Lightning bolt Jack Leggett credited with bringing energy to Clemson baseball

Jack Leggett returned to the program with former volunteer assistant Erik Bakich's hire as head coach.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 3:20 PM

Clemson baseball caught fire over the last month-plus of the regular season, and it’s no surprise that a lightning bolt helped the cause.

Clemson finished off the regular season by winning 12 games in a row, 17 of its last and 22 of its last 25 games. That includes winning each of the last seven ACC series, and four of those series wins came via a sweep. The Tigers also have 21 come-from-behind wins.

It was the first time Clemson won seven ACC series in a row during one season since 1994, when it won all eight ACC series.

Now Clemson turns its attention to the ACC Baseball Championship, which is being held this week at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. No. 3 Clemson (39-17, 20-10) is joined in Pool C by No. 6 Boston College (34-17, 16-14) and No. 10 Virginia Tech (30-21, 12-17). The Tigers will play Virginia Tech at 7 pm Wednesday and Boston College on Friday at 11 am. The Tigers are the designated visiting team and occupy the first-base dugout on Wednesday. Clemson is the designated home team and occupies the third-base dugout on Friday.

The ACC Network will carry each of the pool play games Tuesday through Friday, in addition to both of Saturday’s semifinals. Sunday’s championship is scheduled for a noon start and will be carried nationally by ESPN2.

First-year head coach Erik Bakich took over last June and hired Leggett to assist with player, staff, and program development.

In a recent interview with the ACC Network, Bakich credited Leggett for adding a burst of energy to the clubhouse.

“It’s like a bolt of lightning every day,” Bakich said. “Every day that he’s here, it’s like he walks in the room and a thousand lights go on. That’s just him. He’s just a high-energy, relentless positive energy – he’s a magnet. He’s one of those guys everybody gravitates to, and I know our players have really enjoyed getting his wisdom, his words of wisdom, his mentorship and just his lessons from coaching, from life, from everything.”

Leggett served as Clemson’s head coach for 22 seasons (1994-15) after spending two seasons (1992,93) as an assistant coach under Head Coach Bill Wilhelm. In 36 seasons as a Division I head coach, Leggett totaled 1,332 wins, tied for 12th in history entering the 2023 season.

As head coach, Leggett led the Tigers to 955 wins, 21 NCAA Tournament appearances and six College World Series berths. Clemson was the seventh-winningest program in the nation during his time as head coach, while his six trips to Omaha tied for ninth most in the nation during his tenure.

Under Leggett, the Tigers won three ACC Tournament titles, and he was named ACC Coach-of-the-Year three times. He coached 11 first-round draft picks, 21 players who went on to play in the major leagues, 31 First-Team All-ACC players, 34 All-Americans and 121 players who signed professional contracts.

Leggett was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020.

Bakich said Leggett has thrived in his new role.

“That’s been an awesome role for him to be able to impart his experience into this team and hear some stories about former Clemson teams and former Clemson players,” Bakich said. “So, he’s been invaluable and he’s one of my best friends, and he’s just a great dude and a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame person. So, we’re lucky that he’s here.”