The Clemson Tigers’ weekend series sweep at No. 9 Wake Forest cost them a few spots in the latest Top 25 rankings and USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.
It’s no surprise then that Clemson also fell in On3’s latest Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
The Tigers still check in as a top eight national seed for the postseason, but they fell from a No. 3 overall seed to No. 6 after being outscored 25-10 over the weekend by a resurgent Wake Forest team that has won nine straight games.
Three teams moved ahead of Clemson in On3’s latest projections. North Carolina, which sits atop the ACC standings with one weekend series remaining in conference play, grabbed the No. 3 national seed in On3’s new postseason outlook. Kentucky is projected as the overall No. 1 national seed.
Arkansas and Tennessee also shot past the Tigers for higher projected national seeds this week. The Volunteers and Razorbacks are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the new coaches poll, respectively.
Per On3’s Jonathan Wagner:
“Clemson is no longer our projected ACC winner, but still is a pretty safe top eight seed in this week’s Field of 64 projections. The Tigers are 37-13 overall, 17-10 in the ACC and No. 7 in RPI, and finish the regular season with a home series against Boston College. Also in the Clemson Regional is Alabama, Troy and Florida A&M.”
Clemson still has time to make a case for itself as a higher national seed, of course. To that end, the Tigers can start by taking care of business against a Boston College team that on paper is the worst in the ACC this season at 22-26 overall and 8-19 in conference play.
Then there’s the ACC Baseball Tournament, which Clemson won a season ago. Winning the conference championship in Charlotte would certainly boost the Tigers’ prospects heading into the NCAA Tournament.
The final Field of 64 that will compete for a berth in the College World Series in Omaha will be unveiled on Selection Monday, May 27 at noon EDT.
Clemson faces Coastal Carolina in midweek play Tuesday in Conway. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.