Tag: Clemson Tigers

Where Clemson baseball ranks in new Field of 64 projections

NCAA Baseball: Here’s where the Clemson Tigers rank in D1Baseball’s new Field of 64 projections for the postseason NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

How good a season is Erik Bakich’s Clemson Tigers having?

Good enough that the Tigers (30-6 overall) figure to host one of the top eight national seeds in D1Baseball’s latest Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.

Clemson is the No. 3 national seed in those projections, trailing only Texas A&M and Arkansas for the top seed. The Aggies and Razorbacks are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in this week’s USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. The Tigers are ranked No. 6 after having spent the previous two weeks at No. 2 in the coaches poll.

Kentucky, Tennessee, Oregon State, Duke and Florida State are the other projected top eight national seeds in D1Baseball’s projections.

Securing a top eight national seed would ensure Doug Kingsmore Stadium of hosting a Super Regional, provided the Tigers advance past the four-team, double-elimination Clemson regional to begin the tournament.

D1Baseball projects that Clemson would welcome Sacred Heart, Kennesaw State, and Mississippi State to the upstate for the Tigers’ on-campus regional. Clemson faced Kennesaw State in its second weekend series of the season back in February, winning two of three.

To put it simply, Bakich’s club finds itself in a very enviable position past the midway point of the regular season.

Still, Clemson is not infallible and has a lot of work ahead of them. Five weekend series remain in the regular season before the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, and no team is ever without imperfection. The Tigers reminded everyone of that when they dropped three in a row last week to USC Upstate and NC State.

Clemson has been down one of its best arms in left-hander Tristan Smith, who has missed the past month with an ankle injury. Bakich said after Sunday’s win over NC State that Smith would start one of the Tigers’ upcoming games against Pitt this weekend.

If the weekend rotation of Smith, left-hander Ethan Darden, and freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak holds, Clemson figures to have one of the most formidable trio of starters in the nation.

At the plate and in the field, one of the Tigers’ best hitters and infielders was recently lost for the season in shortstop Andrew Ciufo. Bakich recently confirmed that Ciufo had torn his ACL in the series against Notre Dame back on April 6. Ciufo’s injury opens a hole on the left side of the infield — and in the batting order — that Clemson will have to plug.

The Tigers welcome Pitt to town beginning Friday for a three-game weekend series in ACC play. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT and can be seen on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

Clemson to celebrate the life of Doug Kingsmore on Saturday

Clemson Baseball: The Tigers will celebrate the life of the late Doug Kingsmore ahead of Saturday’s game against Pitt.

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson baseball program will celebrate the life of Doug Kingsmore prior to Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, in a pregame ceremony with surviving family members. Kingsmore passed away on Dec. 5, 2023 at the age of 90.

The All-ACC Tiger and successful businessman was a co-captain of the Tigers’ first ACC championship team in any sport when Clemson won the 1954 ACC title.

Kingsmore was a student-athlete at Clemson from 1951-54. He had a breakout season as a senior in 1954, when he batted .371 and became the first Tiger to hit 10 home runs in a season. His 10 long balls led the ACC, and he also led the conference in runs (25) in just 24 games. He totaled 27 RBIs as well.

Kingsmore came to Clemson from Union, S.C., where he earned 10 letters at Union High School. He lettered four times in baseball, three times in football and three times in basketball.

Kingsmore signed a professional contract (there was no MLB draft until 1965) with the Baltimore Orioles after the 1954 season and played professional baseball for three years in the Tri-State, Carolina and Texas Leagues.

He went into the business world after his playing career and also served on the Clemson University Board of Trustees for 12 years. He was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1985 as well.

Following a $1 million donation to the athletic department and in recognition of his significant contributions to the baseball program, both on and off the field, Clemson’s baseball stadium, formerly known as Tiger Field, was renamed to Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

–via Clemson Athletic Communications

Clemson to play in college basketball’s 2024 Sunshine Slam

Clemson Basketball: The Clemson Tigers are one of four men’s basketball teams that were announced would play in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in-season tournament in Daytona, Florida for the 2024-25 season.

