Almost as soon as Clemson’s season ended with a disappointing loss in a home regional, Erik Bakich went to work addressing some of his team’s weaknesses.
Less than two weeks out from that lopsided loss to Kentucky that ended the Tigers’ season, Bakich has already added several pieces to his roster via the transfer portal, with some already calling it one of the best portal classes in the country.
One of those players is rising senior Ty Dalley, who spent his first three seasons at Mercer. Interestingly enough, Dalley was so high on the Tigers, he never even visited. Dalley was scheduled to visit, but was under the weather. By the time he was better, it was time for him to head up north to join his summer ball team in the Cape Cod League.
“I did sight unseen,” Dalley told The Clemson Insider. “I was actually going to go up for a visit, but I kind of got under the weather. I was a little sick, so I wasn’t able to make it. Then I had to come up here to the Cape. I’ve been to Clemson before. I loved it when I went up there. It was a long time ago. I went up there for a football game and loved it. Loved the town, loved the campus, loved the university.”
The corner outfielder absolutely fills a critical need for Clemson, providing Bakich with some much-needed pop in the middle of his lineup. Despite winning 45 games this season, Clemson had just 73 home runs as a team.
During his three seasons at Mercer, Dalley never hit fewer than 18 homers. He has hit 58 during his career, with 188 runs driven in. As a junior, Dalley was the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, and he lived up to those expectations, hitting .273 this season, while smashing 19 long balls and finishing with 61 RBI.
While he is more than grateful for his time with the Bears, as he heads into his final season at the collegiate level, Dalley is looking to play on the national stage.
“I spent three years there,” Dalley said. “I accomplished some goals I had for myself there, and they kind of developed me into the player I am today. So all credit to them. I’m forever thankful for Mercer and what they’ve done for me. But with it being my last year, and it is my draft year, I just wanted to go spend the last year at a high-level program like Clemson, and just play the highest level of college baseball that I could.”
And the power-hitting outfielder believes he has found the perfect fit with Bakich.
“He is the one I have been in contact with, he’s the one who has been recruiting me,” Dalley said. “When I got in the portal, Clemson was already high on my list. I mean, it’s high-level baseball. It’s closer to my hometown than most schools around this area. So I mean, it really stood out. Then, when I got on the phone with him, got to see his energy firsthand, I was all in. I loved it. It was great.”
“I really just love the energy that Clemson baseball plays with, and that coach Bakich has brought to the table. It’s just unmatched. That’s what really stood out.”
As with any college baseball player, the ultimate dream is making it to Omaha and playing in the College World Series, and Dalley fully believes Bakich is assembling a team capable of making that kind of run.
“He brings such good energy,” Dalley said. “I mean, he seems real. He seems very real with what he wants and what he wants to bring to Clemson to get it back on that pedestal and make an Omaha run. I think he’s trying to get a group of good guys that can make that happen.”
Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright