Clemson takes down No. 3 Florida State, wins program's first-ever ACC Championship
Clemson delivered its most thrilling win of the season on Saturday, knocking off No. 3 Florida State, 2-1, to capture the program's first-ever ACC Tournament Championship.
It was a breakthrough moment not only for the Tigers as a team, but also for the trajectory of the young program, which had never defeated the Seminoles in any of their seven previous meetings. This time, on the conference's biggest stage at Harrington Village in Brighton, Massachusetts, Clemson made history.
The 10th-ranked Tigers once again leaned on their resilience, rallying from behind for the third time in as many games during the ACC Tournament. Trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning with one out and a runner on base, Kylee Johnson stepped to the plate and delivered the decisive blow. Down in the count 1-2, Johnson got a pitch from FSU reliever Jazzy Francik and crushed it over the wall in straightaway centerfield. The two-run home run not only gave Clemson the lead, but also completely silenced a Florida State team that had controlled the matchup throughout much of the afternoon.\
Clemson's pitching and defense did the rest. The Tigers shut down the Seminoles the rest of the way, locking up the championship and handing Florida State just its sixth loss of the season. For Clemson, the victory was more than just a trophy—it was a statement. It erased the sting of a loss in the 2022 ACC title game, it broke through the 0-7 all-time barrier against FSU, and it firmly established the Tigers as a legitimate threat heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson now returns home with momentum and hardware, awaiting word on its postseason destination. The Tigers are projected to receive a regional, though that is not guaranteed. They entered Saturday's title game ranked No. 11 in the RPI and will find out their NCAA Tournament path during the selection show, scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
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