Tag: Clemson vs. South Carolina

Clemson vs South Carolina: Kickoff time, TV info announced for high-stakes rivalry game

Here’s what time the Clemson Tigers will kick off against rival South Carolina on Nov. 30, and what TV channel the game will be on.

The ACC on Monday announced kickoff times and TV information for Week 14 games, including the Clemson Tigers’ annual showdown with the rival South Carolina Gamecocks on Nov. 30.

The Tigers (8-2) and Gamecocks (7-3) will kick off at noon ET from Death Valley. The game will be televised on ESPN.

It will be the 121st all-time meeting between the two rivals. Clemson leads the series, 73-43-4. The Tigers won last year’s game, 16-7, at Williams-Brice Stadium and have won eight of the last nine in the series. South Carolina won in its last trip to Death Valley in 2022. Dabo Swinney is 9-6 in his coaching career against South Carolina.

Clemson is ranked No. 20 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings but isn’t mathematically eliminated from the ACC title hunt. The Tigers need to win out and hope for either the Miami Hurricanes or SMU Mustangs to lose one of their final two games.

Clemson rallied late for a 24-20 come-from-behind road victory last Saturday against the Pitt Panthers. Cade Klubnik ran for a 50-yard touchdown with 1:16 to play for the Tigers’ only points of the second half. Khalil Barnes then intercepted a Pitt pass near the goal line as time expired.

South Carolina has had a better year than many expected. Behind freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers, the Gamecocks have won four straight entering Week 13, including a 44-20 upset of then-No. 10 Texas A&M at Williams-Brice back on Nov. 2.

Shane Beamer’s team defeated Missouri 34-30 over the weekend and will host Wofford this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

The Gamecocks moved up four spots to No. 19 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. Clemson is ranked No. 16.

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TV info, start time announced for Clemson basketball vs. South Carolina

Here’s when Clemson will take on South Carolina in the annual matchup between the Tigers and Gamecocks on the hardwood.

Tipoff time and TV information for the Clemson Tigers’ annual men’s basketball contest with the rival South Carolina Gamecocks was announced on Friday.

The Tigers and Gamecocks’ Dec. 17 matchup in Columbia will be a 7 p.m. ET tipoff. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

Clemson won last year’s meeting, 72-67, on Dec. 6 at Littlejohn Coliseum. That was part of a 9-0 start to the 2023-24 season that saw the Tigers climb to No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Brad Brownell’s team went on to finish the season 24-12 and made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. The Tigers then defeated No. 11 seed New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor, and No. 2 seed Arizona to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980.

South Carolina went 26-8 last season and also made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. The Gamecocks fell 87-73 in a first-round loss to the Oregon Ducks in the Midwest Region in Pittsburgh.

Clemson has won five of the last seven meetings in the series against South Carolina dating back to 2016.

RELATED: College basketball expert offers projected ACC order of finish for Clemson Tigers

The 2024-25 season will be Brownell’s 15th as head coach of the Tigers. Clemson opens the regular season at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern on Nov. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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Colorado Rockies get a taste of Clemson-South Carolina rivalry

The Rockies selected South Carolina catcher Cole Messina in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft Monday before drafting Clemson slugger Blake Wright in the fourth round.

When it comes to college baseball rivalries, Clemson vs. South Carolina is one of the best in the sport.

On Monday, Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies found themselves on both sides of that rivalry. The Rockies drafted Clemson infielder and slugger Blake Wright with their fourth-round pick at No. 106 overall. That was after the team added South Carolina catcher Cole Messina in the third round with the 77th overall pick.

Wright and Messina met on the diamond this past season when the Tigers and Gamecocks played their annual Palmetto Series. Clemson won both games, 5-4. In the Tigers’ thrilling walk-off victory in 12 innings on March 2 at Segra Park, both Wright and Messina had identical showings: 0 for 6 with three strikeouts apiece.

The next day, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Wright and Messina both homered. Wright had two hits in that game while Messina was 1 for 3 with two walks. Wright’s homer came in the eighth inning, giving Clemson some insurance headed into a ninth inning that saw South Carolina cut the lead to one on Ethan Petry’s two-out home run.

Wright finished the season mashing a team-high 22 home runs (tied with Jimmy Obertop), 75 RBIs and leading the Tigers with a .340 average. Messina posted similar numbers, also leading his team in home runs (21), RBIs (71) and batting average (.326) in 59 games.

Clemson-South Carolina is a rivalry that’s never too far from the minds of either school. Paul Mainieri underlined that point by taking a jab at the Tigers and the Upstate region in his introductory press conference as the Gamecocks’ new coach in June. Mainieri called Clemson “the team up north” and added: “Being in the midlands is a lot better than being in the Upstate. I can promise you that.”

