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Series Preview and How to Watch/Stream/Listen: No. 4 Clemson at Louisville

Clemson Tigers Baseball: A series preview, plus how Clemson fans can watch, stream and listen to the Tigers’ weekend series at Louisville.

With four weekends left in the regular season, Clemson heads to Louisville with the hope of continuing its dominant tear through the ACC.

The Tigers (32-8 overall, 13-5 ACC) are ranked No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll and are also No. 4 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings.

Coach Erik Bakich’s team has lost only one series in conference play — two weeks earlier against NC State — and has a chance to secure a top five national seed for the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Baseball Tournament over the course of the next month.

Clemson enters the weekend as the No. 3 overall seed in the latest Field of 64 projections from both D1Baseball and Baseball America. In keeping with this week’s Top 25 polls, only No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Arkansas have higher projected seeds than Clemson.

The Tigers will try to keep rolling against a Louisville team that’s 24-16 overall and 9-9 in conference play, good for fifth in the ACC. The Cardinals’ .325 average as a club is the third highest tally in the league behind only Virginia (.347) and Florida State (.328). Louisville’s 6.16 ERA is 10th out of the 14 ACC baseball programs.

Shortstop Gavin Kilen has a .368/.402/.651 slash line, including seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Zion Rose (.391/.460/.591) has played in 29 games and is the team’s top hitter for average.

Coach Dan McDonnell’s team won two of three in its last weekend series against Miami. Two weeks before that, they swept then-No. 19 NC State in a weekend series. Those have been the only ACC series victories by the Cardinals this season.

Most recently, Louisville tallied 13 runs in the first inning of a 16-5 win over Western Kentucky in midweek play Tuesday. The Cardinals are averaging 8.7 runs per game.

Clemson is coming off a grueling, 15-inning loss at No. 17 Georgia on Tuesday. The Tigers won two of three in their ACC series against Pitt last week.

Clemson will start left-handers Tristan Smith and Ethan Darden on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Louisville will counter with Sebastian Gongora (4-3, 5.23) Friday and Ryan Webster (3-1, 3.23) Saturday.

Sunday’s probable starters have yet to be announced for either team.

The Tigers’ .286 average as a team ranks ninth in the ACC. Clemson leads the conference in pitching with a combined 3.83 ERA.

Second baseman Blake Wright is the only Clemson player to have started all 40 games this season. The senior from Clearwater, Fla. has a .322/.355/.655 slash line with a team-best 16 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Catcher Jimmy Obertop (.290/.450/.623) has 14 home runs to go with 31 driven in. Obertop had five home runs in two games in the Tigers’ series victory over Pitt.

Clemson is averaging 7.7 runs per game this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Clemson leads the all-time head to head series, 20-14. The two schools first met on the diamond in 1970. Clemson swept Louisville at Doug Kingsmore Stadium a year ago during the Tigers’ 17-game winning streak.

Where to Watch/Stream/Listen

Here’s a look at when, where, and how Clemsons fans can watch, stream, and listen to this weekend’s series against Louisville.

When: April 26-28

Where: John Patterson Stadium (Louisville)

Start Times (ET)

Friday, 6 p.m.

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Sunday, 4 p.m.

Broadcast Info

TV: ESPN2 (Sunday only)

Live Video Stream: ACC Network Extra, ESPN+ (Friday, Sunday)

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | TuneIn App

Broadcast Teams

ACC Network Extra: Joey Lindstrom, Jack Kizer, Jeff Milby

ESPN2: Kevin Fitzgerald, Devon Travis

Series preview and where to watch/stream/listen: No. 2 Clemson vs. Notre Dame

Clemson Baseball: Here’s a look at where Clemson Tigers fans can watch, stream, and listen to this weekend’s NCAA baseball series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

No. 2 Clemson heads to South Bend for its next showdown in conference play when the Tigers take on Notre Dame.

The Tigers (25-3 overall, 7-2 ACC), ranked second in every major poll this week, defeated USC Upstate, 11-1, in seven innings on Tuesday and have won every conference series they’ve played thus far. Coach Erik Bakich’s team rallied after a series-opening walk-off loss at Miami last weekend to take two of three games against the Hurricanes.

Matthew Marchal will start Friday’s opener at Notre Dame with Ethan Darden scheduled for Saturday. Aidan Knaak is set to pitch Sunday. Knaak had his best performance as a Tiger in last Saturday’s start at Miami. The freshman right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings and struck out 10 batters while allowing just two hits.

