CLEMSON —Clemson baseballenters the ACC tournament as the No. 2 seed after sweeping Boston College this past weekend to win the Atlantic Division.
The No. 5 Tigers (40-13, 20-10 ACC) join No. 7 seed Louisville (32-22, 16-14) and No. 11 seed Miami (24-29, 11-19) in Pool B, and the winner will face the winner of Pool C (No. 3 seed NC State, No. 6 seed Duke, No. 10 Virginia Tech) Saturday in the semifinals. Clemson won eight of 10 conference series this season and is projected to host an NCAA tournament regional for the second straight year.
The Tigers were a No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament last year, beating Virginia Tech, Boston College, North Carolina and Miami to win its first conference tournament since 2016.
Here's three things to know about Clemson baseball ahead of the ACC tournament:
Clemson baseball earns favorable pool opponents in ACC tournament
The Tigers won two of three against Louisville and Miami on the road this season. They outscored the Cardinals 35-25 in their series and outpaced the Hurricanes 12-5.
Louisville enters the tournament on a three-game win streak after sweeping Notre Dame and is on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament. Still, it won only four of 10 conference series and has one of the worst pitching staffs in the conference. The Cardinals have the worst ERA in conference play with a 7.72 and allow the second most home runs (59) and second highest batting average (.303).
Miami won three of 10 ACC series this year and ended the regular season losing two to three to Pittsburgh. Despite its conference record, it has been in games throughout the season but has failed to win them. Its pitching and hitting ranks in the bottom half of the ACC in conference play.
How Clemson baseball can win second straight ACC tournament
The Tigers have 22 comeback victories this season, powered by their potent offense. Five qualified Tigers hitters have a batting average higher than .300, including Blake Wright, Jimmy Obertop and Jacob Hinderleider — who all hit double-digit home runs this season.
"We want to be ahead in the game, but if we're down, we know we're gonna come back and win the game," said Cam Cannarella, who is among the five qualified .300 hitters.
Despite dealing with various injuries throughout the season, Clemson's lineup is filled with capable and reliable hitters who have gotten clutch hits that change the game. In conference play, the offense ranks fourth in batting average (.292) and is tied for fourth in home runs (53).
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How Clemson baseball can fall in ACC tournament
Clemson has the second-highest ERA in ACC play with a 5.00, and its pitching has struggled down the stretch. Freshman starter Aidan Knaak has flourished, but there are concerns regarding Tristan Smith and Ethan Darden.
Smith is still finding his groove since returning from an ankle injury on April 19, recording a 6.61 ERA across 16⅓ innings in his past five games. Darden is coming off his shortest start since April 20 after allowing four hits, including two home runs, and six runs (two earned) against Boston College on Friday. He has given up a home run in his past three starts.
Then, there's Clemson's bullpen, which has squandered games throughout the season, including games against Miami and Louisville. The Tigers led 2-1 entering the bottom of the ninth vs. the Hurricanes on March 28, but Rob Hughes gave up a walk that led to a walk-off two-run home run. Then against the Cardinals, Clemson led 5-2 entering the seventh on April 27, but Nick Clayton and Reed Garris allowed five runs over 2⅓ innings that caused the Tigers to lose.
"(We) still have another level that we can even play at, especially on the pitching and defensive side of things," Clemson coach Erik Bakich said.
2024 ACC tournament schedule
Tuesday
Pool B - No. 11 seed Miami vs. No. 7 seed Louisville, 11 a.m. ET (ACC Network)
Pool D - No. 9 seed Georgia Tech vs. No. 5 seed Florida State, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
Pool C - No. 10 seed Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 seed Duke, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Wednesday
Pool D - No. 4 seed Virginia vs. No. 9 seed Georgia Tech, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
Pool A - No. 12 seed Pittsburgh vs. No. 8 seed Wake Forest, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
Pool C - No. 3 seed NC State vs. No. 10 seed Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Thursday
Pool B - No. 2 seed Clemson vs. No. 11 seed Miami, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
Pool A - No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 12 seed Pittsburgh, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
Pool C - No. 6 seed Duke vs. No. 3 seed NC State, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Friday
Pool D - No. 5 seed Florida State vs. No. 4 seed Virginia, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
Pool B - No. 7 seed Louisville vs. No. 2 seed Clemson, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
Pool A - No. 8 seed Wake Forest vs. No. 1 seed North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Saturday
Pool A Winner vs. Pool D Winner, 1 p.m. (ACC Network)
Pool B Winner vs. Pool C Winner, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)
Sunday
ACC Championship Game, Noon (ESPN2)
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him atdcarter@gannett.comand follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
