Big left-handed power hitter says Clemson is a perfect culture fit

Priest transferred to Clemson after a visit last Friday.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Monday, June 24 2024

Collin Priest watched most of Clemson’s games in both the NCAA Regional and the Super Regional, and when the Tigers reached out with an offer, he was more than happy to oblige.

After a year in which he earned second-team Freshman All-American honors, first-team Freshman All-Big Ten honors, and broke Michigan baseball’s freshman home run record, Priest entered the transfer portal, and it didn’t take him long to find a new home.

Of course, the Tigers’ and Wolverines’ baseball programs have become extremely familiar with each other over the past few years. Following the 2022 season, then-Michigan head coach Erik Bakich left Ann Arbor in favor of Clemson. In addition to some former Michigan commits, he also added Wolverines pitcher Willie Weiss and infielder Riley Bertram, and last year, catcher Jimmy Obertop followed his former coach to Clemson.

Now it’s Priest’s turn, but the relationship with the Clemson coaches didn’t begin until recently.

“They didn’t recruit me at Michigan,” Priest told TigerNet. “That process began when I entered the portal. I received my first call a few days after I entered the portal."

Priest (6-4 225) spent some of the early part of last season in a reserve role, starting just 39 of the 60 games during the season. However, he quickly developed into one of the best young hitters in the country and ended the season hitting .279 with a .445 on-base percentage and .578 slugging percentage. He also scored 29 runs and brought home 30 with 11 doubles and 11 home runs. The 11 home runs is a Michigan program record for a freshman. He’s also adept around the bag at first, recording no errors in his 98 chances.

Priest visited last Friday and said, “The culture felt like a perfect fit to me. Those facilities, baseball and all of the other facilities, are some of the nicest I’ve ever seen.”

In an interview after the season, Bakich said a priority would be adding a left-handed power bat to replace some of the power the Tigers lost in Obertop, Alden Mathes, Jacob Hinderleider and Blake Wright.

“I feel like I will bring that left-handed power to the team,” Priest said. “It feels like a good fit, and being in the South is huge for me and my family. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Priest was viewed as one of the best first basemen in the country as a recruit, ranking No. 7 at the position nationally and No. 1 in the state of Florida by Perfect Game. He was also the No. 252 overall prospect and No. 35 in his state.