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Blake Wright powers No. 3 Clemson past Presbyterian in eight innings

Clemson Baseball: Blake Wright’s six RBIs in Wednesday’s 11-1 Clemson win over Presbyterian gave him 28 for the season. When he homered off Mason McDaniel with two away in the eighth inning, he had his third home run of the day and his 10th of the season in another solid 3-for-4 performance.

Blake Wright hit three home runs, and No. 3 Clemson cruised to an 11-1 victory in eight innings over Presbyterian in non-conference play Wednesday at Fluor Field in Greenville.

Wright’s six RBIs gave him 28 for the season. When he homered off Mason McDaniel in the eighth inning, he had his third home run of the day and his 10th of the season in another solid 3-for-4 performance at the plate.

The game ended after Wright’s eight-inning blast due to the 10-run rule.

Alden Mathes also hit two home runs for the Tigers (19-2 overall), who totaled six round-trippers on the day and outhit the Blue Hose, 10-3.

One day after Wright went 4-for-4 in a 13-3 clubbing of Winthrop, the senior second baseman outdid himself Wednesday by becoming the 17th player in program history — and the second this season, joining Will Taylor — to hit three home runs in one game.

His first long ball of the day came in the third inning off Luke Gibson and was part of back to back homers after Jimmy Obertop had launched a drive just to the left of straight away center field. Those two blasts gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

When Wright stepped to the plate an inning later, he cleared the bases with a three-run shot off Yechiel Saint that made it 7-1.

In between then and the eighth inning, Mathes hit his third and fourth home runs of the season with solo shots in consecutive at-bats.

Aside from Wright and Mathes (2-for-5), Jacob Hinderleider (2-for-3) and Jarren Purify (2-3) also had multi-hit games.

Clemson coach Erik Bakich used a bullpen-by-committee in Wednesday’s game with Justin LeGuernic starting and pitching two scoreless innings. LeGuernic fanned five and walked two. Ethan Darden (3-0) followed and was awarded the win after pitching the third inning, allowing the game’s only run (unearned).

Joe Allen, Ty Olenchuk, Drew Titsworth and Nick Clayton finished out the game in relief without allowing a run.

Gibson (0-1) suffered the loss for Presbyterian, who fell to 9-12.

NEXT UP

Clemson will host Florida State in a key ACC series beginning Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Seminoles are a perfect 19-0 entering the weekend and are ranked No. 12 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. First pitch Friday is scheduled for an 8 p.m. EDT prime time start. The game will be broadcast by ACC Network.

Conference realignment: Where does Clemson land in potential post-ACC world?

If Clemson University and its lawyers are successfully able to challenge the ACC’s Grant of Rights and leave the league, where would the Tigers most likely join in the next wave of conference realignment?

What happens if Clemson and Florida State are successful in their respective attempts to leave the ACC?

Does Miami, North Carolina, Duke and others follow them to one of the new “Power 2” conferences or to the Big 12?

Does the ACC continue on in a watered-down way without its biggest football powers and perhaps become a basketball-only league, à la the Big East?

Most importantly to Clemson fans and others looking at a potential/inevitable ACC collapse with a vested interest, what conference would the Tigers be most likely to join?

247Sports’ Brad Crawford and others have pondered that last question and posited that the SEC is the most likely landing spot for Clemson, if the school and its attorneys are able to break the ACC’s Grant of Rights agreement.

A potential Clemson move to the SEC would hardly come as a shock. The Tigers offer the league a lot in terms of recent on-field success — namely, they’re the only ACC program that played in the four-team College Football Playoff from 2015-2023.

Clemson would also be a natural fit in the SEC both geographically and culturally, as would another ACC school that 247Sports predicts would land in commissioner Greg Sankey’s league.

Clemson picks up 13-3 victory over Winthrop in midweek play

Clemson baseball, ranked No. 3 in the nation by Baseball America, routed Winthrop, 13-3, on Tuesday. Blake Wright went 4-for-4 for the Tigers and Will Taylor drove in four runs.

Clemson scored 10 runs in the middle innings to pull away from Winthrop in a 13-3 victory over the Eagles in midweek play Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers (18-2 overall), ranked third in this week’s Baseball America Top 25 rankings and fifth in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, went to work early at the plate and took advantage of several Winthrop miscues throughout the game.

Clemson struck first when Will Taylor singled to center with the bases loaded for a 2-0 Tigers lead off Winthrop pitcher Shane Keup (0-1). An inning later, Blake Wright plated a run when he was awarded an RBI single on a groundball that shortstop Abe Affholter couldn’t field cleanly.

After Winthrop (8-11) plated two runs in top of the fourth, Clemson’s bats went to work in the bottom of the inning. Wright singled back up the middle to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

One out later, Tristan Bissetta singled through the left side to score Alden Mathes and extend the lead to 5-2. Taylor’s third RBI of the day followed Bissetta, and Jacob Hinderleider hit an RBI sac fly to center to up the lead to 7-2.

Clemson hung another crooked number on the scoreboard in the fifth by scoring six runs thanks in large part to six walks issued by Eagles relievers Lance Wade and Walker Brodt.

The only run-scoring hit of the inning was an RBI single from Wright, who picked up his fourth hit of the afternoon to push the lead to 8-2. Wade walked three straight batters — Jimmy Obertop, Taylor and Hinderleider — all with the bases loaded, and it was 11-2.

After an RBI sac fly by Jacob Jarrell made it 12-2, Cooper Blauser drew the Tigers’ fourth bases-loaded walk of the inning, which finally came to a close when Nathan Hall grounded into a force play at third.

Wright went 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and increased his batting average to .337. Taylor (2-for-3) finished with four RBIs as the Tigers totaled 10 hits in the game.

On the mound, right-hander Billy Barlow made his fifth start and received a no-decision after allowing both Winthrop runs in the fourth inning. Barlow exited after 3 1/3 innings, yielding four hits. He struck out two and walked one.

Matthew Marchal (4-0) earned the win in relief, throwing 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.

Four Tigers pitchers made their season debuts in Tuesday’s game. Sophomore Nathan Dvorsky and freshmen Jacob McGovern, Chance Fitzgerald and Luke Brown all pitched one inning apiece in relief. Brown recorded the final three outs.

Clemson returns to the diamond Wednesday in a scheduled 6 p.m. contest against Presbyterian in Greenville.

Clemson files lawsuit against ACC

Three months after Florida State filed a similar lawsuit in open court against the ACC in Tallahassee, Fla. comes word that Clemson has done something similar in South Carolina.

Three months after Florida State filed a lawsuit in open court against the ACC in state court in Tallahassee, Fla. comes news that Clemson has filed its own suit against the league in state court in Pickens County, S.C.

Both Clemson and Florida State’s lawsuits challenge the ACC’s grant of rights agreement, which binds current conference members and broadcast partner ESPN to the league through 2036.

It schools want to break the grant of rights agreements, the ACC contends those schools must pay an exorbitant exit fee of roughly $140 million.

According to Clemson’s suit:

“Clemson makes this motion on the grounds that the Complaint refers to and describes portions of agreements between the ACC on the one hand, and ESPN, Inc. and ESPN Enterprises, Inc. (together, “ESPN”) on the other hand—specifically, the Amended Multimedia Agreement and the Network Agreement (together, the “ESPN Agreements”)—and that the parties to these agreements maintain that the terms thereof are confidential and constitute trade secrets.”

Veteran college football reporter Ross Dellenger reported in 2023 that Clemson and Florida State were two of seven ACC schools that met to discuss a possible exit strategy from the league. Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech were the other five schools that met to explore ways to challenge the legality of the ACC’s grant of rights document.

In Tuesday’s court filing, Clemson claims that it “cannot protect and advance its interests, or the interests of its student-athletes, in current and ongoing negotiations within the Conference, with the Conference’s existing media partner ESPN, and in collegiate athletics more generally.”

Per the suit:

“The ACC’s actions interfere with Clemson’s free exercise of its rights and are fatally detrimental to Clemson’s efforts to ensure that its athletic programs can continue to compete at the highest level, which is critically important to Clemson even beyond athletics.” Clemson has been a charter member of the ACC since the league’s creation in 1953.

Clemson has been a charter member of the ACC since the league was founded in 1953.

You can read the school’s full lawsuit here.

Clemson baseball up to No. 5 in USA TODAY Sports coaches poll

Clemson moved up four spots to No. 5 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, March 18.

Coach Erik Bakich’s Tigers are 17-2 overall and went 4-1 last week after taking two of three from Duke at Jack Coombs Field in Durham over the weekend. It’s the team’s highest ranking this season in the coaches poll after having been ranked ninth the past two weeks.

Arkansas (17-2) remained No. 1 after outscoring Missouri by a combined 23-1 margin in a three-game sweep. Oregon State (17-2) moved up one spot to No. 2.

Vanderbilt (18-3) made one of the biggest leaps in this week’s poll, jumping seven spots to land at No. 3 after sweeping Auburn on Sunday.

Reigning national champion LSU (17-4) fell from No. 2 to No. 4 after dropping two of three to Mississippi State over the weekend.

Texas A&M fell two spots to No. 6. Tennessee, Florida, Duke and Alabama rounded out the top 10.

Unbeaten Florida State (18-0), which visits Clemson for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday, moved up 10 spots to No. 12 in the coaches poll.

The Tigers will host Winthrop Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in midweek action. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Clemson up to No. 3 in Baseball America rankings; No. 4 in D1Baseball

By sweeping Manhattan in midweek play and winning two out of three games against No. 6 Duke in its ACC series opener, Clemson moved to No. 3 in Baseball America’s latest Top 25 rankings and No. 4 in D1Baseball’s new Top 25.

A shakeup at the top of this week’s Baseball America and D1Baseball Top 25 rankings has seen Clemson soar into the top 5.

By sweeping Manhattan in midweek play and winning two of three against Duke in its ACC series opener, Clemson moved to No. 3 in Baseball America’s latest Top 25 rankings and No. 4 in D1Baseball’s new Top 25.

Powered by home runs from Jimmy Obertop and Jacob Hinderleider, the Tigers (17-2 overall, 2-1 conference) used a three-run 10th inning Sunday to earn a wild 8-6 win and series victory in Durham. They also defeated Manhattan by a combined score of 18-2 in a pair of midweek contests.

Clemson’s 4-1 week saw them move six spots in the rankings for both Baseball America and D1Baseball.

The Tigers will host undefeated Florida State (18-0, 3-0) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in ACC play Friday. The Seminoles were a big mover in this week’s rankings, jumping 14 spots to No. 7 in Baseball America and going from unranked to No. 12 in D1Baseball.

Duke (15-5) fell from No. 3 to No. 6 in Baseball America and from No. 6 to No. 9 in D1Baseball.

Arkansas (17-2) remained at No. 1 in both rankings after a 4-0 week while LSU (17-4) fell to No. 5. The reigning national champions were No. 2 in last week’s rankings.

Oregon State (17-2) moved up to No. 2 in D1Baseball’s rankings while staying at No. 4 in Baseball America’s rankings.

Besides Clemson and Florida State, Vanderbilt (18-3) and Alabama (17-3) were big movers in this week’s rankings. The Crimson Tide took two of three from previously fifth-ranked Tennessee over the weekend to climb nine spots and land at No. 9 in Baseball America’s rankings.

The Commodores moved six spots to No. 2 in Baseball America after a weekend sweep of Auburn.

Wake Forest (13-6), which had been No. 1 for weeks until last week, fell nine spots to No. 16 in D1Baseball’s rankings, and eight spots to No. 15 in Baseball America’s rankings. The Demon Deacons lost two of three to Virginia over the weekend, plus a midweek game to Coastal Carolina.

Virginia (15-4), Virginia Tech (14-4), and North Carolina (17-4) were the other ACC schools to make D1Baseball’s rankings.

Clemson rallies past Duke in 10th inning, earns series win

No. 9 Clemson earned a hard-fought 8-6 win and series victory over No. 7 Duke Sunday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

Clemson got home runs from Jimmy Obertop and Jacob Hinderleider in the 10th inning and held on in the bottom half for a hard-fought 8-6 victory over No. 7 Duke Sunday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

The win gave the Tigers (17-2 overall, 2-1 ACC) an impressive series victory to open conference play.

Getting there wasn’t easy as Duke (15-5, 3-3) seemingly answered each Tigers rally with one of its own.

Clemson, ranked No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, got out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Blake Wright launched his team-leading seventh home run to the opposite field in right off Duke starter Tim Noone.

The Tigers carried a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning despite having only one hit through seven innings. Then, both teams’ offenses began to erupt.

Alden Mathes led off with a sharp single to right and had advanced to third with two out when Hinderleider lined a ground-rule double to the warning track in left-center for a 4-2 lead.

Jarren Purify followed with a run-scoring double that brought in Hinderleider and made it 5-2.

Duke answered right away with four consecutive hits to open the eighth. A.J. Gracia’s two-run home run off Mark Clayton cut the Tigers’ lead to 5-4.

A deep fly to left from Wallace Clark off Reed Garris later that inning allowed Devin Obee to tag from third and score the tying run.

After Clemson was retired in order in the ninth, Rob Hughes took over in the bottom half. When Gracia lined a triple down the right field line, Alex Stone tried to score all the way from first to end the game but was thrown out at home by Purify following a terrific relay from Mathes.

Clemson went ahead for good in extra innings.

