Clemson and the Savannah Bananas met on the diamond Thursday night for the 2nd year in a row. Tigers took a tough loss to the Bananas 4-1 last year. We spoke with Clemson Baseball head coach Erik Bakich on Tuesday, and he said his team was determined to win the game this year, as last year was all about fun. He said his squad was looking to not only have fun but also to beat the Savannah Bananas at DKS. Jarren Purify and Aidan Knaak both met with the media as well on Tuesday and said it’s a cool thing to be able to play a team during the fall, such as the Bananas, a team that sells out every stadium they have ever played at.
Last year’s team, which faced the Bananas, looks a lot different than the team that played last night. Lots of new faces and many departures from last year’s squad. Last season, the veterans and older guys on the team were such as Dom Listi, Josh Paino, and Andrew Ciufo. Looking at the team this year, your veterans and players who have been there for a while now are Aidan Knaak, Jack Crighton, Jarren Purify, and Drew Titsworth. To get the night started, Jarren Purify got things going for the Tigers in the 1st inning with a rip single that fired up the crowd and gave the Tigers some early momentum. Transfer Nate Savoie hit a deep fly ball off the top of the wall to cruise his way into 2nd base for his first ever double in Doug Kingsmore Stadium, and Freshman Jason Fultz would come to the plate in the same inning and smash a single through first and second base gap and plate 2 runs for the Tigers to win the inning and gain 1 point against the Bananas.
The Night would continue with not only baseball but a fun night of entertainment for the fans and the players. Dion Brown, Jarren Purify, Tryston McCladdie, and Bryce Clavon would do the 3-2-2 dance again this year, but Bryce Clavon would join in this time. Senior Catcher Jacob Jarrell rode into the batter’s box on the back of a Harley Davidson Motorcycle in style, repping the PeeDee with a Florence, S.C., leather jacket. Transfer Tyler Lichtenberger from App State went 2 for 3 on the night with a Double. His glove was flashy and gave me flashbacks of a Ben Blackwell-type glove. RS Freshman Cannon Feazell, who had a breakout summer in the Valley Baseball league, faced 4 batters last night and got 4 outs and was very confident with his pitch mix on the mound.
True Freshman Jason Fultz, who I think is going to leave a big mark at Clemson, had a good night in his debut for the Tigers with a rip single in his first AB of the night and also made a nice play at 1st base on a huge hop. Jason has been really good in the inner squads this fall, and I can’t wait to see how he does this season. Ty Dalley, the transfer from Mercer, was a hot topic of the night as he literally lit his bat on fire and absolutely smoked a homerun over the Cajun Cafe to help Clemson secure a win over the Bananas. Not only did he hit a bomb, he made the Tigers’ only trick play of the night in right field, catching the ball behind his back. It was a really good night for the new faces of Clemson Baseball.
Clemson and Alabama will square off in a fall ball exhibition game for the 2nd season in a row, as the Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa last season and beat the Tide in a fall ball game. Tigers and the Tide will battle in a 12-inning game to see what their rosters hold for the 2026 campaign. The game will start at 1:00 pm EST with a fan fest and pre-game event starting at 11:00 am EST. It will be an exciting day in Tiger Town, Saturday, with a lot of fun-filled events.
