BJ Bailey knew he would pitch again someday, but the light at the end of a dark, doubtful tunnel was at first hard to see.
Bailey, now a graduate student, is thriving as the Sunday starter for the Clemson Tigers’ baseball team, but the former Woodruff Wolverine star had to navigate a road fraught with injury and uncertainty to make it back to the top of the mound. Missing nearly 18 months with knee and wrist injuries following his first season at Clemson in 2023, B.J. has transformed himself into one of the best starting pitchers in college baseball.
For Bailey, in the darkest moments, it was his willingness to see things through a positive lens that kept his spirits and faith afloat.
“Injuries happen to everyone at certain times,” B.J. explained. “What helped me the most was realizing that changing my perspective can change the outcome. Bad things happen all the time but it’s how we look at it that determines the outcome. I hurt my knee and wrist but I knew I would be able to play again. Some do not ever have that opportunity. Knowing I had the opportunity to come back helped me change my perspective.”
BJ Bailey
First, it was his knee. Following a strong first season for Clemson in which he finished 2-2 with a 4.02 earned run average, Bailey was involved in a freak accident just two months after the Tigers’ loss to Tennessee in the NCAA tournament regionals. A torn ACL and subsequent recovery cost B.J. the entire 2024 season. Then, just as he was set to be cleared, another blow.
Bailey fractured the Scaphoid bone in his right wrist, on his non-throwing arm, as he was preparing for fall ball. Another surgery, another recovery, and another five months on the sidelines. It was a bitter pill for Bailey to swallow.
“At first, I was down on myself and upset about how things happened,” he admitted. “I had trained all summer to that point and then a freak accident happens. I was down in the dumps for a little bit.”
BJ Bailey
But a chance encounter one night on campus made B.J. realize how much worse things could be. It was after that meeting that his perspective, as he speaks of often, began to change.
“One night I ran into a young guy who had a prosthetic leg and it really put things into perspective,” said Bailey. “I was going to be able to play again. That guy never got a chance.”
BJ Bailey
Bailey found optimism in the knowledge that his knee, by the fall of 2024, had fully recovered. And the wrist fracture was in his right arm. B.J. is a southpaw. The light in the tunnel began to shine a bit brighter as he started to work his way back a second time.
“Luckily it was my right wrist so I was able to throw all fall with somebody catching for me so I could build up my stamina, throwing bullpen sessions,” Bailey explained. “Not having pitched the year before because of my knee, it really helped with improving my strike percentage and learning to trust my pitches again. I am grateful for God’s plan and learning to trust in the process.”
BJ Bailey
On February 16, 2025, against Ole Miss, Bailey finally stepped onto the mound again to pitch in a real game. After nearly a year and a half of watching his teammates, for two innings that afternoon, he shared the field with them again. That moment was a validation of Bailey’s hard work and belief.
“Having not pitched since Tennessee (in the 2023 NCAA tournament), it was super exciting to be back on the mound,” described B.J. “It was a feeling I had not felt in a long time. I knew all my hard work was starting to come together. As soon as I was out there, I felt like myself again. I felt like I hadn’t missed a beat. It was confidence. No fear or doubts. Just competing every single pitch.”
BJ Bailey
Bailey’s best version of himself has been an immeasurable boost for the Clemson pitching staff, too.
B.J. was promoted into the Sunday starter role after an initial series of successful relief appearances. He has taken a firm hold of the role. Bailey is currently 2-0 with a marvelous 1.36 ERA and has struck out 37 batters in 33 innings. With a vast array of pitches that B.J. says he can throw in any count, including a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup, he has befuddled hitters this season as the Tigers have roared to a 32-5 record and are ranked #4 in the country.
Bailey credits Clemson head coach Erik Bakich for believing in him and establishing a strong culture around the Tigers’ program that helped support and sustain him through the most trying times. That culture, Bailey says, has Clemson baseball prepared for a potential run at a national championship. Something B.J. wants to be a part of.
“Coach Bakich does a great job mentoring us and establishing a strong culture,” opined Bailey. “He is a great role model. For us, Omaha is the standard. Every guy on the team is pulling the rope and getting the job done. Every role matters. Days that I don’t pitch I might be charting and looking for other pitcher’s tendencies. We want to play to the best of our ability and uphold the standard. That’s what it means to be a Tiger.”
BJ Bailey
Clemson Baseball || Bakich, Bailey – 3/29/25
Through two brutal injuries, two surgeries, two stints of physical rehabilitation, and a year and a half away from the pitching mound where he has always made his mark, BJ Bailey learned to take things one day at a time. The shelf life of athletes is finite, so making the most of each opportunity is paramount for Bailey and his teammates.
“Our main goal is to get better each day,” he said. “If we do that, if we get a little bit better each day, then hopefully we finally get a chance in Omaha. That’s what we are working out butts off for.”
Clemson baseball has not advanced to the College Baseball World Series since 2010. But as B.J. already knows, good things are worth waiting, and working, for.
