While Erik Bakich and his Clemson baseball team once again managed to win more than 40 games last season, the lineup still didn’t have quite as much pop as was expected.
After hitting 109 home runs in 2024, the Tigers hit just 73 last season. However, looking at some of the portal additions, those numbers are likely to rise in 2026.
One of the biggest additions was outfielder Ty Dalley. After hitting 58 homers across his first three seasons at Mercer, Dalley comes into the season as the active home run leader in all of D1 baseball. He has 188 career RBI and a .627 slugging percentage. Expect Dalley to man the spot in right field.
Another big addition was Nate Savoie. He hit 20 long balls in his debut season at Loyola-Marymount last year, and was the West Coast Conference’s Freshman of the Year. He hit .301 and drove in 61 runs, while slugging .675. He also scored 42 runs. Savoie spent time in left and behind the plate in the fall. He could also serve as the DH on some days, but his versatility gives Bakich some flexibility with the lineup.
Veteran backstop Jacob Jarrell also returns for one more season. Serving as the primary catcher in 2025, Jarrell led the Tigers with 15 home runs while driving in 41. The hope is he can replicate some of those power numbers in 2026.
One intriguing player who returns from last season is first baseman Luke Gaffney. After transferring in from Purdue ahead of last year, Gaffney was expected to be one of the big bats in the middle of the Clemson lineup in 2025.
However, it just didn’t turn out that way, as Gaffeny experienced some struggles during his first season of ACC play. He finished with just five long balls after belting 13 during his freshman campaign with the Boilermakers.
By all accounts, Gaffney had an extremely strong fall after making some tweaks with his approach at the plate. If that success translates to the field in 2026, that gives the Tigers one more big bat.
Collin Priest, who hit 12 homers a season ago, is back too. Second baseman Jarren Purify also has the potential to improve on his six long balls in 2025.
At the end of the day, whether the power numbers for Clemson increase largely hinges on those two portal additions. Dalley and Savoie combined to hit 39 homers last season and drive in 122 runs. If the power-hitting duo can have similar success this year, that would only increase the chances of Bakich and Clemson having the kind of postseason run fans are thirsting for.
Photo by Bart Boatwright