After being drafted in the 4th round, Austin Gordon has officially signed with the Angels.
Former Clemson baseball pitcher Austin Gordan has officially signed his MLB contract.
Gordan was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth round as the 110th overall pick. Although the slot value for the 110th pick is valued at $662,900, his contract is worth $572,500.
In 2024, Gordan’s role changed throughout the season, breaking into the starting rotation before moving to closer. The righty pitched 24 2/3 innings his final year with an ERA of 2.19 and a 3.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He finished 2-2.
In Clemson’s final loss to Florida, Gordan helped force extra innings with arguably his best performance of the season. He pitched five innings, including one in extra innings, and struck out ten batters while giving up only two earned runs and three walks.
He finished his career at Clemson with an ERA of 4.64 in 151 1/3 innings pitched and a 3.2 Strikeout-to-walk ratio in 55 games.
Andrew Ciufo, who played in 27 games as a shortstop for coach Erik Bakich’s team, announced he would return to Clemson for the 2025 season.
Clemson infielder Andrew Ciufo has a message for Tiger fans: he’s coming back.
Ciufo announced in a social media post to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday that he would be returning to the program for another season in 2025.
The 23-year-old batted .280 in 27 games as the team’s starting shortstop in 2024, tallying five extra base hits and 16 RBIs. He suffered a season-ending injury (torn ACL) in the Tigers’ 3-1 victory at Notre Dame on April 6.
A transfer from Georgetown, Ciufo hit a memorable walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning in a 5-4 victory over South Carolina on March 2 at Columbia’s Segra Park.
“I will be returning for the 2025 season!” CIufo wrote in his social media post. “Team 128 has unfinished business, and I am pumped to be a part of another special team.”
Clemson’s season ended Sunday in an 11-10 loss to the Florida Gators in the Super Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
It’s official. The Clemson Tigers will be one of the 16 regional hosts for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson Tigers (41-14) were one of 16 programs selected to host an NCAA regional for the Division I Baseball Championship, announced Sunday night by the NCAA. The regional begins Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Regional participants and game times will be announced Monday at noon on ESPN2.
It is the 18th time since 1980 that Clemson hosts a regional and second year in a row. The Tigers will make their 46th NCAA Tournament appearance, fifth most in NCAA history.
CLEMSON REGIONAL TICKET INFORMATION All-session tickets for the Clemson Regional will go on sale to IPTAY members on Monday afternoon after the NCAA Selection Show. On Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., all-session tickets will go on sale for all fans. Single-session tickets will go on sale on Friday. To purchase tickets at the applicable dates and times, click HERE.
–via Clemson Athletic Communications
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Blake Wright has been named a semifinalist for the annual Golden Spikes Award.
CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior infielder Blake Wright was named one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award on Monday. The accolade is presented each year to the top amateur baseball player in the nation by USA Baseball. Earlier this month, Wright was named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is also presented to the national player-of-the-year.
Wright (Belleair, Fla.) has split time at third base and second base in 2024. The team co-captain is hitting .341 with 21 homers, two triples, eight doubles, 70 RBIs, 62 runs and a .677 slugging percentage as the only Tiger to play all 53 games. He has a .961 fielding percentage, committing only six errors in 153 chances.
In his career, he is hitting .301 with 29 doubles, two triples, 41 homers, 160 RBIs, 131 runs and nine steals in 169 games (162 starts).
A look at where the Clemson Tigers rank in the new Baseball America Top 25 and D1Baseball rankings entering conference tournament play.
The Clemson Tigers are finding little in the way of a consensus among the Top 25 rankings as conference tournament play begins.
Clemson swept Boston College over the weekend to close out the regular season 40-13 overall and 20-10 in ACC play.
What did the series sweep of a last-place Eagles team do for the Tigers in the eyes of two prestigious college baseball publications who rank the Top 25 teams in the country each week?
Let’s just say there’s some discrepancy.
Clemson rose one spot to No. 3 in D1Baseball’s weekly Top 25 rankings, released Monday, May 20. Baseball America, which dropped the Tigers six spots to No. 10 last week following their three-game sweep at Wake Forest, kept coach Erik Bakich’s team at No. 10 in its rankings for the second consecutive week.
Only SEC regular-season co-champions Tennessee (46-10, 22-8) and Kentucky (39-12, 22-8) finished ahead of Clemson in D1Baseball’s poll.
While the Tigers are the highest-ranked ACC team by D1Baseball, Baseball America ranks Clemson behind three ACC teams: No. 3 North Carolina (41-12), No. 7 NC State (32-19), and No. 9 Wake Forest (36-19).
The Tigers went just 1-5 against the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons in head-to-head play this season. NC State and Wake Forest are the only two teams that won series against Clemson this season. The Tigers didn’t play North Carolina in the regular season.
