If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
That’s the approach Clemson coach Erik Bakich is taking in regard to starting pitchers for this weekend’s NCAA Baseball Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
To that end, Bakich announced Friday that the Tigers (43-13 overall) will use the same rotation for the best-of-three series against the Florida Gators (32-28) as they used in last weekend’s Clemson Regional. The Tigers went 3-0 against High Point and Coastal Carolina to advance to the program’s first Super Regional since 2010.
Left-hander Tristan Smith will start Saturday’s opener with freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak starting Sunday’s Game 2. A Game 3 starter, if necessary, could be left-hander Ethan Darden who started Sunday’s regional-clinching victory.
“Our guys are feeling good. They’re fired up. Everyone is confident who has made it to this level. Everyone is coming off a regional championship, so how can you not be confident? We feel especially confident just because our guys have been consistent,” Bakich said.
Bakich met with reporters Friday ahead of the start of this weekend’s Clemson vs. Florida series. Here’s a video of everything the coach said.
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