Erik Bakich was formally introduced as Clemson’s next head baseball coach during an introductory press conference Thursday.
As he made his opening remarks and spoke with reporters afterward, Bakich emphasized just how important the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry is to the program and the program’s history.”
Under Bakich’s watch, Clemson will respect that rivalry by preparing for it all year long. It’ll also be something that he and his coaching staff will address as a priority for the program starting Day 1.
“Another reason to come to Clemson is for the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry,” Bakich said during his introductory press conference. “We will take this rivalry very seriously and will respect it every single day by how we prepare and train. Regardless of championships, rivalries will narrow our sights down to the No. 1 — one game, one inning, one pitch, one rep at a time.”
Another important aspect of that rivalry is winning recruiting battles in the Palmetto State. Bakich touched on that when he asked about his recruiting plan.
“Like dropping a rock into Lake Hartwell and watching the ripples,” he said. “We will dominate the state of South Carolina and then we will attack the region. We’ll look at the entire Eastern seaboard from Maine down to Miami. And we’ll target players around the country, whether it’s the Midwest or anywhere else.”
That rivalry has become just that much bigger with Dylan Brewer and Jonathan French announcing their respective intentions to transfer to the University of South Carolina, following the dismissal of Monte Lee.
In Lee’s final season at the helm, he helped lead the Tigers to an unblemished spring against their in-state rival for the first time in more than two decades. Clemson outscored the Gamecocks by a combined score of 17-6 in a series sweep.
“It’s one of the reasons you come to a school like Clemson, is you want the opportunity to play on the biggest stages and the brightest lights and against the best rivalries,” Bakich told reporters. “We were able to experience that at Michigan with Ohio State and you just have to love that. You have to love competing in those types of environments. I am no stranger to how hostile and how much fun at the same time that the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry is.”
Bakich, of course, served as volunteer assistant coach on Jack Leggett’s staff back in 2002. 20 years later, he’s ready to be a part of that rivalry once again.
