Clemson falls in latest polls after tough losses to ACC rival Florida State
Clemson falls in latest polls after tough losses to ACC rival Florida State
For the second straight weekend, Clemson baseball couldn't finish off an ACC series win—and it's starting to show in the rankings.
After falling in two of three games at No. 5 Florida State, the Tigers dropped six spots to No. 9 in the D1Baseball Top 25. They also slipped to No. 12 in Baseball America's rankings and No. 10 in Perfect Game's latest update.
The Tigers looked poised to take the opener in Tallahassee, holding a 4-2 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. But the Seminoles rallied twice—once to force extras and again in the tenth to tie—before walking it off in the 11th. Clemson bounced back with a 6-3 win in game two behind late offense and strong bullpen work from Chance Fitzgerald and Reed Garris. But Sunday's finale quickly got away from them as FSU exploded for 20 runs on 21 hits in an eight-inning mercy-rule win.
Baseball America called Friday's loss 'particularly hard to swallow,' noting how close Clemson came to stealing the opener. The Tigers briefly cut into a 10-0 hole on Sunday, but couldn't keep pace with one of the nation's hottest lineups.
Florida State's performance vaulted them five spots to No. 2 in the D1Baseball rankings. Meanwhile, Clemson has now lost back-to-back ACC series for the first time under Erik Bakich and just the second time since he took over in 2023. Last weekend, the Tigers were swept by NC State in Raleigh. The Wolfpack also fell in the rankings, down three spots to No. 16 after a midweek loss to UNC-Wilmington and two weekend losses at Miami. Their series finale was washed out.
The road doesn't get any easier for Clemson. They'll face another top-10 opponent Tuesday when they travel to Coastal Carolina, currently ranked as high as No. 8 (6 p.m., ESPN+).
Statistically, Clemson's offensive production has cooled. They rank 12th in the ACC in slugging percentage (.445) and 14th in batting average (.273), while sitting eighth in total runs (341). On the pitching side, the Tigers are ninth in ERA (5.02), sixth in opponent batting average (.245), and third in total strikeouts (448).
Individually, Dominic Listi is still second in the league in on-base percentage at .511. Josh Paino (2nd, 63 strikeouts) and Jacob Jarrell (9th, 48) both rank among the top 10 in punchouts. On the mound, Aidan Knaak is second in the conference with 80 strikeouts, while closer Lucas Mahlstedt leads the ACC with 15 saves. B.J. Bailey also ranks in the top 10 for fewest runs (7th), earned runs (9th), and walks allowed (10th).
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