Obertop unloaded on a 2-0 pitch that cleared the wall in right to put the Tigers ahead, 6-5. It was a no-doubt shot that was Obertop’s fourth homer of the year and his second in as many days.

After Tristan Bissetta reached on an infield single, Hinderleider followed with a two-run homer down the right field line for an 8-5 Clemson lead.

Matthew Marchal pitched the 10th inning and allowed back to back singles with one away to bring the tying run to the plate. But Bissetta made a sensational diving catch to keep Clark from emptying the bases. A run scored on the play but it robbed Clark of at least a double and possibly a triple.

Marchal then got Zac Morris to ground to third for the final out.

Duke outhit the Tigers, 17-7. Morris (3-for-6) had three hits for the Blue Devils, and Gracia and Ben Miller each had two hits, including home runs. Five Duke players finished with two hits or more.

Hinderleider (2-for-3) was the only Tigers player to finish with two hits in a three-RBI performance.

Purify (1-for-3) drove in two runs. His RBI sac fly in the sixth broke a 2-2 tie and gave Clemson the lead.

Freshman Aidan Knaak started for Clemson and received a no-decision. The right-hander scattered nine hits but finished with nine strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk. Knaak pitched out of trouble by striking out Andrew Yu to end a Duke threat in the sixth. Knaak finished with 86 pitches in the seventh.

The Tigers used six pitchers total, including Marchal who earned his first save. Hughes (1-0) earned the win in relief. Duke also used six pitchers with Charlie Beilenson (0-1) suffering the loss after allowing Obertop’s go-ahead home run.

NEXT UP: Clemson has a pair of midweek contests beginning Tuesday when the Tigers host Winthrop in a scheduled 6 p.m. EDT start at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers will then travel to Greenville Wednesday for a 6 p.m. start against Presbyterian. The game against Winthrop will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX). Clemson will then welcome Florida State to Doug Kingsmore Stadium next weekend.

Bissetta, Obertop home runs help Clemson even series with Duke

No. 9 Clemson edged No. 7 Duke, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

Tristan Smith struck out a career-high 10 batters in six solid innings, Tristan Bissetta hit a clutch grand slam, and No. 9 Clemson edged No. 7 Duke, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

The Tigers (16-2 overall, 1-1 ACC) needed all the offense it could get.

Jimmy Obertop’s three-run home run in the fifth inning off Blue Devils reliever Edward Hart gave Clemson a 4-2 lead midway through.

In the seventh, Bissetta notched his first career grand slam — the only hit in the Tigers’ half of the inning — with one out off Josh Allen, who’d previously loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batsman.

The Blue Devils (15-4, 3-2) answered with five runs of their own against left-hander Ethan Darden in the seventh to pull to within a run. Lucas Mahlstedt took over for Darden and closed out the seventh with back to back strikeouts of Devin Obee and Mason Winslow.

Mahlstedt struck out three of the four batters he faced in the seventh after the first six Duke hitters reached base against Darden. The junior right-hander then worked a scoreless eighth inning before Rob Hughes closed out the game in ninth.

Hughes pitched out of trouble to strand the potential tying and winning runs on base for his second save. Hughes has yet to allow a run in six appearances this season.

Duke out-hit the Tigers, 11-7. Blake Wright drove in Clemson’s only other run with an RBI fielder’s choice in the first inning off starter Andrew Healy. Healy pitched just one inning as the Blue Devils used nine different pitchers in Saturday’s game.

Gabriel Nard (0-1) suffered the loss for Duke after allowing two men to reach base in the fifth before Obertop’s home run — his third of the season.

Smith (2-0) was sensational in his fifth start for Clemson. In addition to his 10 strikeouts, the southpaw yielded only one earned run on four hits. He walked two and threw 102 pitches.

The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT Sunday. Freshman right-hander Aiden Knaak (1-0, 4.05 ERA) will make his fifth start for Clemson. Duke has yet to announce its Sunday starter. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Preview and Where to Watch/Stream/Listen: No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 3 Duke

Here’s where Clemson fans can watch, stream, and listen to this weekend’s series against No. 3 Duke.

No. 9 Clemson travels to Durham this weekend to take on No. 3 Duke at Jack Coombs Field in the Tigers’ opening series in ACC play.

Clemson (15-1 overall) won its 11th straight game earlier this week when the Tigers swept Manhattan in midweek play by a combined score of 18-2.

The Tigers have averaged over eight runs per game this season and their only loss was a weekend series opener to Kennesaw State three weeks ago. As a unit, Clemson is batting .318 with a slugging percentage of .538. They have a collective on-base percentage of .429.