Mainieri and the Gamecocks then proceeded to add two Clemson players to their roster via the transfer portal in outfielder Nathan Hall and INF/OF Nolan Nawrocki.

Hall saw limited playing time in 2024 (12 games) while Nawrocki became a regular in the starting lineup for a while and had some memorable at-bats, including a go-ahead home run against South Carolina in the sixth inning of the Tigers’ win on March 3.

Given that Wright just finished a torrid senior season and that Messina has a slot value of $1.01 million, the two sluggers could soon find themselves on the same team in the lower levels of the Rockies’ minor league system instead of in opposite dugouts of one of college sports’ most premier and intense rivalries.

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Opinion – Paul Mainieri is what Clemson vs. South Carolina, college baseball rivalries need

New South Carolina coach Paul Mainieri added a touch of spice to the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry this week.

College baseball needs good rivalries, and Clemson already has what many consider to be the best in the sport with in-state rival South Carolina.

Earlier this year, Clemson head coach Erik Bakich called the Palmetto Series “the best rivalry in college baseball.”

I’m inclined to agree.

On Thursday of this week, new South Carolina coach Paul Mainieri added a little more juice to the rivalry when he referenced Clemson at his introductory press conference in Columbia.

Specifically, Mainieri referred to Clemson as “the team up north.” He also took a shot at the Upstate region.

“Being in the midlands is a lot better than being in the Upstate. I can promise you that,” Mainieri quipped.

Shots fired.

Mainieri is no stranger to college baseball rivalries. At LSU, where he won the national championship in the College World Series in 2009, Mainieri and the elite players he recruited made annual rivalries with Ole Miss, Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina and other SEC programs compelling, must-see TV.

True, Mainieri is no master of the verbal putdown like Steve Spurrier (another former Gamecocks coach). He’s not an acid-tongued former Major League Baseball skipper like the fiery Ozzie Guillen or the late Billy Martin.

But Mainieri is the active leader in career Division I victories (1,505), having spent 15 seasons at LSU and leading the Tigers to the College World Series five times. He twice earned SEC Coach of the Year honors and won four National Coach of the Year awards.

With that comes a big of swagger — and a little jousting at Mainieri’s new in-state rival.

“I had a few dealings with Monte Lee when he was the head coach at Clemson,” Mainieri began before trailing off and making his “team up north” comment.

Mainieri maintained Lee as his associate head coach after taking the Gamecocks’ job. Lee had been interim coach after South Carolina fired Mark Kingston following the Gamecocks’ season-ending loss to James Madison in the Raleigh Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

Unlike at LSU, Mainieri won’t have an entire state to himself with few, if any, authentic rivalries. No offense to Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana or even Tulane, but those programs aren’t consistently on the same level as LSU — or Clemson.

That’s why Mainieri’s entrance in the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry (and the subsequent comments he made Thursday) is a good thing for fans and the competitive juices that flow in both the Tigers and Gamecocks programs.

Bakich said that he treats Clemson vs. South Carolina with utmost respect.

“We don’t just start talking about South Carolina this week,” Bakich said when the two programs met for their annual non-conference series in early March. “It’s something that… it’s Clemson-South Carolina. It’s the best in college baseball. I know there’s some other good rivalries out there: Army-Navy, Michigan-Ohio State, but this is the best I’ve seen in college baseball, and it’s not even close.”

With Mainieri’s hiring and digs at Clemson, the best rivalry in college baseball just got even better.

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Tigers avoid Gamecocks in Sunday morning Field of 64 tournament projections

Here are the new NCAA Baseball Tournament Field of 64 projections from both D1Baseball and Baseball America as of Sunday morning.

Anyone hoping to avoid Clemson vs. South Carolina in the regional round of the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament may be in luck.

The new postseason Field of 64 projections from both D1Baseball and Baseball America Sunday morning see the Tigers (41-14 overall) missing the Gamecocks (36-23) in the on-site Clemson Regional.

D1Baseball forecasts South Carolina to be in the Chapel Hill Regional as one of the three teams joining projected No. 3 national seed North Carolina. Baseball America sees the Gamecocks in a projected Raleigh Regional that includes NC State, the projected No. 10 seed and host site.

Clemson is still the No. 6 national seed in both D1Baseball and Baseball America projections, meaning that if the Tigers win their four-team, double-elimination regional, they’d host a best-of-three Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium with a trip to the College World Series in Omaha on the line.

D1Baseball sees the Tigers welcoming the San Diego Toreros (40-13), Florida Gators (28-27) and Bryant Bulldogs (36-19) to the Clemson Regional. Both San Diego and Bryant won their respective conference tournaments on Saturday to receive automatic bids to the tournament.

Baseball America also sees San Diego in its projected Clemson Regional, but with James Madison (34-23) and Sacred Heart (35-22) as the teams making the trek to Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The 16 regional host sites for the tournament will be unveiled at 8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air live on ESPN2 Monday at noon.

