CLEMSON – In Jarren Purify’s 14-minute preseason interview with media members Tuesday, the word “excited” came up over 30 times.

With No. 17 Clemson’s season only days away from opening, the second baseman clearly laid out his thoughts about being mere days from the start of his third collegiate season.

“I’m just excited,” Purify said, not trying to hide a wide smile. “I’m sorry, I’ve said it like twenty times, but I am really excited to get out there. I’m excited to see all the guys playing. I’m just excited to do it.”

It has been nine months since the last time Purify got to take the field at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, and the junior is looking to build off of a stellar sophomore campaign that included a .298 batting average, a .417 on-base percentage, and 62 hits. 

Ahead of Friday’s season opener against Army, D1 Baseball.com named Purify the No. 4 second baseman in the ACC and the ninth-best in the country entering the year. Perfect Game also named the Detroit, Mich., native the No. 22 ACC prospect ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft. 

But maturity and improvement on the field has also led to a bigger role in the locker room for Purify, who originally committed to play for head coach Erik Bakich at Michigan and flipped his commitment to Clemson in 2022 after Bakich took the head job for the Tigers. 

Over three years after his commitment to Clemson, Purify has found himself as a leader, a captain, and a crucial piece on both sides of the ball for the Tigers.

“Leadership kind of happens over time as you mature within the game, as you mature within the program,” he said. “I try to be that guy that all the other guys can lean on, the younger guys can lean on, and even the older guys can lean on.

“I want to be the guy that everybody comes to for their problems, for their struggles on the field and things like that. And then also teach other guys how to present that leadership as well.”

Leadership responsibilities are not entirely new for Purify, however. Last season, he was named a team captain as a sophomore and won the team’s Inspiration Award. Still, with upperclassmen like Cam Cannarella and Andrew Ciufo as veteran leaders on the team, the “captain” job description was slightly more vague.

“Last year I was  trying to figure out how I should show my leadership and when not to overstep, when to overstep, when to say something, when not to say something,” Purify said. “I just feel like this year I’m more comfortable with actually being that guy who’s outspoken, that guy who’s actually enforcing things. I actually love that role because it gives guys something to respect and also you gain the respect of others.”

Last season, Purify was a crucial part in Clemson’s ability to get on base and find any way possible to score runs– something Bakich called the team’s “superpower.” Purify drew 32 walks and was hit 14 times with pitches, while stealing 29 bases and scoring 54 runs. 

While that offense will surely be important again for the Tigers this season, Purify believes the superpower of the 2026 team is slightly more abstract. 

According to Clemson’s defensive and mental anchor, team chemistry will be this year’s superpower.

“I think we’re so close that we’re going to want to play for each other, which probably hasn’t been there in a while,” he said. “This team is really going to be like able to pick one another up and just do the small things it takes to win the game.”

While Bakich was not as willing to assign an identity to his team ahead of opening day, he agreed that camaraderie has helped hold his team to a high standard this offseason.

“I like where we’re at from just understanding the standards with which we do things,” Bakich said. 

“Everybody has practice, everybody has training, but the standard with which you bring that execution and focus is what I’ve really seen a good job from not only our team, but the leaders that are demanding that level of standard in everything we do like Jarren Purify, (catcher) Jacob Jarrell and (pitchers) Joe Allen, and Aiden Knaak.”

Purify will finally get to translate his excitement, leadership, and maturity to the field as the Tigers open their three-game series against Army at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch for Friday’s game is at 4 p.m.