Alden Mathes leads the team with a .388 average (19-for-49) in 15 games. Sophomore Cam Cannarella has been the pulse at the top of the Tigers’ lineup and is batting .385 with a team-best six doubles and 17 RBIS. Second baseman Blake Wright has driven in 14 runs and is tied for the team lead in home runs with Will Taylor with five.

Tristan Bissetta has played his way into the lineup of late, totaling six hits in his last 12 at-bats entering Friday’s series.

On the mound for Clemson, sophomore southpaw Tristan Smith has been the Tigers’ best starter this season. He’s held opponents to a .180 average in four starts and is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 18 2/3 innings.

Right-handers Rob Hughes and Drew Titsworth have each thrown six-plus innings in relief without a run being charged to them.

Duke (14-3 overall, 2-1 ACC) is ranked No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, but they’re No. 3 in Baseball America’s Top 25 rankings and ranked No. 6 by D1Baseball.com. The Blue Devils took two of three from previously No. 1-ranked Wake Forest last weekend.

The team is averaging 10 runs per game and batting .338 with a staff ERA of 3.30 ERA. Third baseman Ben Miller leads Duke with a .449 average in 17 games. Miller had a 4-for-5 performance against Wake Forest on March 8 that included two doubles. He finished with six hits in that weekend’s series.

Miller and second baseman Zac Morris lead Duke with seven home runs apiece. Miller’s 22 RBIs is tied for the team lead with outfielder A.J. Garcia.

The Blue Devils split a pair of midweek contests with Rider earlier this week, including an 18-4 victory on Wednesday.

Duke is is scheduled to start left-hander Jonathan Santucci (3-0, 2.29 ERA) Friday, followed by left-hander Andrew Healy (1-1, 5.63) Saturday. The Blue Devils’ Sunday’s starter has yet to be announced.

Austin Gordon (0-0, 6.75 ERA) will start Friday’s opener for Clemson, followed by Smith on Saturday and freshman right-hander Aiden Knaak (1-0, 4.05 ERA) on Sunday.

Series History

Clemson leads the all-time head to head series with Duke, 131-77-2. The series dates back to 1904. Duke took two of three in last season’s series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Where to Watch/Stream/Listen

Here’s a look at where Clemson fans can watch, stream, and listen to this weekend’s series.

Dates: March 15-17

Start Times (ET):

Friday, 6 p.m.

Saturday: 3 p.m.

Sunday: 1 p.m.

Where: Jack Coombs Field

Broadcast Info

Video: ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), ESPN+

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | ClemsonTigers.com

Clemson sweeps Manhattan in midweek finale

No. 9 Clemson plated five runs in the first inning en route to a 5-1 victory over Manhattan at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Wednesday.

No. 9 Clemson plated five runs in the first inning en route to a 5-1 victory and two-game series sweep over Manhattan at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Wednesday.

The win was the 11th in a row for head coach Erik Bakich’s team.

Cam Cannarella stayed hot when he doubled down the right field line to lead off the first for Clemson, his sixth double of the season. After a wild pitch, Cannarella scored on a base hit up the middle from Blake Wright for a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers (15-1) followed with three straight run-scoring hits and four straight singles.

Tristan Bissetta singled to the opposite field to score Wright and extend the lead to 2-0. It was Bissetta’s sixth hit in his last four games. Nathan Hall followed with another single for a 3-0 lead.

Jarren Purify snuck a two-run single just past the infield to make it 5-0. Jack Crighton reached on an infield single into the hole at short before Ty Marshall, making his first career start behind the plate in place of Jimmy Obertop, grounded into a double play to close the inning.

Wright (2-for-4) and Crighton (2-for-2) had two hits for Clemson. Crighton also drew a pair of walks to reach base all four times he batted. The Tigers out-hit the Jaspers, 9-5.

Billy Barlow (3-1) made his fifth start for Clemson and pitched five shutout innings, limiting Manhattan to two hits while striking out a career-high nine batters to earn the win.

Matthew Marchal gave up a long home run to Drew Wyers to lead off the sixth inning for the Jaspers’ only run of the game. Marchal pitched two inning in relief. Nick Clayton pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Lucas Mahlstedt retired the side in order in the ninth .

Garret Garbinski (0-2) started and suffered the loss for Manhattan, allowing all five runs (four earned).

UP NEXT: Clemson travels to No. 7 Duke to open conference play Friday. The Blue Devils (14-3) took two of three from then-No. 1 Wake Forest last weekend. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT at Jack Coombs Field. The series will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).