Although the academic semester is winding down, one thing has continued to pick up: Clemson athletics. Some players will even stay on campus to finish their seasons that extend through the summer.
One of these teams that hopes to continue their play is Clemson baseball.
With 14 games left in the regular season, head coach Erik Bakich and his squad are looking to gain momentum into the postseason, set to begin in a few weeks.
There are dozens of dates for different games and tournaments to remember, so below are all of the important summer dates to remember for the rest of the baseball season:
Saturday, May 18: May 18 marks the final game of the regular season for Clemson baseball, assuming no changes in the schedule due to rain delays or other unforeseen circumstances. The team’s final series will be against conference opponent Boston College, which is crucial with the potential seeding for the ACC Tournament or the College World Series looming.
Tuesday, May 21 – Sunday, May 26: The Tigers will travel to Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina, to play in the ACC Tournament as they look to defend their title after winning the conference last year for the first time since 2016. Similar to the 2023 tournament layout, each team will be placed into one of four groups of three other schools, where each team will play each other, and the winner of the group will reach a single-game semifinal.
After defeating the University of Miami in the final last season, Clemson hopes to be the first school to achieve a two-peat since the 2017 and 2018 seasons when the Florida State Seminoles were repeat ACC champions.
As of April 22, the Tigers have the No. 1 seed, thanks to the best record in the ACC at 13-5. If the team continues their recent successes on the diamond, you can expect the Tigers to finish in the top spot in the conference.
Friday, May 31 – Monday, June 3: These dates mark the beginning of the regionals portion of the NCAA Tournament, where 16 cohorts of four teams each will compete in a double-elimination bracket.
This regional portion is where Clemson fell short last season, losing to the University of Tennessee in 14 innings and a close loss to UNC Charlotte the next day at home. The Tigers are eager to advance to the next stage of the College World Series for the first time since 2010.
Friday, June 7 – Monday, June 10: These dates mark the super regionals, where two teams that have won their respective regional will play a best-of-three game series to advance to the Men’s College World Series. All three games will be played at the school with the higher seed.
Friday, June 14 – Monday, June 24: The final eight teams will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, where they split into two cohorts of four teams for a double-elimination playoff. If the Tigers find themselves victorious after the double-elimination round, they will reach the final and play the opposing team in a three-game series to determine the NCAA champion.
While the Tigers have never had a chance to play for championship gold, Bakich hopes that this title drought will change after this year. With plenty of games left to play and a hunger for hardware, Clemson looks to pick up momentum to make a deep run in June.