Clemson basketball is headed to the Sunshine State as part of its non-conference schedule.

The Tigers are one of four teams that will appear in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona, Fla. They’ll join Penn State from the Big Ten, Fordham from the Atlantic 10, and San Francisco from the West Coast Conference as part of the in-season tournament.

At least four other schools are expected to participate in the tournament.

Official dates and matchups will be announced later. The news was first reported by The Clemson Insider and confirmed in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein.

Clemson is coming off its most successful season in recent history. Coach Brad Brownell’s team defeated New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor, and No. 2 seed Arizona to reach the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, part of a 24-win season.

Among the three other schools mentioned in Wednesday’s announcement, San Francisco had the best 2023-24 season. The Dons were 23-11 overall and 11-5 in league play to finish third in the West Coast Conference. That included an impressive 14-2 mark at home.

Penn State is coming off a 16-17 season. The Nittany Lions finished 11th in the final Big Ten standings. Their best wins were a 90-89 victory over Illinois on February 21 and an 87-83 win over Wisconsin on January 16.

Fordham went 13-20 last season and 6-12 in the Atlantic 10.

Florida State defeated Colorado to win last season’s Sunshine Slam. The Seminoles were one of eight teams to participate in the tournament, which began in early November.

WATCH: Dabo Swinney’s full interview on ACC Network

Clemson Football: Watch Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney’s full interview with ACC Network’s ACC PM on Monday, April 15.

Dabo Swinney said he loved what he saw in this year’s Orange vs. White Clemson spring game.

“We’ve got the ingredients. We’ve just got a lot of work to do,” Swinney told ACC Network hosts Mark Packer and Taylor Tannebaum during an exclusive appearance on ACC PM Monday. “I think we’ve got an eager group that’s got some good self-awareness. We’ve got good leadership on both sides.”

Over the course of a 19-minute interview, Swinney touched on several topics, including:

-what he learned from his team in this year’s spring game

-five-star recruits Bryant Wesco and Sammy Brown, and the team’s receiving room and linebacker corps

-the need for running back Phil Mafah to become a tone-setter on offense

-what he’s seen from quarterback Cade Klubnik this spring, as well as the impressive performance by backup QB Trent Pearman in the Orange vs. White game

-where he plans to use Peter Woods on defense

-Garrett Riley being settled in ahead of his second season as Clemson’s offensive coordinator

Here’s everything Swinney said on his appearance on ACC Network.

Is Dabo Swinney a “portal denier?” This college football analyst says yes

Clemson Tigers Football: One noteworthy college football analyst describes Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and his program as a “transfer portal denier.”

Those who have followed Dabo Swinney for any amount of time know that the veteran Clemson coach has been reluctant — at best — to go after players in the NCAA transfer portal.

Swinney has been firm in sticking to his proverbial guns on the issue. He believes that the old-fashioned ways of recruiting players out of high school and developing them into bonafide college athletes is the proven way. “The right way,” as former Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware told The Athletic’s Grace Raynor for a lengthy profiled piece on Swinney and Clemson back in January.

But with the transfer portal set to become even more expansive and unpredictable when the NCAA approves of unlimited transfers with no loss in playing time (in other words, college sports’ equivalent of free agency), Swinney may soon have no choice but to accept the changes around him and to step up his recruiting efforts through the portal.

Until then, Swinney’s reluctance has earned him the rather unique label of “portal denier” in the words of The Athletic’s Max Olson, who recently wrote about “the five types of college football programs you meet in the transfer portal.”

Writing that Clemson remains the “outlier in the portal recruiting world,” Olson notes that the Tigers have extended offers to only a handful of transfers via the portal since 2021. That was the year the portal exploded after the NCAA voted to allow student-athletes to transfer once and become immediately eligible at the next program of their choosing.

While Olson admires Swinney for the way he runs his program, he also envisions a world in which Swinney embraces the portal.

