Clemson baseball sets pitching rotation for opening weekend

Clemson has announced its starting pitching rotation ahead of the start of the Erik Bakich era on Friday.

Junior lefty Ryan Ammons will get the start for the Tigers in Game 1 of their series against Binghamton, Clemson has announced. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Ammons went 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA last season while serving as Clemson’s top reliever. He finished with eight saves in 25 relief appearances. Ammons did not make a start.

Bakich hinted during the preseason that Ammons was likely to be the Friday-night starter.

“Probably Ryan Ammons, if you said pick one guy today that you feel pretty good about being in the rotation,” Bakich said in January. “He’s obviously pitched in huge spots during his Clemson career. An incredible competitor. Has that closer’s type of mentality – aggressive and on the attack. Having him be able to set a tone on the front end I think could be super valuable for us.”

Austin Gordon will start for the Tigers in Game 2, which will take place Saturday at 2 p.m. Gordon was 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA in 2022. He did not make a start.

Jay Dill is the starter for Game 3 on Sunday at Noon. Dill went 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA a season ago. He appeared in 28 games, with one start.

This weekend will mark the first series for Bakich as the head coach at Clemson after he was hired away from Michigan last summer.

Bakich started his coaching career at Clemson as a volunteer assistant in 2002.

Bakich is joined on his staff by assistant head coach Nick Schnabel and pitching coach Jimmy Belanger.

Clemson finished 35-23 last season, missing the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. However, Bakich believes Clemson has everything it needs to win right away.

“There are a lot of really good players on this roster. I can’t say that enough,” Bakich said this offseason. “The talent on this roster that coach [Monte] Lee and his staff put together, it’s elite, and we’re excited about working with them.”