Since Clemson Baseball’s season ended, a handful of departures have came, including OF Tristan Bissetta, LHP Hudson Lee, LHP Ethan Darden, along with a few more pitchers.
Considering the circumstances, Erik Bakich knew he needed to hit the transfer portal right away — similar to last year — but taking a different route and looking for younger guys with a few more years of eligibility left.
So far he’s grabbed four transfers from Alabama, Georgia, App State and Catawba College. We already have an article on Ariston Veasey from Alabama but here’s a little more background on the three newer additions to the Tigers:
SS Tyler Lichtenberger – App State
Lichtenberger went under the radar as a prospect coming out of high school, being recruited by low-major schools and ranked as a top-1000 player overall, the No. 688 shortstop and the No. 451 recruit from Florida, per Perfect Game.
However, this didn’t hinder his mental or physical ability going into his freshman year at Appalachian State.
He started all 53 games for the Mountaineers with a batting average of .341 and an OPS of .879. He belted 70 hits, 37 RBIs and 40 runs while only striking out 35 times in 205 at-bats. He also smacked thirteen doubles and three homers. By the end of the season, he led his team in hits, batting average and stolen bases (7).
The 6-foot shortstop’s outstanding play over the course of the 2025 season earned him 1st Team All-Sun Belt honors and Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.
While he still has three more years left of eligibility and showed strong consistency at-bat, he does need to become more polished as an infielder as he led App State in errors with 12. But that will come with experience and Clemson’s coaching will certainly be there to help him every step of the way.
“The official [visit] was great. Obviously Clemson University is a top school in the country and when they call you don’t say no to Clemson. It was a great time, I spent two days there, it was great. Love the coaching staff, love the vibe they gave off, love the vibe of the place in general. I’m just excited to get to work in Clemson.”
Tyler Lichtenberger
SS/3B Bryce Clavon – Georgia
Bryce Clavon is the most recent commit to the Clemson program, announcing his transfer to the ACC school on June 7th.
Clavon came into Athens as one of the top players in his class, evident to the potential and talent he has to be one of the best in College Baseball. In the 2024 class, he ranked as the No. 51 overall prospect, the No. 13 shortstop and the No. 4 player hailing from Georgia, per Perfect Game.
Considering this, you would think that the Bulldogs utilized him to his fullest potential this past season, right?
Well, they fortunately didn’t for Clemson as he saw the field in 27 games, mostly being used as a pinch-runner. However he took advantage of every opportunity, finishing his freshman year with a .333 batting average, belting a double, triple and home run in 15 at-bats for the Bulldogs. Not to mention he had an outstanding OPS percentage at 1.207.
Clavon without a doubt has the potential to make it to the next level and Clemson can help him reach that unlocked talent. He’s a fast-twitch, versatile athlete who can clearly hit the ball and with the third baseman position clearing up as Josh Paino leaves, I can see him sliding in that replacement spot while Lichtenberger takes over at shortstop in place of Andrew Ciufo.
RHP Hayden Simmerson – Catawba
Simmerson was the first commit from the 2025 transfer class for Clemson, announcing his pledge to the program on June 4th.
His story is much different from the past two players talked about as he was severely under-recruited by programs and ranked as the No. 963 RHP and the No. 119 overall player from North Carolina in the 2023 class, per Perfect Game.
This led him to committing to Catawba College, a Division II program who saw something special in the 6-foot-3 pitcher.
As a freshman, Simmerson saw 30 appearances (eight starts) and came out with a 3-4 win/loss record. He finished the year with a 3.98 ERA and a career-high 83 strikeouts in a career-high 72.1 innings pitched. Simmerson had eight saves on the year — highlighting his potential — but still needed to clean up his mechanics and control as he let up 32 earned runs and 45 walks.
Simmerson’s sophomore campaign put him in the perfect position to succeed and saw him make a huge jump in almost every statistical category. In 31 appearances and 64.1 innings pitched, Simmerson finished with a 3-2 win/loss record and led Division II baseball in saves with 17 — could this be Lucas Mahlstedt 2.0?
He showed massive growth from his freshman year to sophomore, allowing 51 hits (Freshman: 62), 25 runs (Freshman: 37), 24 earned runs (Freshman: 32) and 19 walks (Freshman: 45).
Simmerson finished the 2025 season with a 3.36 ERA, throwing 73 strikeouts while helping lead Catawba College to a No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region of the DII Baseball Championship — making it to Super Regionals before falling to No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne.
His 2025 performance also earned him First Team All-American honors at the Division II level, speaking to how impactful and ready for the next level he is.
With the departure of multiple Clemson pitchers, Simmerson looks to become one of the key newcomers for the Tigers heading into the 2026 season.
