Three Clemson Pitchers Make 2026 Debuts as Tigers Improve to 8-0

The Clemson Tigers are off to an electric start — especially on the mound — and improved to 8-0 on Tuesday with a 6-2 win over Presbyterian College.

The Tigers’ pitching staff has been the driving force behind the unbeaten start, overwhelming opponents with consistency and depth.

Those two factors have put Clemson’s arms amongst some of the best in the nation. Currently, the team sits at No. 2 in ERA (1.43), No. 3 in opponent batting average (.163), No. 8 in runs allowed (15), No. 18 in walks allowed (19), No. 24 in hits allowed (39) and No. 33 in total strikeouts with 85.

Speaking to the team’s depth, those numbers reflect a staff that continues to expand, as three pitchers made their 2026 debuts Tuesday, two of whom were taking the mound in orange and purple for the first time.

Alabama transfer Ariston Veasey is the most popular of the three, as not only was he one of the handful of transfers Clemson acquired over the offseason, but he also faced legal troubles before the season even began, forcing him to miss the first eight games.

Initially, he was facing a pair of third-degree assault and battery charges stemming from a January altercation at a bar in downtown Clemson, ROAR. But after new evidence emerged, those charges were dropped, and he was made available to pitch, as first reported by Tigernet’s David Hood.

Filling in for true freshman Eston Simpson entering the sixth inning, Veasey was efficient in his Clemson debut, seeing limited action. He faced only four batters, but struck out two and walked one. What caught the most attention, though, was his final strikeout, which ended on a 94 miles per hour fastball.

.@AristonVeasey fans two in his first inning as a Tiger!

M6 || PRE 0, CU 6

📷 https://t.co/F3heUIuim2 pic.twitter.com/TyHY7coRem
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) February 24, 2026

Entering this year — and his collegiate career as a whole — the 20-year-old’s most attractive trait was his velocity on throws, logging a 95 mph fastball velocity and a 100 mph exit velocity, according to Perfect Game. If Tuesday was any indication, the Tigers have an absolute flamethrower on their hands heading into the remainder of the 2026 season.

The next pitcher to make their Clemson debut out of the bullpen was true freshman Peyton Miller, who entered the program this year as a top-10 prospect out of Maryland.

The first look wasn’t as impressive as Veasey’s, but the 6-foot-4 right-hander still performed solidly, allowing one hit, a groundout and a flyout across three batters faced. Regardless, though, he has plenty of time to gradually build his experience and refine his pitching repertoire as he gets his feet wet at the next level.

The final pitcher to make his 2026 debut, Noah Samol, spent last season with the team following his transfer from ACC foe Georgia Tech.

In 2025, he appeared in seven games (three starts) but struggled, surrendering six hits and eight earned runs while issuing nine walks and hitting seven batters, compared to just five strikeouts over 7.1 innings pitched. He finished the season with a 0-1 record and a 9.82 ERA.

Against Presbyterian, he displayed a combination of last year’s performance with the high upside he had coming out of high school as a top-three recruit in the state of Ohio. In the final inning of the contest, Samol allowed one hit and one earned run, but also struck out two in his 1-2-3 outing.

Here's how the Tigers finished off their win over Presbyterian! pic.twitter.com/5OIbXAGAwO
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) February 24, 2026

As we move forward, it’s more than likely we’ll see all three of these moundsmen more often than not, as Bakich has a strategic pitching plan in place to help arms last longer throughout the season in an effort to stay healthy for the postseason.

Clemson Baseball kicks off its annual Palmetto Series against the rival South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend, with the Tigers opening on the road at Founders Park on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST.