Erik Bakich Defends Clemson Baseball, Not Paying Transfers Over Veteran Players

While some coaches may replenish their squads through high-paying transfers, that's not a part of the culture that Bakich wants to keep at Clemson.

Clemson baseball head coach Erik Bakich was outspoken about bidding wars in the offseason, preferring his in-house players. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a changing world of college athletics, NIL has become arguably the main thing that players think about, using the transfer portal to create leverage for higher-paying opportunities. 

But you do that with Clemson baseball’s Erik Bakich, it could be a quick meeting that will send you home. 

The Clemson baseball team has an exciting schedule this weekend, hosting the Savannah Bananas on Thursday night in its second annual Banana Ball game. Then, on Saturday, Bakich’s squad will face Alabama in a Fall Ball Fan Fest, using fan involvement to drive excitement for the game. 

That’s the time of culture that Bakich wants to instill within the program. With ideas like NIL swirling around throughout the entire year, he puts the idea of money to outside players to bed immediately. 

“This might be right, wrong, or indifferent, but I just refuse to give a new player more money who hasn’t poured one ounce of blood, sweat or tears into the program, hasn’t played one pitch of Clemson baseball, and is demanding more than anyone else on the team,” he said on Tuesday.  “We will say adios to that dude every time.” 

It’s for the locker room, with players who have spent multiple years with the team being disrespected when a transfer joins the team with more money than anybody else on the team. Team building has been the basis for Bakich since joining the team in 2022; hence, activities like Banana Ball have been introduced into the mix. 

Then, he believes that throwing money into the mix completely nixes the entire idea of the culture he’s building.  

“We are just not going to do that because the culture and the locker room and having the current players know and believe and trust that we are going to take care of them first,” Bakich said. “We will do what we have to do to get good players in here, too, but we are not meeting the demands to win a bidding war like other teams are doing; we are just not going to do it.”

As much as the transfer portal is important, the Clemson baseball coach isn’t straying away from it completely; it’s just to fill the needs and add players that will fit the cultural style that he has implemented. 

While the Tigers aren’t officially beginning their season until February 2026, the reassurance that the veteran players receive from Bakich is crucial, important enough that the team rallies around each other for a College World Series run, which would be its first in 16 years. 

“We got to get the best players we can possibly get out of the portal, but then also fit the team dynamic here, and build something a little bit bigger than just individual accolades,” he said. 

For now, fans can catch Bakich and the team doing tricks at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Thursday night, followed by a day filled with baseball on Saturday afternoon, facing Alabama.