With opening day just around the corner, the Clemson Tigers will be searching for their first trip back to Omaha, Nebraska, since 2010.
The long road to the pinnacle of collegiate baseball will begin Friday, Feb. 13, as Clemson University hosts Army for a three-game weekend series. The Tigers’ ace, Aidan Knaak, will throw the first pitch of the season as he looks to improve on his already impressive collegiate career and anchor the weekend rotation.
Knaak has experienced commendable levels of success during his time at Clemson, with the team going 26-5 in his starts. The junior enters the season with a career 3.78 earned run average and is on the preseason Golden Spikes Award Watchlist.
However, the Tigers’ depth will be tested early, as junior pitcher Drew Titsworth will be out for the opening weekend with a strain in his underarm area. Head coach Erik Bakich expects him to be ready to go for the second week.
Reliever Jacob McGovern will also be absent, as he’s battling an injury that could take a while to recover from. Bakich was unable to provide a timetable on the injury at this time.
Without Titsworth, Bakich noted that sophomore pitcher Talan Bell and senior pitcher Michael Sharman will likely get the starts for games two and three this weekend. Both are lefties.
The Tigers will also be without junior infielder Collin Priest for an undefined amount of time due to a pulled hamstring. Priest was one of Clemson’s most powerful hitters last season, clubbing 12 home runs.
Ranked No. 19 in the preseason, Clemson is bringing back some key returners from last year, along with an abundance of new faces who are primed to make an impact. Outfielder and catcher Nate Savoie will add some pop to the lineup, as will outfielder Ty Dalley. They each clubbed 20 and 19 home runs last season, respectively.
“Ty Dalley is the Division I leader in home runs right now, and he’s left-handed, and he’s a hell of a bat. I can’t believe he is still in college,” Bakich said.
The Tigers also added shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger and outfielder Bryce Clavon, who are expected to make impacts early and often as the 2026 season grows closer. Lichtenberger enters the season after earning the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year award with Appalachian State University.
Baseball is back, and Bakich is excited — you should be too.
“It’s going to be an exciting time. It just aligns perfectly with the values of this University and patriotism,” Bakich said.
He noted the various ways the program plans to celebrate the military this weekend, including flyovers, a fourth-inning tribute, honoring of veterans and more.
America’s pastime returns to Clemson with the Tigers’ opening of the 129th season in program history on Friday at 4 p.m.
