Since being hired as the head baseball coach at Clemson, Erik Bakich has made no bones about his desire to get the Tigers back to the College World Series.

While the program has made it to Omaha 12 times, the last time Clemson made an appearance came way back in 2010. Bakich had the Tigers close in 2024, but it just wasn’t meant to be, as Florida eliminated Clemson in the Super Regionals.

Over his first three seasons at Clemson, Bakich has never shied away from the Omaha talk. He embraced those expectations with open arms. However, with the Tigers beginning fall ball this weekend, Bakich is taking a different approach when it comes to the 2026 team.

“We’re not talking about Omaha,” Bakich said on a recent appearance on WCCP’s Out of Bounds. “This year, nobody wants to hear anymore talk. It’s don’t talk about it, be about it.”

Bakich has led the Tigers to 40+ win seasons in each of his first three years. Clemson won an ACC Championship in 2023 and has hosted a regional in all three of his seasons at the helm.

At the same time, the Tigers have been beaten at home in two of those regionals, including last season, when they didn’t even make it to the regional final.

“We’re not building up certain players, we’re not building up the team, we are not building up anything,” Bakich said. “It is just head down, chip on shoulder, ready to kick ass, and let’s go.”

Clemson is scheduled to host Alabama in a fall exhibition on October 25. The Tigers will also play an exhibition against the Savannah Bananas on October 23. This will mark the second straight season the two teams have played in the fall at DKS.

The 2026 campaign will officially get started on February 13, when the Tigers will open at home against Army. The full schedule will be released at a later date.

“We’re not going to be talking much about Omaha,” Bakich said. “The idea is shut up and let’s just go to Omaha.”