In just two short years, Erik Bakich has raised the bar at Clemson. Or he’s at least raised it higher than it’s been in the decade before his arrival.

Make no mistake, the bar was at one time extremely high. Clemson has a rich, storied history, that includes a dozen trips to the College World Series, with four of those coming over a ten-year period (2000-10).

However, since that 2010 trip to Omaha, the program took a step back. That is, prior to the arrival of Bakich. In both of his seasons at the helm, Bakich has led the Tigers to a national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, he guided Clemson to the Super Regional round for the first time since that 2010 season.

The next logical step would be a trip to Omaha and realistic or not, those are the expectations for this group of Tigers for the upcoming season. And since the moment he stepped foot in the home dugout at Doug Kingsmore, Bakich has embraced those kinds of expectations.

“The identity of any team is always formed throughout the season,” Bakich said. “We will have our adversities, our struggles and we will get punched in the face and I am excited for all of that to happen. Because the response to that is really going to shape who we are and ultimately how far we go.”

Clemson did lose a lot of production at the plate. Blake Wright, Jimmy Obertop, Alden Mathes, Will Taylor and Jacob Hindelieder have all moved on.

However, Bakich made several moves in the portal that will help replace all of that production. Veteran hitters Luke Gaffney, Collin Priest, Josh Paino and Dominic Listi were added via the portal.

“As a coach, you still want to build your roster with high school players, develop high school players and have those three and four-year relationships,” Bakich added. “But when you have gaps to fill and holes to plug and we lose 70-something home runs and we need some instant offense, the transfer portal and guys who did it at the Power-4 level and have those credentials… you feel pretty good about the impact they can make.”

All-American Cam Cannarella is back and fully healthy after playing almost all of last season with a torn labrum. Jarren Purify also returns, as does Jake Jarrell, Andrew Ciufo and Tristan Bissetta.

With that kind of production returning along with the new faces from the portal, plus a couple of freshmen primed to make an impact, the Tigers have a lot of depth this season.

Bakich also has plenty of options when it comes to filling out his starting rotation. National Freshman of the Year Aidan Knaak leads the charge, with others like Ethan Darden, Justin Leguernic, Jacob McGovern and freshman Dane Moehler being some of the names competing to fill out the rest of the rotation.

Veterans Reed Garris and Lucas Mahlstedt, along with transfer Michael Gillan, who was a standout reliever at Seton Hall, anchor a bullpen that should also feature plenty of arms.

While that kind of depth is always a plus, it also presents Bakich with some challenges when it comes to filling out his lineup card.

“Certainly the depth,” Bakich said. “Feels like we got a deep roster, both sides of the ball, hitting and pitching. But that is also a threat because playing time and roles will be fair but we can’t be equal.

“Making sure everyone keeps their energy on the team, pulling the rope in the same direction. That is a big threat going into the season. We got a lot of guys that probably feel like they are good enough, And they are good enough to be an everyday player in the lineup. It’s going to be difficult to write out nine names in that lineup every day.”

It won’t take long for this team to get tested. Clemson opens the season by playing in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The Tigers will kick things off against Oklahoma State on Friday, February 14. The following day, Clemson plays Arizona and the showdown ends with a matchup against Ole Miss that Sunday.

So any questions Bakich has will quickly be answered. At the same time, those are the kinds of games that will help prepare the Tigers for what is expected to be a tough ACC, as well as any postseason run that may follow.

“Just how we respond to getting that punch in the mouth,” Bakich said. “Probably similar to a lot of coaches. You don’t know until you know. Everyone feels good in the offseason and preseason because you are doing split squads and everyone is playing. But how is going to be when we actually do have to put nine guys out there and how is everyone going to respond when we face that inevitable adversity that is going to hit at some point. Whether it’s bad calls, lose a game, injuries, or whatever.”