CLEMSON -- Clemson’s bats are warming up, and once again the Tigers are positioned among college baseball’s elite. Ranked No. 6 in both the D1Baseball.com Top 25 and RPI, and No. 5 in the NCAA Coaches Poll, they’ve mashed their way to national relevance.
But if recent history has taught us anything, it’s that offense alone doesn’t win championships.
Not in June.
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Not when the arms start wearing down and the margin for error shrinks.
We’ve seen this before. Last season, Clemson entered the postseason with momentum, only to run out of trusted arms when it mattered most. Forced to rely on little-used pitchers in crucial moments, the Tigers fell to Florida in the Super Regional—an unforgettable yet frustrating end to their season.
The year before, by the time the NCAA Regional rolled around, the Tigers simply didn’t have enough reliable arms to survive the grind. The result? Another early exit and yet another season full of what-ifs.
And here we are again. Erik Bakich’s third year has brought fireworks at the plate, but the question still looms: do the Tigers have enough pitching to avoid déjà vu?
The starting rotation is all but set for Fridays and Saturdays, but after that, it’s been a revolving door.
Aidan Knaak (3.41 ERA, 54 K in 31.2 IP) continues his role as the Friday night guy. He’s been excellent, striking out 54 batters over 31.2 innings while holding opponents to a mere .168 batting average.
His cutter, added in the offseason, has been a weapon, and his changeup somehow dances even more than last year.
Ethan Darden (3.77 ERA, 27 K in 28.2 IP) has been a dependable No. 2, but beyond them, the rotation lacks depth.
Injuries have forced Clemson to mix and match.
Freshman Dane Moehler was the hopeful Sunday starter, but Tommy John surgery ended that plan before it could even begin.
Instead, it’s been a mix of Justin LeGuernic (7.58 ERA in 19 innings) and Jacob McGovern (8.49 ERA in 11.2 innings) trying to piece things together, and that’s far from ideal.
Brendon Bennett (4.05 ERA) has been serviceable in four starts but averages just 1.2 innings per outing—again.
The bullpen has some dominant arms, but workload management could become an issue.
B.J. Bailey (0.43 ERA, 25 strikeouts in 21 innings) and Lucas Mahlstedt (0.87 ERA, 8 saves in 20.2 innings) have been nearly unhittable, forming an elite late-game duo.
Reed Garris (0.71 ERA) has also been highly effective, providing a reliable middle-inning option.
The challenge, though, is keeping these top arms fresh as the season wears on, especially if starters can’t go deep into games.
Further down the bullpen, inconsistency starts to show.
Joe Allen (2.13 ERA) and Nathan Dvorsky (5.11 ERA) have had their moments, but others, like Chayce Kieck (6.17 ERA) and Chance Fitzgerald (6.43 ERA), have struggled to keep runs off the board.
Allen has shown flashes—particularly in the South Carolina series, where he relied heavily on his nearly unhittable slider (throwing maybe two fastballs)—so there’s hope he can develop into a more reliable arm moving forward.
Meanwhile, Kieck and Fitzgerald have both had their moments, but consistency remains a major issue.
Beyond the top three or four relievers, Clemson has a mix of high-upside but unproven arms. Come postseason, when pitching depth is tested, that could be more cause for concern.
Tuesday’s loss to Coastal Carolina was the latest warning sign.
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Coming off a weekend where starters barely made it three innings per outing, Clemson’s bullpen was taxed—and it showed. Six runs allowed, all directly tied to free bases—five via walks and hit batters, and one from a passed ball. That won’t cut it when the stakes are higher.
Clemson’s offense has the firepower to erase deficits, and it has done a lot of heavy lifting this season. While the Tigers have managed to dig out of holes—like their 6-0 comeback against Wake Forest—it’s not a sustainable model when facing elite competition in Omaha.
Come June, they won’t always be able to hit their way out of trouble.
The lineup is built to slug, but the arms need to hold up when it matters most.
Toby Corriston is an intern at Tigerillustrated.com.
