Sports
Tigers hope to dominate their home super regional against Florida …
by Erin Parrott2
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For the first time since 2010, the Clemson Tigers baseball team will be hosting an NCAA super regional tournament this weekend against the unranked Florida Gators.
As South Carolina’s only baseball team to advance to the super regional round, Clemson (44-14) is the clear favorite over the Gators (32-28) following an impressive 3-0 run at the regional the Tigers’ hosted.
Last year, Clemson lost in the regional round – for the tenth consecutive time. Prior to that, the Tigers reached the super regional round nine times in eleven seasons under former head coach Jack Leggett – including four trips to the College World Series (CWS).
The Tigers downed the High Point University Panthers 4-3 in Friday’s regional at Clemson – which they followed with a 4-3 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday and another 12-5 victory over the Chanticleers on Sunday.
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Star players like Blake Wright and Jimmy Obertop led Clemson to a No. 2 national ranking at one point during the season. Although the Tigers’ ranking hasn’t been consistent, they have remained among the nation’s Top 25 teams since the first pitch of the season back in February.
Wright continues to lead the team with 21 home runs and 72 runs batted in, with Obertop not far behind him hitting 20 home runs and 55 runs batted in. Wright is also hitting at a .333 clip – third-best on the team – while Obertop is batting .300 for the season.
“You know this is what we work for all year and, you know, really happy this program is back to where it belongs, but obviously we have more work to do, but this is pretty special,” Wright said.
This season has been special for the Tigers, but they face a challenge going into this weekend’s game against the Gators.
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Since their first meeting in 1928, Florida holds an all-time 18-12 advantage over Clemson, with their last matchup being nearly 40 years ago (a 4-2 Gator victory in 1983). Florida also chased No. 16 Oklahoma State from its home regional in Stillwater on Monday – earning its spot in the super regional with a 4-2 elimination game victory over the Cowboys.
Luckily for the Tigers, head coach Erik Bakich doesn’t seem too concerned.
“We’re clicking on all cylinders right now and have a ton of confidence, playing good defense and pitching well and timely hits, and that’s exactly what you want going into the post-season,” Bakich said in the Clemson Regional postgame press conference.
Saturday’s first pitch will be at 2:00 p.m. EDT this Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. The game will be televised on ESPN. Here is the full regional schedule for this weekend …
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JUNE 7, 2024 (All times EDT)
Note: Game times and ESPN Network subject to change
- Evansville (38-24) at No. 1 Tennessee (53-11)
- 3 p.m. (ESPN2), 11 a.m. (ESPN2), 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
- UConn (35-24) at No. 8 Florida St. (45-15)
- noon (ESPN), 11 a.m. (ESPN), noon (ESPN2)
- Kansas St. (35-24) at No. 12 Virginia (44-15)
- 7 p.m. (ESPNU), 3 p.m. (ESPNU), 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
- West Virginia (36-22) at No. 4 North Carolina (45-14)
- 6 p.m. (ESPN2), 8 p.m. (ESPN2), 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
The following four super regionals will be played Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, with Monday, June 10 for if necessary or weather-delayed games.
JUNE 8, 2024 (All times EDT)
Note: Game times and ESPN Network subject to change
- No. 15 Oregon St. (45-14) at No. 2 Kentucky (43-14)
- 6 p.m. (ESPNU), 9 p.m. (ESPNU), TBD (TBD)
- No. 10 NC State (36-20) at No. 7 Georgia (42-15)
- noon (ESPNU), 12 noon (ESPNU), TBD (TBD)
- Florida (32-28) at No. 6 Clemson (44-14)
- 2 p.m. (ESPN), 2:30p.m. (ESPN), TBD (TBD)
- Oregon (40-18) at No. 3 Texas A&M (47-13)
- 2 p.m. (ESPN2), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2), TBD (TBD)
BANNER: Travis Bell Columbia SC Photographers
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a rising senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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