CLEMSON — Ty Dalley just knew.
After entering the transfer portal after last season, Erik Bakcih and Clemson quickly showed interest in the power hitter who spent his first three seasons at Mercer. While Dalley moved fast to set up a visit to the school, that visit never transpired.
Due to being under the weather, Dalley had to postpone the visit, and by the time he was better, it was time to head up north for summer ball. However, Dalley didn’t need to visit. He just knew. He knew Clemson was where he wanted to be, and he wound up committing, having never taken that visit.
Now, as he wraps up his first fall ball season with the Tigers, Dalley has just as quickly begun to make his mark on the program. The power-hitting right-fielder hit a mammoth home run after setting his wood bat on fire during Thursday night’s exhibition win over the Bananas All-Star team. He and the Clemson faithful hope that one was just the first of many.
“As soon as I hit it, everybody stood up, and I was like, ‘Man, this is why I came to Clemson,'” Dalley said.
Hitting long balls is something Dalley specialized in during his three seasons at Mercer. During his career with the Bears, Dalley never hit fewer than 18 homers. He hit 58 during his career there, 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 home runs and finishing with 61 RBI.
With Clemson having hit just 73 homers as a team last season, Dalley will add some immediate pop to Bakich’s lineup.
Dalley also had the Tigers’ only trick play in the win over the Bananas All-Star team, catching a ball behind his back in right field that sent not only the sell-out crowd on hand, but also his teammates, into a frenzy.
Now that he’s experienced the atmosphere inside Doug Kingsmore Stadium, he can’t wait for the season to begin in February.
“One word. Electric,” Dalley said. “I loved it. The fans were awesome. I can’t wait to sell this thing out some more and get this thing going on in the spring.”
And so far, Clemson has been everything and more than Dalley was expecting
“It has been awesome,” Dalley said. “EB has been great, the whole coaching staff is awesome, and my teammates are some of the best people I have ever met. I can’t be more blessed to be in this spot.”