CLEMSON — Erik Bakich has never shied away from sharing his vision for what the Clemson baseball program could potentially become.

The fourth-year head coach of the Tigers has some grand ideas that will require a significant amount of fundraising.

“I have lots of ideas,” Bakich said. “But we are probably tens of millions of dollars short of executing these.”

Several of Bakich’s ideas have already come to fruition, including the establishment of a beer garden and the renovation of the visitors’ bullpen.

One of the things he wants to do next is retool the area out behind right field between Doug Kingsmore and McWhorter Stadium, and turn it into something that resembles what the Atlanta Braves have with The Battery at Truist Park.

“You take a page out of the Savannah Bananas book and a page out of the Braves book,” Bakich added. “The Savannah Bananas have created this fan’s first entertainment thing, where if you are buying a ticket — yes, the baseball is important, yes, we want to win all of the games, yes to all of that, but we want to have an attraction. We want to have something else happening at our games.”

“Whether it is better quality food, or things to do, or special events connected to our games, that is just as much of an attraction as the baseball itself. Looking at what Truist Park is, and what the Battery is at the Braves stadium, and how they have totally transformed that area around the stadium, it is just as much fun to be outside the stadium as it is in, if not more. They’ve got restaurants, they’ve got nightlife and they’ve got atmosphere, they’ve got turf fields, a jumbotron, and they’ve got all kinds of stuff.”

Bakich also envisions something that will benefit more than just the fans attending baseball games. He wants football fans to be able to enjoy the area on fall Saturdays when Dabo Swinney’s team is playing at home. Something that would give the baseball program a new stream of revenue, something that is extremely important in today’s landscape.

“We have the perfect spot behind the right-field fence to utilize that turf area, that space between baseball and softball,” Bakich said. “It could be a space, in my opinion, that you are able to activate nine to ten months out of the year. Being able to host events or do things out there to make that an entertainment-type section for the fans, I think that is smart, and I think that is doable.”

Clemson has won 40 or more games and hosted a regional in each of Bakich’s first three seasons, including hosting a Super Regional in 2024. However, Bakich is looking for bigger things in the future.

The head coach has been pretty open about his goal of getting the Tigers back to the College World Series for the first time since 2010, and while that is certainly the biggest goal, it’s far from the only one.

“Ultimately, we are happy with getting 6,800 fans, but we are not satisfied,” Bakich said. “We want to be one of the five schools in the nation that averages over 10K fans. Why can’t we be one of those schools that compete to be number one in attendance instead of Top 10? We have to do our part between the white lines, and we know that, but in the meantime, let’s create something awesome for the fans.”