Healthy Will Taylor ready to go, says Bakich and Dabo are a lot alike

Will Taylor sits in the dugout before the Tigers' first practice (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sat Jan 28 14:00:08 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - Sophomore outfielder Will Taylor is healthy and ready to play with Clemson’s new baseball head coach Erik Bakich. Not only did he tear his ACL back in October of 2021, but he was also struggling with injury during this football season, where he plays as a wide receiver, and did have to miss some time. However, this is not the case any longer.

“I’m feeling great. This is probably the best I’ve felt, this week, in a long time, probably about a year and a half,” Taylor said. “So, I’m glad to be out here with my brothers.”

Injuries prevented him from playing in the opening game for the Tigers last season. But now, he is set to play in Clemson’s opener against Binghamton University on February 17 (4 p.m.).

Bakich has brought a new culture to the Tigers’ baseball team. He comes from the University of Michigan, where the Wolverines won the 2019 College World Series. Taylor emphasized the culture that Bakich has brought and how it's going to benefit the team this season.

“He’s done a great job, along with the rest of the coaching staff,” Taylor said. “They’ve really come in and made us feel right at home since day one. They’ve brought us together as a team, and that’s the biggest thing.”

Not only are they bonding as a team in baseball but also in life. Taylor compared Bakich to head football coach Dabo Swinney in how they both coach their players giving back to their community.

“We do a lot of community service, a lot of team meetings,” Taylor said. “That’s really important, especially in baseball, bonding with your teammates and having a close-knit team, and that’s what’s going to win games in June.”

Clemson did not have a bad season last year, but it was surely below the program’s standards. They finished with an overall record of 35-23 but had a losing record in the ACC with a 13-16 conference mark. They were just a few games shy of making regionals. However, Bakich is a coach that breeds success.

This success is not just for the team overall. Now that Taylor is healthy, he can also make more strides. He missed 45 games last season because of his torn ACL, which resulted in lower numbers than he is capable of putting up. His batting average was .260 with a total of 14 runs and one home run, which came against Virginia last May. His top number of hits also came in May with two against North Carolina. Taylor was able to achieve his greatest success later in the season when he had more time reacclimating to the game, so his health now is key for the Tigers.

As a football player, he will also have to learn a new playbook with new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley coming over from TCU where his offense was key to the Horned Frogs making it to the national championship against Georgia. More importantly for wide receivers, Riley coached Quentin Johnson, who will surely get drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Taylor is not focused right now on being a wide receiver or learning that playbook, though. Since it is baseball season, that is his complete focus.

Taylor and the Tigers will be at home for their first seven games of the season, facing Binghamton in their first three games on February 17 through 19, followed by Charlotte on February 21 and then three games against Central Florida on February 24 through 26. Their first game not at home will come against USC Upstate on February 28 in Greenville (4 p.m.). This is considered a neutral game.