Clemson’s pitching staff has compiled a 3.49 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .231 average this season.

With the bats, the Tigers are hitting .294 as a unit with an OPS of .924. They’re averaging 8.4 runs per game. Blake Wright leads the offense in home runs (13) and RBIs (42) and is hitting .331.

Notre Dame (14-12) will start right-handers Matt Bedford (Friday), Jack Radel (Saturday), and Rory Fox (Sunday) in this weekend’s series. The Fighting Irish are just 2-10 in conference play and were swept last weekend at NC State.

Saturday’s game will mark a rare national television appearance for the Tigers; that game will be broadcast by ESPN2.

Series History

Clemson leads the all-time head to head series with Notre Dame, 15-14. The two programs first met in 1994. The Tigers took two of three from the Irish in last year’s three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Where to Watch/Stream/Listen

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

Start Times (ET)

Friday, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

Sunday: 1 p.m.

Broadcast Info

TV: ESPN2 (Saturday only)

Live Video Stream: ESPN+

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | ClemsonTigers.com

Broadcast Teams

ACC Network Extra (Friday and Sunday): Jacob Irons, Andrew McGuiness, Cesar Sanchez

ESPN2 (Saturday): Mike Ferrin, Gaby Hernandez

Clemson run rules SC Upstate in midweek contest

Clemson Baseball: No. 2 Clemson defeated USC Upstate, 11-1, in seven innings Tuesday.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 2 Clemson scored five runs in the second inning and five runs in the fifth inning in its 11-1 victory in seven innings over USC Upstate at Fluor Field on Tuesday night. The Tigers, who took a 2-0 lead in the season series, improved to 25-3, while the Spartans dropped to 18-12. The two teams conclude their season series next Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson scored five runs in the second inning on Cam Cannarella’s two-run single, Alden Mathes’ two-run triple and Blake Wright’s RBI groundout. Jacob Jarrell flared a run-scoring single in the third inning, then he ripped a run-scoring double in the fifth inning. Cannarella followed with a sharp grounder to bring home a run, then Mathes and Blake Wright hit run-scoring singles during Clemson’s five-run frame.

The Spartans dented the scoreboard with a run in the fifth inning on Troy Hamilton’s two-out, run-scoring single, ending Clemson’s streak of not allowing a run at 18 innings over three games.

Tiger starter Billy Barrow (4-1) earned the win. He allowed just three hits, one run and two walks with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched. Spartan starter Cooper Ellingworth (4-2) suffered the loss.

The Tigers travel to Notre Dame for a three-game series, beginning Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

–via Clemson Athletic Department

Clemson up to No. 2 in D1Baseball Top 25 rankings

NCAA Baseball: Clemson Baseball moved up one spot to No. 2 in D1Baseball’s Top 25 rankings, released Monday, April 1. The Clemson Tigers remained No. 2 in Baseball America’s Top 25.

Another solid week that included a hard-fought series win at Miami saw the Clemson Tigers move up one spot to No. 2 in the new Top 25 rankings for D1Baseball.

The Tigers (24-3 overall, 7-2 conference) also remained No. 2 in Baseball America’s Top 25 rankings.

Clemson suffered a walk-off loss to Miami in the series opener Thursday night at Mark Light Field but rebounded with a 3-2 win Friday and a 7-0 shutout victory on Saturday behind freshman Aidan Knaak, who pitched his best game of the season.

Knaak (2-0) fired seven shutout innings against the Hurricanes, allowing just two hits. He struck out 10 batters and walked only one to earn his second win of the season.

Arkansas (23-3, 8-1) remained at No. 1 in both rankings after sweeping LSU in Fayetteville over the weekend. The reigning national champion Tigers (20-9, 2-7) fell to No. 18 in D1Baseball’s Top 25 and all the way to No. 25 in Baseball America’s rankings.

Texas A&M (25-3) moved to No. 3 in both rankings after a 4-0 week. Tennessee (24-5) moved to No. 4 in D1Baseball’s rankings and to No. 5 in Baseball America’s rankings. Florida (16-11) took the No. 4 spot in Baseball America’s rankings.

Clemson will face SC Upstate in Greenville in non-conference play Tuesday. Next up for the Tigers in conference action is a trip to South Bend for a three-game series against Notre Dame beginning Friday.