Elsewhere in the rankings, No. 4 Texas A&M (44-11) and No. 5 Arkansas (43-12) rounded out D1Baseball’s top five. Oregon State (41-13), North Carolina, Oklahoma (34-18), East Carolina (40-13), and Florida State (39-14) were ranked Nos. 6-10, respectively.
Tennessee was also No. 1 atop Baseball America’s Top 25 with Kentucky at No. 2. No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Arkansas rounded out Baseball America’s rankings as well.
NEXT UP
As the No. 2 seed at this week’s ACC Baseball Tournament in Charlotte, Clemson already knows the first two teams they’ll be facing at Truist Field. The Tigers will open the tournament against Miami on Thursday before facing Louisville Friday. The Tigers took two of three from both the Hurricanes and Cardinals in the regular season.
Every game of the 2024 ACC Tournament will be televised by ACC Network with the exception of Sunday’s championship game on ESPN2. Each game of the tournament will also air live on SiriusXM Channel 371 for subscribers.
The Clemson Tigers clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title Saturday and assured themselves of no worse than a No. 2 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
Blake Wright went 4-for-5 at the plate and hit his 20th home run of the season, Jimmy Obertop drove in four runs, and No. 4 Clemson defeated Boston College, 11-6, Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The win clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title for Clemson (39-13 overall, 19-10 ACC) and a series victory in the Tigers’ final regular-season set ahead of next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
After Boston College (22-30, 8-21) jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a second-inning home run from John Collins off Tristan Smith, Clemson responded for nine unanswered runs over the next three innings.
The Tigers manufactured a run in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Jacob Jarrell, and in the third, Wright’s 20th home run off Boston College starter A.J. Colarusso tied the game.
Cam Cannarella and Jimmy Obertop followed with back-to-back doubles to put Clemson ahead, and Tristan Bissetta added a run-scoring single as part of a three-run inning that made it 4-2.
The Tigers erupted for five runs in the fourth, beginning with Wright’s second run-scoring hit of the afternoon — an opposite-field RBI single that made it 5-2. Later that inning, Obertop cleared the bases with a three-run homer, his 18th of the season to up the score to 9-2.
Clemson tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning. Bissetta picked up his second RBI of the day with a double down the right field line, and Jack Crighton followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to cap the Tigers’ scoring and make it 11-3.
The Eagles got an RBI double from Kyle Wolff and a two-run single from Adam Magpoc off reliever Chance Fitzgerald in the eighth for the game’s final runs.
Billy Barlow (6-1) earned the win in relief with three solid innings after Smith started and received a no-decision. Smith pitched four innings and gave up two runs on four hits to go with four walks and two strikeouts.
Drew Titsworth recorded the final six outs in relief, retiring all but one of the seven batters he faced without allowing a hit. He struck out four and walked one. Fitzgerald allowed all three Boston College runs in the eighth without recording an out.
In addition to Wright’s four hits, Clemson got three-hit games from Obertop (3-for-5) and Bissetta (3-5). Cannarella (2-3) stayed hot by notching two hits and scoring three runs. Jarren Purify (2-5) also had two hits.
Colarusso (3-8) suffered the loss for Boston College, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
The series concludes Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon EDT. The game can be seen on ACC Network.
A look at where to watch, stream and listen to this week’s ACC series between Clemson and Boston College.
The Clemson Tigers are hoping to end the 2024 regular season on a high note.
The Tigers enter the final weekend of the regular season at 37-13 overall and 17-10 in ACC play. They’re ranked No. 4 in the nation by D1Baseball and are No. 7 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll after being swept at No. 9 Wake Forest last Sunday. The Tigers are also seventh in the NCAA’s RPI rankings.
Coach Erik Bakich’s team will look to get back into the win column against Boston College, a team that on paper is the worst in the ACC. The Eagles are tied with Pitt for last in conference standings (8-19) and are 22-28 overall, the worst mark in the league.
North Carolina, which climbed to as high as No. 4 in the rankings this week, leads Clemson by three games with three to play. The Tar Heels (39-11, 20-7) close their season at No. 11 Duke (34-16, 15-12).
Left-hander Ethan Darden (5-3, 4.24 ERA) will open Thursday’s series against Boston College right-hander John West (1-4, 5.00 ERA). Tristan Smith (2-0, 4.14) is scheduled to start Friday’s game against fellow southpaw A.J. Colarusso (3-7, 7.04). Freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak (4-1, 3.22) will start Saturday’s finale. Boston College has yet to name a starter for Saturday.
Clemson is averaging eight runs per game this season to the Eagles’ 6.5. The Tigers are batting .293 as a team to Boston College’s .267 mark, which ranks last in the ACC.
The Tigers’ 4.51 ERA as a pitching staff is second in the conference behind North Carolina (4.17). Boston College is second to last in the league with a 6.45 ERA as a staff.
The Eagles dropped two of three against Maryland in their last ACC series. They’ve won only two conference series this year — a three-game sweep at Georgia Tech in late March and taking two of three at Pitt earlier that month.
