How Clemson baseball’s recent slide could impact NCAA tournament seeding
Clemson’s going to make the NCAA baseball tournament. No worries there.
But a recent slide could put the Tigers and coach Erik Bakich on the chopping block when it comes to regional and/or super regional hosting privileges next month.
In the NCAA baseball tournament, the top 16 seeds host regionals at their home ballparks. The top eight seeds (known as “national seeds”) automatically earn the right to host a super regional the following weekend, if they were to advance.
Naturally, trying to win two out of three at home to advance to Omaha, as opposed to on the road, is a massive advantage and one Clemson had been in position for.
As is playing the opening weekend of NCAA games at your own ballpark.
But Clemson (37-13, 14-10 ACC) has now lost seven of its past nine games and dropped back-to-back three-game conference series. The Tigers were swept at N.C. State on April 24-26 in Raleigh. They lost two out of three games at Florida State from May 2-4 in Tallahassee. On Tuesday night, they lost 5-3 at Coastal Carolina.
Those slip-ups have cost Clemson in the ACC standings (the Tigers are now tied for sixth among 18 teams), the national rankings and NCAA regional projections.
Clemson fell six spots from No. 3 to No. 9 in D1Baseball’s updated top 25 rankings released Monday. Baseball America was even tougher on the Tigers. They dropped from No. 6 to No. 12 in that website’s updated rankings.
Clemson also fell out of the “national seed” category in two websites’ NCAA regional projections, which posted ahead of the Tigers’ loss at Coastal Carolina. D1Baseball had Clemson as the No. 9 seed, and Baseball America projected it as the No. 10 seed.
USA TODAY Sports kept the Tigers just inside that field, at No. 8.
Clemson baseball’s recent slide
This comes two weeks after Clemson ranked as high as No. 2 nationally and didn’t have a single weekend series loss on its résumé. The Tigers were 36-7 and 13-5 in ACC play after shutting out a strong Georgia team at home April 22.
Again, Clemson’s in no danger of missing the tournament. And it’s not like the Tigers have been losing to listless teams. N.C. State ranked as D1Baseball’s No. 25 team heading into the Clemson series and is currently No. 16.
Florida State was No. 5 before this past weekend’s series. The Seminoles now rank No. 2 after taking two of three from Clemson and have an argument for No. 1.
And that series wasn’t a blowout: FSU won 6-5 in extra innings Friday on a controversial call at home plate. Clemson took Game 2, 6-3, and roared back from a 10-0 deficit Sunday to make Game 3 interesting before getting run-ruled, 20-9.
Clemson’s most recent loss came at No. 14 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday as the Chanticleers (who could be in position to host a regional, too) broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning and won 5-3 in front of a sold-out crowd in Conway.
“They flat-out outplayed us,” Bakich said postgame. “Outhit us, outpitched us, outcoached us, did all the things.”
What’s left for Clemson baseball?
Seven losses in nine games have dropped Clemson out of the top eight national seeds and into a position where even hosting a regional could be in question.
Baseball America’s newest projection (before the CCU game) had Clemson as the No. 9 seed hosting Ole Miss, Xavier and Fairfield. The Tigers are paired with the winner of the Chapel Hill Regional, hosted by No. 8 UNC, a fellow ACC member.
D1Baseball’s new projection has No. 10 Clemson hosting Alabama, Cincinnati and Wright State and paired with No. 7 UNC. USA TODAY Sports has No. 8 Clemson as the final national seed, hosting Florida, UConn and Rhode Island.
Clemson has been a national seed in each of Bakich’s first two seasons, though the Tigers only advanced to a super regional one of those years (2024) and have not qualified for the College World Series since 2010.
It’s worth noting each of Bakich’s first two Clemson teams ultimately emerged as a national seed (No. 4 in 2023, No. 6 in 2024) after similar midseason slides.
This late in the season, though, it’s probably more realistic to look at what the Tigers must do to hold onto an NCAA regional seed (top 16) versus national seed (top 8).
Even with a 3-7 record in its last 10 games, Clemson remains top 10 nationally in RPI (No. 9) and non-conference RPI (No. 4) and has the No. 16 strength of schedule.
Ahead of the ACC Tournament, Clemson also has a home series vs. Duke (32-15, 14-10 ACC) and road series at Pitt (24-21, 9-15 ACC). The Blue Devils are tied with the Tigers for sixth in the ACC and considered an NCAA regional 3 seed, per projections.
Clemson baseball remaining 2025 schedule
- May 9-11: vs. Duke
- May 15-17: at Pitt
- May 20-25: ACC baseball tournament in Durham, NC
- May 26: NCAA baseball tournament selection show
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 1:16 PM.
