Clemson's Monte Lee meeting expectations in Year 1

When asked in the preseason what the expectations should be for Monte Lee in his first season as Clemson’s baseball coach, I repeatedly said the same thing: Just make the ACC Tournament.

Mission accomplished.

Getting into the league’s round-robin pool-play event, and without having to participate in the play-in game, spells success.

The Tigers have 38 wins. They went 24-7 at home and have a top-15 RPI (which the NCAA committee uses in determining its field of 64). They went 22-4 against non-conference opponents and finished with a winning ACC record for the eighth consecutive season.

Simply going 13-1 in mid-week games should make a lot of angry fans from last year happier.

Lee desperately wants to host an NCAA regional, something the program hasn’t done since 2011. It would give Lee tangible evidence that the Tigers are on an improving path, and it would excite a rabid fan base that’s posted solid attendance numbers at Doug Kingsmore Stadium all season.

However, it’s not going to be easy to obtain. Clemson needs a successful week in the ACC Tournament. This isn’t a team, though, built to win four consecutive games. Anything less leaves Clemson on the bubble.

Pitching and defense are a huge reason why this team doesn’t look capable of such a run this week, something they’ve never done in the pool-play format.

Going 2-1, which probably wouldn’t put the sixth-seeded Clemson in the championship game, would give Lee’s team the coveted 40 wins. That might not be good enough to host a regional in a conference that’s already set to get as many as five hosting spots.

It won’t be easy, either. The Tigers have a tough draw, beginning on Thursday with third-seeded Virginia, a team they haven’t faced this year. Clemson then has to handle Louisville, the hottest team in the tournament and one that swept Lee’s squad this year. The Tigers end Saturday with either Duke or Wake Forest.

But you don’t have to look at the field of 64 when it’s announced Memorial Day to judge this year’s team. The play on the field, the mentality in the dugout and the hope of Lee to get this program back to Omaha has been evident all season.

Yes, Clemson has shortcomings. But Lee will correct Clemson’s issues through recruiting.

It might not be next year or the next, but eventually, hosting regionals could become the norm in Clemson again.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 11:41 PM.