Clemson has 40 wins, 20 ACC victories, Atlantic Division title — but 'greedy' Tigers want more (2024)

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  • By Jon Blaujblau@postandcourier.com

    Jon Blau

    Jon Blau has covered Clemson athletics for The Post and Courier since 2021. A native of South Jersey, he grew up on Rocky marathons and hoagies. To get the latest Clemson sports news, straight to your inbox, subscribe to his newsletter, The Tiger Take.

Clemson has 40 wins, 20 ACC victories, Atlantic Division title — but 'greedy' Tigers want more (3)

CLEMSON — As the regular season concluded with a run-rule win over Boston College, Clemsoncould count its prizes.

The Tigers had 40 wins for the second time in Erik Bakich's two seasons as coach. They had 20 victories in ACC play, posting 20-plus in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since 2005-06.

Good enough for an Atlantic Division title, but Bakich joked he would have liked it better if North Carolina hadn't outpaced Clemson for the regular-season conference title.

"We just want to be greedy and get them all," Bakich said, smiling.

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The No. 4 Tigers (40-13, 20-10 ACC) left something on the table, but there's more to grab in the coming weeks. Clemson heads into the ACC tournament— which the Tigers won last season— as the No. 2 seed in the field.

It remains to be seen where the Tigers will land in the NCAA tournament field, but they are sure-fire regional hosts. The only question is whether Clemson can firm up its positioning as a top-8 national seed, which would guarantee the Tigers host through Super Regionals, if they advance that far.

"We're just trying to gain momentum," senior Blake Wright said. "Keep trying to play good baseball, take it into this tournament, and take it into the regional."

Clemson hasn't exactly finished the regular season with a flourish, recording a 12-10 mark since opening the campaign red hot at 28-3.

But there were some positive signs in the Tigers' sweep of Boston College, including the wickedness of freshman Aidan Knaak's changeup on May 18 as he racked up eight strikeouts in the first three frames.

He was greedy, finishing the day with a career-high 11 Ks in six innings of a 10-0 shutout in eight. If Knaak can pitch like this— just a couple of weeks removed from missing a turn because of fatigue— the Tigers' odds of postseason success enhance tremendously.

Bakich said it's likely Knaak will move up from his Sunday position in the rotation, especially with the final regular-season series ending on a Saturday.

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"The pitching has shown flashes," Bakich said. "It's something that we can aspire to and achieve to. I think the sky's the limit for this team once we're clicking on all cylinders. I think we're gonna see some really good pitching performances out of this team in the postseason."

Clemson's offense was slower to produce Sunday— not scoring a run on Boston College until the fifth inning— but the Tigers notched 33 runs and 36 hits in a sweep of a sub-.500 opponent.

Wright, on senior day, bashed his team-high 21st home run in the seventh inning, and Bakich pinch-ran for Wright ahead of the winning run in the eighth so he could receive a curtain call from the home fans.

It wasn't Bakich's idea, though. It was Jack Leggett, the former Clemson head coach, who told Bakich in the dugout that he did something similar for former Tiger senior Casey Stone in his last home game.

"Big picture, the seniors on this team, to allow this program to kind of return itself back to where it needs to be," Bakich said, listing the Tigers' accomplishments. "Still a lot to play for."

UNC clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the ACC tournament with a 21st conference win on Saturday, but the No. 2 seed Clemson will have a bye through the opening day of pool play on May 21 in Charlotte.

After Saturday's games, Louisville secured the No. 7 seed in Clemson's "pod," and Miami will be the No. 11 seed. Wake Forest, which swept Clemson just a week ago, could have been the No. 7 seed but was swept by N.C. State.

Regardless, the Tigers are thought to be in a good spot for the NCAA tournament. In both D1Baseball and Baseball America's projections last week, the Tigers were the No. 6 overall seed.

After a sweep over Boston College, anything short of a winless showing in Charlotte should have Clemson in decent position.

But Clemson wants to be greedy.

"We're gonna compete hard, play hard, have fun," Bakich said. "Then good things happen."

Clemson

Kickoff time set for Clemson's opener against Georgia in Atlanta

  • By Jon Blaujblau@postandcourier.com

Follow Jon Blau on Twitter @Jon_Blau. Plus, receive the latest updates on Clemson athletics, straight to your inbox, by subscribing to The Tiger Take.

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Jon Blau

Jon Blau has covered Clemson athletics for The Post and Courier since 2021. A native of South Jersey, he grew up on Rocky marathons and hoagies. To get the latest Clemson sports news, straight to your inbox, subscribe to his newsletter, The Tiger Take.

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Clemson has 40 wins, 20 ACC victories, Atlantic Division title — but 'greedy' Tigers want more (2024)

FAQs

What sport is Clemson known for? ›

Clemson competes for and has won multiple NCAA Division I national championships in football, men's soccer, and men's golf.

Has Clemson ever won the College World Series? ›

The program has reached the NCAA tournament in all but three seasons dating back to 1987. Clemson has made 12 appearances in the College World Series with an all-time record of 12–24 in Omaha. The team has a heated in-state rivalry with the University of South Carolina.

What are Clemson fans called? ›

Why are #Clemson fans called Taters you might ask? 1:07 AM · Jan 22, 2013.

What is the most popular major at Clemson? ›

The most popular majors at Clemson University include: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Engineering; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Health Professions and Related Programs; Social Sciences; Psychology; Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields; Computer and ...

What college has been to the most College World Series? ›

The Texas Longhorns are No. 1 all-time with 38 appearances and have the most CWS wins in the history of the sport with 88. Texas also holds the dubious distinction for most losses in the College World Series with 63.

What year did Clemson go undefeated? ›

Another 10-8 victory over a top 10 North Carolina team in Chapel Hill in November was a key to Clemson completing an undefeated regular season. A victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl gave Clemson a 12-0 season, the only undefeated Division I team in 1981, and the school's first national championship in any sport.

Will Clemson host a super regional? ›

The Clemson Tigers baseball team will host a Super Regional in the NCAA Tournament this weekend for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2010.

What is Clemson famous for? ›

One of the country's most selective public research universities, Clemson was founded in 1889 with a mission to be a "high seminary of learning" dedicated to teaching, research and service.

What is Clemson football known for? ›

The Tigers have 46 bowl appearances, 20 of which are among the New Year's Six Bowls, including nine during the "Big Four" era. Clemson has 34 finishes in the final top 25 in the modern era and it finished in either the Associated Press final poll or the coaches' final poll a combined 59 times since 1939.

What makes Clemson special? ›

Superior Academics

With a variety of opportunities for experiential learning, Clemson students immerse themselves in different cultures, join the workforce between semesters and walk away from Clemson with strong examples of advanced research to show potential employers.

Why are Clemson called the Tigers? ›

Clemson's athletic teams have been nicknamed the Tigers since 1896, when coach (and later university president) Walter Merritt Riggs brought the name from his alma mater, Auburn University. The school's first costumed mascot was the Southern Gentleman, a student dressed in a purple formal suit with a top hat and cane.

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