Series History
Clemson leads the all-time head-to-head series with Boston College, 45-11. The Tigers took two of three games in last year’s series in Brighton.
Where to Watch/Stream/Listen
Here’s how Clemsons fans can watch, stream and listen to this week’s series against Boston College.
When: May 16-18
Where: Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Start Times (ET)
Thursday, 6 p.m.
Friday, 6 p.m.
Saturday, noon
Broadcast Info
Live Video Stream: ACC Network Extra, ESPN+ (Thursday, Friday)
TV: ACC Network (Saturday)
Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | TuneIn App
Clemson Radio Affiliates
Broadcast Teams
ACC Network Extra (Thursday, Friday): William Qualkinbush, Ron Smith
ACC Network (Saturday): Devon Travis, Jonathan Yardley
A look at where Clemson ranks in Baseball America’s new Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
The Clemson Tigers’ standing as a high-end top eight national seed for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament took a spill following its three-game series sweep at No. 9 Wake Forest, according to new postseason projections released Wednesday.
In its latest Field of 64 forecast for the tournament, Baseball America dropped the Tigers (37-13 overall, 17-10 ACC) three spots to the No. 6 overall seed and host site regional. North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas all moved ahead of Clemson for higher seeding in the magazine’s updated postseason outlook.
The Tar Heels (39-11, 20-7) swept Louisville in their most recent ACC series and have won nine of their last 10 games to open a three-game lead over the Tigers in conference standings with one weekend remaining in the regular season. North Carolina moved all the way up to the No. 2 national seed in Baseball America’s projections.
Tennessee, ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll for the second straight week, moved up to the No. 3 seed with Texas A&M at No. 4 and Arkansas at No. 5.
Kentucky remained the No. 1 overall projected seed in Baseball America’s outlook for the second weekend in a row.
Baseball America has Clemson hosting San Diego, James Madison and Austin Peay State in its on-site Regional.
Coach Erik Bakich’s team also fell three spots in On3’s latest Field of 64 projections this week.
The Tigers can help themselves by closing out their final regular season series against Boston College. The Eagles are tied with Pitt for last place in ACC standings at 8-19. Boston College is 22-28 overall, the worst record (22-28) in the league.
The series is scheduled to begin Thursday at 6 p.m. EDT at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
Where Clemson ranks in On3’s new Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
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+.
A look at where the Clemson Tigers rank in the new Baseball America Top 25 rankings and D1Baseball poll.
The Clemson Tigers are no longer in the top five of one of the major college baseball Top 25 rankings following their three-game weekend sweep at Wake Forest.
The Tigers (37-13 overall, 17-10 ACC) fell all the way to No. 10 in the rankings. They’d been ranked No. 4 the previous week before their first series sweep of the year Sunday in Winston-Salem.
Notes Baseball America’s Teddy Cahill and Peter Flaherty:
“After scoring four runs in the ninth inning in Tuesday’s win against Charlotte, Clemson was soundly swept at Wake Forest. Outside of Ethan Darden, no starter was able to make it out of the fifth inning. The Tigers’ bats also struggled mightily and on the weekend hit just .202. Outfielder Tristan Bissetta was the team’s lone bright spot, as he hit two home runs and accounted for five of the team’s 10 RBIs. Clemson will look to bounce back this weekend at home against Boston College.”
A total of three ACC teams moved ahead of Clemson in Baseball America’s rankings, including North Carolina. The Tar Heels (39-11, 20-7) checked in at No. 4 after completing a sweep of Louisville on Sunday. UNC has won nine of its last 10 games and holds a three-game lead over Clemson in the ACC standings with a week to play.
Wake Forest (36-16, 15-12) also leapt Clemson in Baseball America’s rankings, as did NC State (29-19, 14-12). The Demon Deacons jumped eight spots to land at No. 7 while the Wolfpack moved up four spots to No. 9 after winning two of three from Virginia in Charlottesville.
Other teams that passed Clemson in Baseball America’s rankings were No. 2 Kentucky, which had been ranked sixth, as well as No. 6 Georgia (previously No. 14) and No. 8 Oregon State (previously No. 11).
Things weren’t nearly as bad for Clemson in D1Baseball’s new Top 25 rankings Monday. In those rankings, the Tigers fell only two spots to No. 4 and remained the highest-ranked ACC team. Similarly, Clemson fell two spots to No. 7 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings this week.
North Carolina moved up four spots to No. 7 in D1Baseball’s rankings with Wake Forest right behind the Tar Heels at No. 8. Florida State (37-12) checked in at No. 10.
Tennessee (42-10) remained No. 1 in both D1Baseball’s Top 25 and Baseball America’s rankings after winning two of three at Vanderbilt over the weekend. Kentucky (37-11) moved up to No. 2 while Arkansas (42-10) moved up two spots to No. 3. Texas A&M (42-10) rounded out D1Baseball’s top five.
UP NEXT
Clemson visits Coastal Carolina in midweek play Tuesday. First pitch against the Chanticleers is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