It’s Clemson vs. South Carolina in this Field of 64 projection for NCAA Tournament

Ready for another round of Clemson vs. South Carolina? It may soon be happening.

Ready for another round of Clemson vs. South Carolina in the NCAA Baseball Tournament?

It may soon be happening, according to the latest Field of 64 projections for the 64-team postseason from D1Baseball.

The Tigers (41-14 overall) held as a top-eight national seed (No. 6 overall) in D1Baseball’s updated postseason outlook Saturday. The Gamecocks are D1Baseball’s projected No. 2 seed for the four-team, double-elimination Clemson Regional.

South Carolina, which defeated Alabama and Arkansas at the SEC Tournament this week, is paired with College of Charleston and Samford as the three teams projected by D1Baseball to join the host Tigers at the on-site regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson-South Carolina is one of the best rivalries in college baseball. The two teams have a rich postseason history, having met twice at the College World Series in Omaha (in 2002 and 2010).

The Gamecocks got the best of the Tigers both times in Omaha, beating Clemson twice in the 2002 semifinals to advance to the championship game against eventual national champion Texas.

Eight years later, the Gamecocks again beat the Tigers twice in the semifinals to meet UCLA in the best-of-three CWS Finals. South Carolina went on to beat the Bruins to win the first of two back-to-back national championships under former coach Ray Tanner. Clemson hasn’t made a College World Series appearance since 2010.

The two teams meet annually in the regular season. Clemson won both games against the Gamecocks this season by identical 5-4 scores in a rain-shortened series back in early March.

Baseball America also had the Tigers as the No. 6 overall seed in their updated postseason projections Saturday. Unlike D1Baseball, Baseball America has the Tigers projected to host Texas, James Madison and Florida A&M at the Clemson Regional.

Tennessee remained the No. 1 overall seed in both D1Baseball and Baseball America’s updated projections Saturday.

The unveiling of the 16 NCAA Tournament regional host sites is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air live on ESPN2 Monday at noon.

Schedule changes for Clemson vs. NC State; contest with South Carolina won’t be made up

CLEMSON, S.C. – The NC State vs. Clemson game on Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium is now scheduled to start at 6 p.m. South Carolina and Clemson also announced that the March 1 contest at Founders Park in Columbia that was postponed due to rain will not be made up. A mutual date was unattainable based on remaining competition and academic schedules.

CLEMSON, S.C. – The NC State vs. Clemson game on Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium is now scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

South Carolina and Clemson also announced that the March 1 contest at Founders Park in Columbia that was postponed due to rain will not be made up. A mutual date was unattainable based on remaining competition and academic schedules.

The 2024 regular-season series ends with Clemson winning both games, a 5-4 victory at Segra Park in Columbia and a 5-4 win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Fans who purchased tickets to the game at Founders Park can email gctix@mailbox.sc.edu for more information.

–via Clemson Athletic Communications

Best rivalry in college baseball? Tigers/Gamecocks, Clemson players say

These Clemson players say Tigers vs. Gamecocks is the best rivalry in college baseball.

In a matchup of two top 25 teams, Clemson won a pair of thrilling 5-4 victories against in-state rival South Carolina in the Palmetto Series over the weekend. The games were the latest entries in a rivalry that dates all the way back to the end of the 19th century.

Since 1899, the Tigers and Gamecocks have played one another more times than any other opponent. With its two wins this weekend, Clemson now leads the all-time head to head series, 188-145-2.

The Tigers, ranked 11th in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, improved to 9-1 overall with their two nail-biting victories over the 16th-ranked Gamecocks.

A walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning from Andrew Ciufo ended Saturday’s contest, while a come-from-behind victory on Sunday ended with Tigers pitcher Austin Gordon stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning.

College baseball, much like college football and basketball, is known for its top rivalries. Alabama and Auburn hate each other in any sport, as does Ole Miss and Mississippi State, Florida and Florida State (and Miami), Duke and North Carolina, and others.

As for Clemson vs. South Carolina and the Palmetto Series?

“I think this is the best rivalry in college baseball,” Tigers third baseman Nolan Nawrocki said after Sunday’s game, which included Nawrocki’s go-ahead home run in the sixth inning. “It’s great to be a part of it. I’m just so happy that we can all embrace these moments and just keep competing.”

Second baseman Blake Wright, who went 2-for-4 and clubbed his fourth home run of the season in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game, agreed with Nawrocki.

“It’s the best rivalry in college baseball. Definitely in the state,” Wright said. “It was definitely a huge (series) win for us. We played hard as a team, we were super competitive. They’re a good club. It definitely got a little chippy, but that’s what makes it fun. It means a lot to this university and it means a lot for us (players).”

Because Friday’s scheduled series opener at Founders Park in Columbia was rained out, the two schools will play a makeup game in April.

