4 days ago
Clemson baseball adds NCAA Division II saves leader in transfer portal for 2026 season
CLEMSON — Clemson baseball added Hayden Simmerson, a premier Division II relief pitcher, out of the transfer portal on June 4.
Simmerson, 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, posted a 3.36 ERA with Catawba this season and led NCAA Division II with 16 saves. The right-hander had 73 strikeouts with just 19 walks over 64 innings. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
With Clemson losing pitchers Lucas Mahlstedt and Reed Garris because of expiring eligibility, Simmerson could slot in to fill one of their roles. How Simmerson's play translates to Division I and Power 4 competition remains to be seen, but he could adjust nicely like hitter Dominic Listi did for Clemson this season after spending four seasons at Division III and one at Indiana State.
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Simmerson joins right-hander Ariston Veasey as Clemson's pitching portal additions so far. Veasey, who played at Alabama for two seasons, had a 9.82 ERA over 3⅔ innings. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Clemson has hosted an NCAA regional for three straight seasons but suffered an early exit in 2025. It was its sixth time in seven tries being eliminated as NCAA regional hosts since 2011 and the 11th time in its last 12 regional appearances that it has failed to reach the super regional.
Now, the Tigers are replacing key hitters and pitchers via the portal because of expiring eligibility, the portal and the MLB Draft. They eye their first College World Series appearance for the first time since 2010 next season.
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Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@ and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball lands NCAA Division II saves leader in transfer portal