Clemson’s Blake Wright named ACC Player of the Week

Clemson Tigers baseball: Clemson’s Blake Wright had one of the best weeks in school history by going 13-for-22 (.591) with six home runs, 21 RBIs, and 10 runs scored to take home ACC Player of the Week honors.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior infielder Blake Wright (Belleair, Fla.) was named ACC Player-of-the-Week, announced Monday by the league office. He joined Wake Forest’s Chase Burns, who was named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week, in receiving conference accolades. ACC baseball weekly honors are determined by a vote of a select media panel and are announced on Mondays throughout the regular season.

Wright had one of the best weeks in school history by going 13-for-22 (.591) with six home runs, 21 RBIs, 10 runs, a 1.409 slugging percentage, two walks and a .625 on-base percentage in leading Clemson to a 5-0 record in five games, including a three-game sweep of No. 7 Florida State. He had at least one run, one hit and three RBIs in each of the five games on the week.

He went 4-for-4 with three RBIs against Winthrop on Tuesday, then went 3-for-4 with a Tiger-record-tying three home runs and six RBIs against Presbyterian at Greenville, S.C. on Wednesday.

Then against the Seminoles, he hit three homers with 12 RBIs in three games. He hit a three-run homer in the 15-5 win in seven innings in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. In the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, he hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to tie the score during Clemson’s eight-run ninth inning and 9-8 victory. On Sunday, he went 3-for-5 with another grand slam, this time in the seventh inning to give Clemson the lead for good after the Tigers trailed 11-2 in the sixth inning.

On the season, he is hitting .365 with 35 runs, two doubles, a triple, 13 homers, 40 RBIs, a .779 slugging percentage and .407 on-base percentage in 24 games.

–via Clemson Athletic Communications

Wright in time: Blake Wright slam helps Clemson take down Florida State in series sweep

NCAA Baseball: The Clemson Tigers erased an 11-2 deficit to rally past the Florida State Seminoles for the second straight day in a 14-12 victory and three-game series sweep in ACC play at Doug Kingsmore Stadium Sunday.

Blake Wright and the Clemson Tigers’ bats did it again.

One day after hitting a game-tying grand slam as part of an eight-run ninth-inning rally, the hottest hitter in the ACC launched another bases-loaded blast as part of a seventh-inning rally to help No. 3 Clemson out-slug No. 7 Florida State, 14-12, for a series sweep Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson (22-2 overall, 5-1 ACC) trailed 11-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. The Tigers got to within striking distance on run-scoring singles from Wright, Jacob Hinderleider, Cam Cannarella, and Andrew Ciufo, who had a two-RBI hit. Those four hits brought the score to 11-7.

After Lucas Mahlstedt pitched a scoreless seventh for Clemson, the Tigers drew four consecutive walks against Florida State relievers to force in a run and bring the score to 11-8. With the bases still loaded two batters later, Jacob Jarrell drew Clemson’s fifth walk of the inning to force in another run and make it 11-9.

Then came Wright’s latest heroics. The senior infielder sent a 1-1 fastball from Carson Dorsey well into the left field seats to empty the bases for his eighth home run in nine games.

It was the latest in a series of clutch moments for Wright, who had five RBIs in Sunday’s game and finished 3-for-5. The Sunshine State native has 13 hits in his last five games (a span of 22 at-bats), including six home runs and 21 RBIs.

In the three games against FSU, Wright hit three home runs and finished 6-for-14 with 10 RBIs. He now has 13 homers and 40 RBIs through 24 games while batting .365.

Clemson added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Ciufo singled off Joe Charles to make the score 14-11.

Rob Hughes completed a five-out save in the ninth inning. The right-hander allowed his first run of the season when Marco Dinges homered leading off for Florida State.

After walking Drew Faurot on a 3-2 pitch that missed inside, Hughes got Jaxson West, Alex Lodise and Max Williams to strike out swinging to end the game for his third save.

Mathes (3-for-5), Ciufo (3-for-4) and Cannarella (2-for-5) joined Wright as players that finished with two hits or more for the Tigers. Clemson totaled 14 hits in the game and 36 in the three-game sweep.

Mahlstedt (1-0) got the win in relief after throwing two scoreless innings. Dorsey (2-2) suffered the loss for Florida State.

Aidan Knaak started for Clemson and ran into trouble early. The big blow was a three-run home run from James Tibbs over the head of Cannarella in center field to stake the Seminoles to a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Tibbs homered off Knaak again in the fifth.