In the meantime, Clemson will host Kansas State in midweek play Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Ciufo’s walk-off homer lifts Clemson past South Carolina, 5-4

Andrew Ciufo’s walk-off home run in the 12th inning ended an extra-innings thriller, and No. 10 Clemson defeated No. 12 South Carolina, 5-4, Saturday at Segra Park in Columbia.

Andrew Ciufo’s walk-off home run in the 12th inning lifted No. 10 Clemson past No. 12 South Carolina in a thrilling 5-4 victory Saturday at Segra Park in Columbia.

Ciufo’s home run capped off a terrific afternoon for the talented junior, who finished with three hits and made several key defensive plays at shortstop.

His game-winning homer off Garrett Gainey (0-1) came after the Gamecocks had used a three-run ninth inning rally to erase a 4-1 Clemson lead and send the game into extra innings.

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

Clemson used five pitchers in Saturday’s marathon, which lasted over 3 hours, 30 minutes.

Until the ninth, things had been going Clemson’s way. The Tigers drew first blood in the fourth inning when Cam Cannarella (2-for-5) hit a clutch, two-out double over the head of Kennedy Jones in left to give Clemson a 2-0 lead.

South Carolina got on the board a half-inning later when Will Tippett (2-for-5) crushed a solo home run to left off Tigers starter Tristan Smith to cut the lead to 2-1.

In the eighth, Jacob Hinderleider (2-for-4) sent a laser out of the park and onto the concourse area behind left field to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead with three outs to go.

Then, the trouble started.

Ethan Darden, who had tossed three scoreless innings in relief entering the ninth, ran into trouble when he allowed a leadoff double to Tippett.

Lucas Mahlstedt took over from Darden and yielded a run-scoring triple from pinch-hitter Blake Jackson. Alden Mathes seemed to be within reach of the ball but his glove simply never found it. The play was nevertheless ruled a triple.

The damaging blow came two batters later when Ethan Petry sent a game-tying two-run home run out to right field — a stunning turnaround after Clemson pitching had held South Carolina to just six hits entering the inning.

Neither team scored again until Ciufo’s walk-off homer on a 2-0 pitch three innings later.

Smith made his third straight Saturday start and struck out a career-high nine batters in five innings in a no-decision. The left-hander surrendered one run on three hits and a walk.

Ciufo made a fantastic stop in the sixth inning when he robbed Parker Noland of a would-be game-tying hit. He made a diving play in the hole at short, then fired to first to get Clemson out of the jam.

Ciufo made another terrific play for the final out in the seventh after the Tigers had left the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

The series shifts to Doug Kingsmore Stadium Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

Clemson vs. South Carolina baseball postponed due to weather

Clemson’s Friday matchup against South Carolina has been postponed.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Due to inclement weather, the Clemson vs. South Carolina game scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at Founders Park has been postponed. No makeup date has been determined as of yet.

The Tigers’ next scheduled game is Saturday at 4 p.m. against South Carolina at Segra Park in Columbia on ACC Network Extra.

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall Record – Clemson leads 186-145-2 (1899-2023)
• Record at South Carolina – South Carolina leads 86-70-2 (1900-2023)
• Record at Neutral – Tied 13-13 (1899-2023)
• Record at Clemson – Clemson leads 103-46 (1907-2023)

CLEMSON OVERVIEW
• Clemson, which has played all of its games at home, defeated USC Upstate 12-6 on Tuesday behind five homers, its most since 2022.
• The Tigers are averaging 8.6 runs per game and hitting .330 with a .570 slugging percentage, .441 on-base percentage and six steals.
• The pitching staff has a 4.62 ERA, .236 opponents’ batting average and 2.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Clemson is fielding .950.

SOUTH CAROLINA OVERVIEW
• South Carolina, which has played all its games at home and is averaging 9.3 runs per game, is led by seventh-year Head Coach Mark Kingston.
• The Gamecocks defeated Gardner-Webb 7-1 on Tuesday. They are hitting .285 and have a 2.40 ERA and .968 fielding percentage.
• Former Tiger Dylan Brewer is hitting .519, Ethan Petry is batting .357 with three homers and Garrett Gainey has the team’s lone save.

STORIED RIVALRY
• South Carolina is Clemson’s most-common opponent in history, as the two have played 333 times dating to 1899.
• The two have met at least once every year since 1945, with the exception of 1984. Therefore, the two have met each of the last 39 years.
• The season matchups went to a three-game, weekend-series format in 2010 after the two teams played four midweek games for decades.
• South Carolina leads the series 8-6 in regular-season, neutral-site contests since 2010.
• South Carolina leads the series 12-6 at Founders Park (opened in 2009).
• The series is tied 1-1 at Segra Park (the first meeting there was in 2020).
• Clemson leads the series 56-29 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium (opened in 1970).

–Via Clemson Athletic Communications