Clemson Baseball will kick off its season in Dallas next February, but head coach Erik Bakich won’t be on the field for the opening games. The Tigers are set to start their 2025 campaign on February 14th at the Shriners Baseball Classic, but Bakich will serve a two-game suspension due to his ejection in last season’s Super Regional loss to Florida.
Bakich was ejected in the 13th inning of the season-ending game after he argued with the umpires during a heated moment. The incident occurred while officials debated whether to eject outfielder Alden Mathes, who had flipped his bat following a home run. Mathes remained in the game, but Bakich, along with assistant coach Jack Leggett, was thrown out for leaving the dugout.
On Wednesday, Bakich confirmed that his appeal to overturn the suspension was unsuccessful. “We tried it but it didn’t go anywhere,” Bakich shared. “It was like taking a shot and getting blocked immediately. I’ll take my medicine and sit out the first two.”
In Bakich’s absence, assistant head coach Nick Schnabel will step in. Schnabel and Bakich have a long-standing partnership, having coached together for 13 years. Bakich expressed full confidence in Schnabel’s ability to lead, noting, “He could have been a head coach a million times over. He’s turned down a lot of good jobs and is one of the best assistant coaches in baseball. It’s not just me that thinks that. He was national assistant coach of the year in 2019.”
Alongside Schnabel, Clemson boasts pitching coach Jimmy Belanger, whom Bakich described as “one of the best pitching coaches in the country.” With the experienced coaching staff and a well-prepared team, Bakich is confident in his squad’s ability to step up. “Our job sometimes as coaches is to eliminate our job,” he said. “If we do what we need to do in training, then it’s all about the players.”
