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CLEMSON — Clemson baseball is free falling.
The Tigers are unranked in the coaches poll for the second straight week after losing to No. 18 Costal Carolina in a midweek game and dropping its third straight ACC series after losing 2-1 to Miami.
Clemson (19-10, 2-7 ACC) has lost nine of its last 13 games.
"This losing crap is gonna stop," Clemson coach Erik Bakich said March 28.
Here's what is plaguing the Tigers before Clemson faces Wake Forest (20-8) in a game that won't count in the ACC standings April 1 (6:30 p.m. ET) at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Their next ACC series is at Stanford April 3-5.
Clemson's pitching has been the team's strength and is second in the ACC in ERA at 3.57, but ace pitcher Aidan Knaak has struggled.
Knaak (0-3), who is ranked No. 71 in MLB.com's top prospect rankings, has a 4.72 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 26⅔ innings. It is a career-worst ERA for the junior right-hander. His worst performance came against Georgia Tech, allowing six runs in Game 1.
Bakich is capping starters' innings to keep them fresh for the postseason. Knaak has not thrown into the sixth inning and even missed a start against La Salle on March 6 to keep his innings low. His average per start is 4⅓ innings, which is more than an inning less than his first two seasons.
Knaak's batting-average allowed is .238, the highest of his career, and his walk percentage is 10.1%, also his highest.
MORE: Why Clemson baseball vs Wake Forest game won't count in ACC standings
Clemson has committed 39 errors, third-most in the ACC. All of the Tigers' qualified fielders have committed an error except for Jack Crighton, who has played at first base and in the outfield.
Clemson has had an error in eight straight games.
Some of the Tigers' errors have come at crucial times, including against Miami in the 10th inning of Game 1. The Hurricanes scored three runs after Daniel Cuvet hit a two-out bases-loaded chopper along the left-field line that went past third baseman Tryston McCladdie, who was charged with an error.
Another happened against Coastal Carolina when second baseman Jay Dillard committed a fielding error in the eighth inning that scored the go-ahead run for the Chanticleers.
Clemson is 14th in the ACC with 191 runs, and the Tigers are struggling with runners in scoring position.
In Game 1 against Miami, Clemson had a runner on third base in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings and failed to bring the player home each time.
The Tigers were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in their two losses to Georgia Tech; in Clemson's win, the team was 7-of-17.
In the Notre Dame series, Clemson was 4-of-26 with runners in scoring position. Against Miami, the Tigers were 7-of-26.
Clemson was in a similar position in Bakich's first season in 2023 when the Tigers started 16-13 and were also 2-7 in the ACC with three straight series losses.
Clemson finished 44-19 and hosted a regional in the NCAA Tournament, but that team had current pro players, including Caden Grice, Cooper Ingle and Cam Cannarella.
Clemson has not shown that caliber of talent in 2026.
The Tigers still have to face No. 6 North Carolina (home), No. 14 Virginia (road), No. 25 Boston College (home) and No. 7 Florida State (home). Clemson lost 2-1 to No. 3 Georgia Tech in a three-game series and stumbled against unranked Notre Dame and Miami.
If Clemson doesn't have a 15-15 record or higher in ACC play, the Tigers could miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
Clemson has never made the NCAA Tournament with a losing record in ACC play.
Since 2021, only two ACC teams have made the tourney with a losing conference record: Duke (16-17) in 2021 and NC State (13-16) in 2023. Both came before the ACC expanded to 16 teams in baseball.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball already in danger of missing NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
The Tigers are unranked in the coaches poll for the second straight week after losing to No. 18 Costal Carolina in a midweek game and dropping its third straight ACC series after losing 2-1 to Miami.
Clemson (19-10, 2-7 ACC) has lost nine of its last 13 games.
"This losing crap is gonna stop," Clemson coach Erik Bakich said March 28.
Here's what is plaguing the Tigers before Clemson faces Wake Forest (20-8) in a game that won't count in the ACC standings April 1 (6:30 p.m. ET) at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Their next ACC series is at Stanford April 3-5.
Clemson ace Aidan Knaak is 0-3 and having his worst season
Clemson's pitching has been the team's strength and is second in the ACC in ERA at 3.57, but ace pitcher Aidan Knaak has struggled.
Knaak (0-3), who is ranked No. 71 in MLB.com's top prospect rankings, has a 4.72 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 26⅔ innings. It is a career-worst ERA for the junior right-hander. His worst performance came against Georgia Tech, allowing six runs in Game 1.
Bakich is capping starters' innings to keep them fresh for the postseason. Knaak has not thrown into the sixth inning and even missed a start against La Salle on March 6 to keep his innings low. His average per start is 4⅓ innings, which is more than an inning less than his first two seasons.
Knaak's batting-average allowed is .238, the highest of his career, and his walk percentage is 10.1%, also his highest.
MORE: Why Clemson baseball vs Wake Forest game won't count in ACC standings
Clemson ranks among the top ACC teams in errors
Clemson has committed 39 errors, third-most in the ACC. All of the Tigers' qualified fielders have committed an error except for Jack Crighton, who has played at first base and in the outfield.
Clemson has had an error in eight straight games.
Some of the Tigers' errors have come at crucial times, including against Miami in the 10th inning of Game 1. The Hurricanes scored three runs after Daniel Cuvet hit a two-out bases-loaded chopper along the left-field line that went past third baseman Tryston McCladdie, who was charged with an error.
Another happened against Coastal Carolina when second baseman Jay Dillard committed a fielding error in the eighth inning that scored the go-ahead run for the Chanticleers.
Clemson baseball has struggled to score
Clemson is 14th in the ACC with 191 runs, and the Tigers are struggling with runners in scoring position.
In Game 1 against Miami, Clemson had a runner on third base in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings and failed to bring the player home each time.
The Tigers were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in their two losses to Georgia Tech; in Clemson's win, the team was 7-of-17.
In the Notre Dame series, Clemson was 4-of-26 with runners in scoring position. Against Miami, the Tigers were 7-of-26.
Is it too late for Clemson baseball to turn season around?
Clemson was in a similar position in Bakich's first season in 2023 when the Tigers started 16-13 and were also 2-7 in the ACC with three straight series losses.
Clemson finished 44-19 and hosted a regional in the NCAA Tournament, but that team had current pro players, including Caden Grice, Cooper Ingle and Cam Cannarella.
Clemson has not shown that caliber of talent in 2026.
The Tigers still have to face No. 6 North Carolina (home), No. 14 Virginia (road), No. 25 Boston College (home) and No. 7 Florida State (home). Clemson lost 2-1 to No. 3 Georgia Tech in a three-game series and stumbled against unranked Notre Dame and Miami.
If Clemson doesn't have a 15-15 record or higher in ACC play, the Tigers could miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
Clemson has never made the NCAA Tournament with a losing record in ACC play.
Since 2021, only two ACC teams have made the tourney with a losing conference record: Duke (16-17) in 2021 and NC State (13-16) in 2023. Both came before the ACC expanded to 16 teams in baseball.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball already in danger of missing NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
