat team meals and things like that,” he said. “We have great tradition, we’ve got great players and great fans here at Clemson, but we needed an upgrade with our players’ stuff.”