Conner Whitaker started for Florida State (19-3, 3-3) and scattered two runs through the first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. He ended up charged with six runs on nine hits allowed in a no-decision.

UP NEXT

Clemson will host another top 25 team when Coastal Carolina visits Doug Kingsmore Stadium Tuesday for a scheduled 6 p.m. EDT start. Coastal Carolina is ranked No. 16 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.

Clemson hands Florida State first loss in doubleheader

Clemson Baseball: The third-ranked Tigers defeated seventh-ranked Florida State in game one of a doubleheader Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, 15-5.

CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 3 Clemson overcame an early 4-0 deficit to defeat No. 7 Florida State 15-5 in seven innings in the first game of a doubleheader at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series, improved to 20-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC, while the Seminoles dropped to 19-1 overall and 3-1 in ACC play. The game ended due to the 10-run rule.

Jaime Ferrer belted a grand slam in the top of the first inning, then Will Taylor grounded a two-out, run-scoring single in the bottom of the first inning. In the second inning, Cam Cannarella hit a three-run homer, his fourth of the year, to tie the score 4-4. The Tigers took the lead in the third inning on Andrew Ciufo’s fielder’s choice, then Cannarella lined a two-out, run-scoring single later in the frame.

Alex Lodise cut Clemson’s lead in half in the top of the fifth inning on a leadoff home run, then Jacob Hinderleider belted a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, in the bottom of the fifth inning. Later in the inning with two out, Blake Wright lined a three-run homer, his 11th of the season and seventh in the last eight games, to give Clemson an 11-5 lead. In the seventh inning, Alden Mathes ripped a two-run double and Nolan Nawrocki added a two-out, run-scoring single.

Starter Ethan Darden (4-0) earned the win, as he allowed seven hits, five runs (four earned) and one walk with four strikeouts in a career-long 6.1 innings pitched. Florida State starter Cam Leiter (4-1) suffered the loss, as he surrendered six hits, six runs and five walks with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.

The series continues Saturday with the second game of the doubleheader at approximately 4:45 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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.

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.

Santucci sizzles with 11 K’s as No. 6 Duke downs No. 10 Clemson in ACC home opener

No. 6 Duke uses home runs and excellent pitching from Jonathan Santucci to down No. 10 Clemson.

For the second Friday in a row, Duke’s baseball team handed a loss to a top-10 team.

This time, it took place in Durham as Duke opened up its ACC home slate with a decisive 5-2 win over the 10th-ranked Clemson Tigers.

Duke ace Jonathan Santucci was razor-sharp as he bounced back from a short-lived showing against Wake Forest last Friday evening. He didn’t make it through three innings in his previous start, but he tossed five innings of two-run ball against Clemson.

The game started rocky after a fielding error allowed Clemson’s best player and future first-round draft pick, outfielder Cam Cannarella, to reach first. A wild pitch and some productive hitting got him to third before a single by third baseman Blake Wright scored him to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

In the bottom frame, Duke responded loudly. With one out, a Ben Miller walk and a single by Alex Stone set the stage for Harvard transfer Logan Bravo to hammer a 2-0 pitch from Clemson starter Austin Gordon to right center for a three-run homer, giving the Blue Devils a lead they would never relinquish the rest of the game.

Santucci, from there, would settle down. He pitched two scoreless innings, racking up more strikeouts using his fastball, changeup, and slider in perfect unison.

In the bottom of the third, Bravo added more insurance, ripping a line drive to left field for his second homer of the game, giving Duke a 4-1 lead.

Clemson’s Blake Wright responded with a home run at the top of the fourth to cut Duke’s lead to two runs, but Santucci avoided further damage after maneuvering through a bit of trouble with two runners on.

The Blue Devils’ star pitcher would end his day in the fifth after getting Wright to fly out to right field. He finished with 11 strikeouts, three walks, and two runs allowed (one earned) on 96 pitches through his five innings pitched.

A Macon Winslow home run gave Duke its fifth and final run of the evening, pushing it ahead 5-2. Winslow finished his day three-for-three with a walk.

From there, Duke’s bullpen held down the fort as Owen Proksch pitched 1.1 innings and paved the way for Duke’s do-it-all reliever Charlie Beilenson to close the game with 2.2 innings of work for his eighth save of the season.

Duke held the Tigers to the second-fewest runs they’ve scored in a game all season.

The Blue Devils will lace their cleats back up and get ready to try and secure a series win tomorrow as the two teams get set for game two.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.