Clemson baseball still looking for ‘right combination’ in outfield
By: Davis Potter March 2, 2023

The pitching staff isn’t the only part of Clemson’s baseball team that Erik Bakich is trying to shore up.

While the inconsistency on the mound and a lack of situational hitting may be the Tigers’ most pressing issues amid their four-game losing streak, Clemson is still trying to settle on its top three outfielders. Chad Fairey and freshman Cam Cannarella, who’ve been mainstays in right and center, respectively, appear to be two of them, but Clemson continues to play musical chairs in left.

True freshman Jack Crighton was the opening-day left fielder, but Tyler Corbitt, Will Taylor and another newcomer, Nate Hall, have also gotten starts there. Taylor got the most recent one, going 1-for-3 with a towering first home run of the season Tuesday against USC Upstate.

Taylor, who’s more than a year removed from ACL surgery, has become a regular in the lineup after starting the season as a pinch hitter. The sophomore has started five of the seven games he’s played, three of them coming as the designated hitter.

Asked about the health of his surgically repaired knee at this point, Taylor said, “I feel good.” And while Bakich said he expects to continue using platoons at left field and in the DH spot in the short term, Taylor could be the favorite to join the outfield on a more regular basis if he maintains a clean bill of health.

Taylor has three hits in his last seven at-bats, raising his average to .294 on the season. Hall is hitting .273 while Crighton has just two hits in 10 at-bats this season.

“We’ll continue to look for that right combination now that Will Taylor has inserted himself into this lineup and is healthy,” Bakich said.

Meanwhile, Corbitt has missed the last five games trying to heal from an ankle sprain. But Bakich said he expects the senior to be available for this weekend’s series against South Carolina.

Overall, Bakich said, he feels good about the Tigers’ position players.

“We’ve just come up short with some execution opportunities and with some critical baserunning and mental errors that have cost us in a few games,” he said.