Clemson Baseball Officially Hires New Assistant Coach

On Thursday morning, Clemson Baseball and head coach Erik Bakich officially announced the hiring of Tyler Smarslok as an assistant coach, following final approval from the Clemson University Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

"We are thrilled to add Tyler, his wife, Dara, and their growing family to the Clemson Baseball family," Bakich stated. "Tyler brings unique coaching experience at the MLB, MiLB and DI levels. We targeted outlier defensive and baserunning coaches who are regarded as the best in the world at what they do, and Tyler's name repeatedly surfaced."

"This is an exciting day for Clemson Baseball, and I know our players and staff are eager to work with 'Smars.'"

We first reported on this hiring back in late August, as D1Baseball's Kendall Rogers announced the move, but with it now official, let's take a look at what led to this point and what Smarslok's background looks like.

After the Tigers' worst season under Bakich in 2026, a 31-26 overall finish and a rough 10-20 mark in the ACC, the program parted ways with assistant coach Nick Schnabel, who had worked alongside Bakich for the past 14 years at both Michigan and Clemson.

Now, Smarslok will take over Schnabel's role by coordinating the defense and assisting with all aspects of the offense, as the program struggled heavily with inconsistent hitting and an error-prone infield defense.

Before making his way to Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Smarslok served as the base-running coach for the Washington Nationals, which finished first in stolen bases across MLB with 178 total. 

2025 was his first season in the majors, serving as the first base coach, infield coach and base-running coach for the Miami Marlins in 2025, which finished with a 79-83 record. While the organization didn't make the playoffs, Smarslok led a surprisingly solid infield that totaled the fourth-most putouts in MLB (4,330) and, in addition, finished seventh in stolen bases across MLB with 138.

Smarslok's path to coaching in the majors began in the Minnesota Twins organization, where he joined the club's rookie-league affiliate in 2020 before the season was canceled due to COVID-19.

From 2021 to 2023, he served as defensive coach for the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints, whose 2023 defense tied the franchise record for fielding percentage. He became the Saints' bench coach the following season, then managed the Salt River Rafters to an Arizona Fall League championship that fall.

Safe to say, Clemson and Bakich got themselves what looks to be a great pickup in Smarslok, considering both his experience and immediate success in the majors and minors.