Clemson Baseball Adds New Assistant Coach to Staff

During the summer, Clemson baseball saw a change in its coaching staff with the departure of longtime assistant Nick Schnabel. This weekend, it looks like head coach Erik Bakich got his replacement, though.

According to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, Clemson is hiring Washington Nationals field coordinator Tyler Smarslok to be the next assistant. He’s spent the last two years in the MLB after a stint in the minor leagues and the Arizona Fall League.

Sources: @ClemsonBaseball is hiring Tyler Smarslok as its newest assistant, replacing long-time assistant Nick Schnabel on the #Clemson staff, I'm told. Smarslok is the Field Coordinator for the @Nationals, and previously was 1B coach for @Marlins.

UPDATED CAROUSEL:… pic.twitter.com/1sz3joAVmF
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) August 30, 2026

The 34-year-old began his MLB career with the Miami Marlins in 2025, being the team’s first base coach before making an inter-division move to Washington this season. Now, he will head to the Upstate to help Bakich bring Clemson back to the NCAA Tournament after missing it for the first time as the Tigers’ leader in the dugout.

From 2021-24, Smorslok was the defensive coach for the Class-AAA St. Paul Saints, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. During that role, he also managed at times, bringing experience from all levels to the program next season.

Back in May, when Clemson was sent out of the ACC Tournament in the first round by Notre Dame, Bakich addressed the issues that the Tigers had throughout the year. Throughout this offseason, he looked to fix those.

Now, Smarslok will help him do so.

“[I] failed to do that this year, and I will ensure that 100% of my energy is getting this program back where it needs to be,” he said.

Throughout the four seasons that Bakich has been with the Tigers thus far, Schnabel was with him. The assistant head coach was in charge of the hitting, infielders and the program’s recruiting coordinator. He left at the end of this season to pursue other interests.

With most of the coaching staff returning, it will be interesting to see if Bakich brings any other staffers after Smorslok joins the group. The inability to play competitive baseball, as well as staying healthy, saw Clemson shoot itself in the foot throughout the 2026 season. It led to the program finishing with a 31-26 record, despite beginning the year 15-1.

A 10-20 record in the ACC was the most losses that the Tigers also had in conference play since it was moved to a 30-game in-conference schedule. That will also hope to change in 2026.

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