CLEMSON — After starting the season in the bullpen, Drew Titsworth now finds himself getting the ball in what could be the biggest game of the season for Clemson to date.

On Thursday, Erik Bakich announced that Titsworth would start the Tigers’ first game of the Clemson Regional against USC-Upstate, with the head coach noting that there was never much debate about who was getting the ball first.

“Drew Titsworth has got the ball (Friday),” Bakich said. “We knew he was going to go the whole time. Kind of a no-brainer for us. Feel really confident when he is on the mound.”

Whether it was coming out of the bullpen or as the Saturday starter, Titsworth has been a key cog for the Tigers in 2025. His 19 appearances are tied for the fourth-most on the team. His last six have all been starts, with Titsworth being inserted into the weekend rotation back in April after Ethan Darden went down with an injury.

The sophomore hurler comes into Friday 5-1 on the season with an ERA of 4.26. He has 48 strikeouts in 50.2 innings pitched, and he has issued just 18 walks.

If there is one person not surprised by the early success, it’s Bakich. With Titsworth being from Michigan, Bakich spent a lot of time recruiting the young pitcher. In fact, Titsworth originally committed to Michigan before Bakich took the Clemson job back in the summer of 2022.

“Spent a lot of time recruiting Drew and his family,” Bakich added. “Obviously, he is from Frakenmuth, Michigan, and was committed to Michigan. We got a long look at him early in his high school career. Just watched him really over the last six years. He has always been a starter. Didn’t become a reliever until he got here last year and the early part of this year.”

While Titsworth spent all of last season and the first half of this one working in a relief role, Bakich always believed it was just a matter of time before he worked himself into the starting rotation. When Darden went down with an injury, the perfect opportunity presented itself.

“He is a big, strong, durable kid,” Bakich said. “He’s just got that physical makeup to where his body can handle the starting role so it was more the timing and the opportunity having to present itself for him to get himself into the rotation. He had good numbers as a reliever, and we thought, let’s give it a shot.”

Titsworth’s first start came on April 18 at home against Louisville. The right-hander went six strong that day, which is still a career-high, allowing no runs on three hits. It was a performance that earned him ACC Pitcher of the Week.

The good news for Clemson is that Titsworth seems to be getting better with each start. His last two, on the road at Pitt and in the ACC Tournament against NC State, have been two of his best. Now, Bakich is rewarding him by giving him the ball to open regional play, and the head coach has no doubt that is the right decision.

“He is very capable,” Bakich said. “He has actually added to his repertoire. Using his secondary stuff a little more, instead of in a relief outing, he could just maybe come in and try and throw as hard as he can, relying on one pitch. Now he is mixing pitches. He and coach Belanger added a pitch, added a split change. He is progressing, he is improving, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”