Disappointing Clemson baseball season ends early. Tigers fall in ACC Tournament
A forgettable Clemson baseball season ended Tuesday.
The Tigers, seeded No. 15 out of 16 teams in this week’s ACC baseball tournament in Charlotte, lost their opening game 5-4 to No. 10 Notre Dame at Truist Field.
Clemson finishes the 2026 season at 31-26 (.543) and 10-20 in regular-season conference play (.333). It’s the worst overall record and conference record the Tigers have had under fourth-year coach Erik Bakich and their first time missing the NCAA Tournament since 2022 under former coach Monte Lee.
After generating some late-season buzz with a series win over a ranked Boston College and upset of Coastal Carolina, Clemson missed its chance as an NCAA Tournament at-large team by losing five of its last seven games.
The Tigers entered this week likely needing to win five elimination games across six days in Charlotte to clinch the league tournament championship and its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Bakich said on the radio Tuesday that his program believed they’d have a slight chance at making the NCAAs if they reached Sunday’s title game, but “in all actuality” Clemson needed to win the entire event to make it in.
The Tigers finished the season going 16-25 (.390) over their final 41 games after a 15-1 start that included a series win over rival South Carolina.
Clemson only won two of its 10 three-game ACC series and finished tied with Duke for the league’s worst record in conference play at 10-20.
Missing the postseason (and posting one of the team’s worst ACC records by winning percentage in its history) could prompt Bakich to make tangible changes to his staff, his roster and/or his program at large to get Clemson back on track.
The NCAA’s transfer portal window for baseball opens on June 1 and remains open through June 30. Players must enter the portal during that monthlong window, but once they’re in the portal they can commit to a school at any point.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