“Imagine how many players would want to transfer to Clemson with its staff, infrastructure, trophies and NFL Draft picks. The Tigers would likely be doing well in this pool if they ever cared to jump in. They’ve dealt with attrition like everyone else, with 33 scholarship players transferring out since the end of the 2021 season. Still, Swinney is doing what he believes is best for his program culture.”

Olson adds that Clemson is the only Power 5 (soon-to-be four) program that has yet to sign a single transfer this off-season.

“Iowa has typically been very selective with transfers in recent years and only took one this offseason: five-star tackle Kadyn Proctor, who has already bailed to go back to Alabama. The list of programs on the low end of transfer commitments so far includes Michigan (two), Stanford (two), Northwestern (three) and Virginia Tech (four). Some schools have stricter transfer standards than others, though it’s notable new Northwestern coach David Braun has mostly stayed out of the portal despite the program losing 14 scholarship transfers since July. We’ll see whether the spring window changes the calculus for a few of these teams.”

And whether Clemson and Swinney can remain “portal deniers” for much longer.

Clemson softball falls in new D1Softball Top 25 rankings

The Clemson Tigers fell three spots to No. 22 in the new D1Softball poll, released Tuesday, April 16. It’s the second straight week that Clemson has dropped in the polls. The Tigers have tumbled seven spots from No. 15 two weeks ago.

The Clemson Tigers fell three spots to No. 22 in the new D1Softball rankings, released Tuesday, April 16. It’s the second straight week that Clemson has fallen in the rankings.

The Tigers (28-14 overall, 11-7 ACC) had been ranked No. 15 two weeks earlier. Coach John Rittman’s team was swept by Duke over the weekend at McWhorter Stadium. The fourth-ranked Blue Devils (37-4) were ranked No. 1 in the nation by Softball America last week.

Texas (35-6) stayed at No. 1 in D1Softball’s rankings after another 4-0 week. The top three rankings remained the same as last week with Oklahoma (38-4) holding at No. 2 and Stanford (34-7) checking in at No. 3.

Tennessee (32-7) moved up one spot from No. 6 to round out the top five. Washington placed sixth with Oklahoma State falling three spots to No. 7. LSU, Florida, and Missouri rounded out the top 10 in D1Softball’s rankings.

No. 15 Virginia Tech and No. 16 Florida State were the only other ACC programs ranked by D1Softball.

Clemson is scheduled to face Winthrop in non-conference play Tuesday at McWhorter Stadium before traveling to Notre Dame for a weekend series. Tuesday’s game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

2024 NFL draft: Chargers hosted CB Nate Wiggins on visit

Nate Wiggins is one of the better cornerbacks in this year’s class.

The Chargers hosted Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins on a pre-draft visit, per his Instagram story.

Wiggins was a productive college player. He registered 14 pass deflections in 2022 and eight breakups with two interceptions in 2023. He returned an interception for a touchdown in each of his final two seasons.

Wiggins is a tall and long corner who possesses great athletic traits, having the speed and quickness to run with anyone, as well as great instincts. Additionally, he is versatile to play in different schemes.

The Chargers will be looking for more playmakers in the secondary for defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, and Wiggins fits what he covets at the position.

Wiggins projects as a late Round 1 selection, making him a target if the Bolts trade down and add more picks.

WATCH: Erik Bakich and players discuss Clemson’s 7-0 shutout win over NC State

Clemson Baseball: Watch Tigers head coach Erik Bakich and freshmen Aidan Knaak and Jarren Purify talk about the team’s 7-0 victory over NC State on Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson is coming off its worst week of the 2024 season.

The Tigers (29-6 overall) dropped three of their four contests this past week, including two of three to ACC rival NC State over the weekend. Even so, coach Erik Bakich’s team managed to salvage the final game of its series against the Wolfpack with a 7-0 shutout victory on Sunday.

