If you attended a Clemson baseball game last season, odds are you noticed the Tigers suddenly disappear into the stands in the middle of the fourth inning.
During Clemson’s first home game of the 2025 season against VCU, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” belted from stadium speakers as the Tigers exited prior to the bottom of the fourth. Players in the dugout entered the stands to shake the hands of veterans and active-duty military members, a ritual that Clemson has continued at every home game since.
The idea sparked after Clemson’s first exhibition against the Savannah Bananas last November. The Bananas and Tigers entered the stands to greet military personnel in attendance in between innings.
Clemson head coach Erik Bakich loved the gesture, and thus, a tradition was born.
“This is just a way to thank our veterans and those who protect and defend our freedom even at a deeper level of gratitude,” Bakich told Fox News. “It’s just such a great way to teach those life lessons and make it more about God and country, as much as it is about playing sports.”
Honoring those who have served has an even deeper meaning for Bakich, who comes from a military family.
“I’m the son of a Vietnam veteran and the grandson of a World War II veteran, so the flag means an awful lot to me personally,” he said.
One of the University’s core values is patriotism, reflected by Clemson’s ranking as the No. 2 most military-friendly school in the nation earlier this year. Since its founding in 1889, more than 10,000 Clemson alumni have gone on to serve in the military.
“This is the perfect school to send our players up into the crowd,” Bakich told The State.
The tribute’s reach has extended beyond the hills of Clemson, receiving recognition by other college programs when they play the Tigers, even when the game is away from Doug Kingsmore Stadium. During the ACC Championship game against UNC in Durham, North Carolina, Clemson players entered the stands as they would during a home game. In support of the gesture, several Tar Heel players joined in to salute veterans in attendance.
This year, Clemson celebrates the 106th Veterans Day, which was first observed as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the anniversary of the end of World War I. While the national holiday is a time when service members are most often recognized, Bakich emphasizes that veterans deserve to be honored far beyond that.
“I think there’s been some tear-jerking moments for some of them, especially those who maybe haven’t always received the warmest welcome,” Bakich said. “But to know in our program and at our games, they’re going to be recognized like they should.”
Clemson baseball will continue the heartfelt tribute in the 2026 season, which fittingly kicks off against Army on Feb. 13 for the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
