Clemson Pitcher Officially Cleared for Return After Missing All of 2025 Season

The Clemson Tigers' pitching staff has been lights out to begin the year, ranking first in opponent batting average through 11 games, but they might've just gotten even better.

On Tuesday morning, head coach Erik Bakich announced on The ROAR FM radio show that redshirt freshman Dane Moehler has officially been cleared to return and could suit up as early as this week.

"He wants to pitch," Bakich said. "He got cleared, and we thought March would be the month that he would be back, so I think we will see him hopefully as early as this week."

Moehler suffered a season-ending UCL tear in an intrasquad scrimmage before last season — his true freshman year — which forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery in February 2025.

Entering this season, Bakich said that he had been "progressing" and that Moehler "will probably be on the Talan Bell plan of last year."

Similar to Moehler, Bell also underwent Tommy John surgery ahead of his true freshman year, which forced him to miss the first few weeks of last season. He ended up making his debut in March, but was still on a limited pitch count for a handful of weeks after returning to the diamond.

Considering Bakich's comments, it's likely we see Moehler under the same type of program, even though he's healthy enough to be cleared and return, especially with Bakich already implementing a new pitching plan to keep arms healthier throughout the regular season.

The news also comes at an opportune time, with Bakich recently announcing that key reliever Jacob McGovern — who boasted a 3.21 ERA over his first two years — will be out for the season with an elbow injury that requires surgery.

Before arriving in Clemson, though, Moehler was one of the most intriguing pitchers in his recruiting class.

A Marietta, Georgia native, Moehler was ranked as the No. 135 overall right-hander in the nation, the No. 43 overall player in his state and the No. 10 right-handed pitcher in his state, according to Perfect Game.

Those marks were enough to draw Clemson's attention and land him a spot in one of the more talented pitching pipelines in the country. Now, after more than a year on the shelf, Moehler finally gets his shot to show why he was worth the wait.

Clemson Baseball returns to action Wednesday, March 4, at 6:00 p.m. EST at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina, against Michigan State before heading back home to Doug Kingsmore this weekend for a home series against La Salle.