CLEMSON — Erik Bakich knows how starved Clemson fans are for a return to the College World Series.

It’s been close to 15 years since the program’s last trip to Omaha, a drought that at one time was almost inconceivable for Tiger fans.

Bakich got Clemson close last year, his second season at the helm, but the Tigers would fall short in the Super Regional round. It was the first Super Regional appearance since the 2010 season.

With the head coach leading the program to a regional host in his first season and the Supers in his second, Bakich readily admits what the expectations are for the next step.

“The next step is Omaha, and the step after that is winning a national championship. The step after that is doing it multiple times,” Bakich said. “But you’re either feeling the pressure or applying the pressure. Of course, these are the biggest stages and the brightest lights and the highest stakes.”

And not only has Bakich embraced those expectations, but so have his players, and the journey to Omaha begins on Friday against USC-Upstate.

“You have to run right towards it. You have to run to the roar on that one,” Bakich added. “You can’t back away from that, you can’t shy away from it. We all signed up for it. The players, the coaches, everybody. This is why you do it. I mean it’s for these moments right here, and we’re okay knowing that we will be judged based on what happens this round, the next round and the round after that. We are okay with that.”

Each year, the Tigers begin the season with stated team goals. One of those is to take the annual series from the rival Gamecocks. Clemson did that by sweeping all three games. Another one is winning the ACC. Clemson came up one game short of that goal.

Another goal is making it to the College World Series. That one is readily apparent, seeing as the word “Omaha” is stitched on the back of their caps. It’s actually the biggest, most important goal. However, to do that, the Tigers will need to win a regional that begins on Friday against a Spartans’ team that is riding a six-game winning streak and fresh off a Big South Championship.

“And along the way, there are some milestone things you want to accomplish that you set goals for,” Bakich said. “We got one of them with the Gamecocks and didn’t get the ones we wanted in the ACC. But now we have this opportunity in front of us. So, there’s a lot of things that you set goals for, but none are bigger than when the postseason starts and you have the opportunity to do something magical, do something special. But it all starts with one game at a time, one pitch at a time.”