Clemson was backed by eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball from freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak, who has slowly developed into the team’s most reliable starter. Knaak struck out 10 batters and threw 97 pitches against NC State to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Through nine starts, Knaak now has a 2.87 ERA with a strikeout to walk ratio that’s just over 4-to-1 (67 strikeouts to 15 walks in 53 1/3 innings). He was named ACC Pitcher of the Week by the conference on Monday, marking the second consecutive week Knaak has earned that honor.

Jarren Purify was also responsible for helping the Tigers end their three-game losing streak in Sunday’s win. The freshman from Detroit went 2-for-4 and had two run-scoring hits, including an RBI double as part of a five-run seventh inning that broke a scoreless tie and put Clemson ahead for good. Purify raised his average to .266 through 29 games.

Here’s Bakich, Knaak and Purify talking to reporters after Sunday’s victory.

Clemson freshman Aidan Knaak named ACC Pitcher of the Week for second straight week

Clemson Baseball: Freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak took home ACC Pitcher of the Week honors, the league announced Monday. It’s the second week in a row that Knaak has earned the honor.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Freshman righthander Aidan Knaak (Fort Myers, Fla.) was named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week, announced Monday by the league office. He joined Wake Forest’s Nick Kurtz, who was named ACC Player-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.

It marked the second week in a row Knaak earned ACC weekly honors. He became the first Tiger pitcher to earn ACC weekly honors twice in one year since 2016 (Pat Krall) and the first Tiger pitcher to earn ACC weekly honors in back-to-back weeks since 2005 (Josh Cribb).

Knaak pitched another masterpiece in Clemson’s 7-0 win over NC State on Sunday. In 8.0 innings pitched, he allowed just two hits (both infield singles), no runs and one walk with 10 strikeouts to earn the win. Knaak, who threw 97 pitches (71 strikes), faced just two batters over the minimum.

It was the longest outing of his career and tied his career high for strikeouts. He retired the first 14 batters of the game before surrendering an infield single in the fifth inning. He also did not allow a baserunner past second base and allowed only one past first base.

On the season, he is 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA, .201 opponents’ batting average and 67 strikeouts against 15 walks in 53.1 innings pitched over nine starts.

–via Clemson Athletic Communications

How far Clemson fell in new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

NCAA Baseball: The Clemson Tigers fell to No. 6 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 15.

A rough week by Clemson that featured the team’s first back-to-back losses of the season — and its first losing streak — dropped the Tigers several spots in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 15.

Clemson (29-6 overall) tumbled four spots to No. 6 in the coaches poll, compiled by 31 head coaches at Division I schools. The Tigers went just 1-3 last week after a midweek loss to USC Upstate and dropping two of three in a series against NC State at home.

Coach Erik Bakich’s club also fell to No. 6 in D1Baseball’s new Top 25 rankings and to No. 4 in the new Baseball America Top 25.

Texas A&M (32-4) climbed two spots to No. 1 after a 4-0 week that included a series sweep of No. 12 Vanderbilt. The Commodores had been ranked No. 6 in last week’s coaches poll.

Arkansas (30-5) fell to No. 2 after suffering its first series loss of the season. The Razorbacks, who had been No. 1 for five straight weeks, fell Saturday and Sunday to No. 14 Alabama, which rose three spots in Monday’s poll.

Oregon State (29-5) moved up one spot in to No. 4. Kentucky (30-5) rounded out the top five after its three-game sweep of Auburn over the weekend.

Right behind Clemson in the new poll are four ACC schools. Florida State (30-5) rose to No. 7, with Virginia (28-8) checking in at No. 8 and Duke (26-10) at No. 9. North Carolina (29-7) moved up one spot to No. 11. East Carolina (27-8) rounded out the Top 10.

Two other ACC schools — No. 13 Wake Forest and No. 22 Virginia Tech — placed in Monday’s Top 25 to give the conference seven teams ranked in the new poll.

The SEC had the most schools ranked per conference with eight.

Clemson returns to the diamond Tuesday when the Tigers host Charlotte in non-conference play. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).