
Clemson baseball roasted by social media for embarrassing season-ending loss to Kentucky
Clemson baseball roasted by social media for embarrassing season-ending loss to Kentucky
Clemson baseball's 2025 season ended with an ugly 16-4 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats Sunday at the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
From No. 2 in the Coaches Poll and top 25 rankings just six weeks earlier to being one of the first host seeds to be eliminated on its home field in the 64-team tournament in regional play, the Tigers' once-promising season ended in colossal disappointment.
The Tigers, who close the year at 45-18 overall, committed four errors in the first four innings and would finish with seven for the day. The offense never got a big rally going after grabbing a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning against a Kentucky (31-25) team that entered the tournament just five games over .500 for the year and finished 13th out of 16th in the SEC.
RELATED: Live updates from Clemson vs. Kentucky
Jarren Purify totaled four of the Tigers' nine hits in the loss, and Cam Cannarella got a nice ovation from the home crowd in what's expected to be his final at-bat in a Clemson uniform. If so, the junior outfielder ends his college career with a 22-game hitting streak.
But it was the Tigers' pitching staff and defense (lack thereof) that was the big story. Clemson pitching allowed 16 runs on 13 hits, and the Tigers' College World Series drought will now reach 15 years after another disappointing NCAA tournament exit.
Here's how Clemson fans and media reacted to the Tigers' demise on social media.
Clemson star Cam Cannarella gets his flowers
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M needs to pursue Western Kentucky star transfer OF
Texas A&M needs to pursue Western Kentucky star transfer OF Texas A&M's 2025 offseason is critical for second-year head coach Michael Earley, whose job was saved last week after Athletic Director Trev Alberts made his final decision to give the young skipper a second chance, which was both shocking and relieving to the Aggie fan base. On Monday, the transfer portal officially opened. Earley is well aware of the program's needs, knowing that eight players have now entered the portal, which includes pitchers Isaac Morton, Kyrin LeBlanc, Austin Vargas, Houston Thomlinson, and Blayne Lyne. At the same time, catchers Jacob Galloway and Hayden Crites, combined with outfielder Nathan Tobin, rounded out the losses. While Tobin and LeBlanc look like the only significant losses due to their potential, Earley will also lose star infielder Wyatt Henseler, while Jace LaViolette will more than likely declare for the 2025 MLB Draft given his status as No. 15-ranked prospect. However, with third baseman Gavin Grahovac and freshman outfielder Terrence Kiel II guaranteed to return, the 2026 lineup will still lack juice at the plate, meaning landing another star hitter is mandatory if the Aggies hope to be viewed as contenders for the NCAA Tournament next summer. As soon as the portal opened, Western Kentucky star Ryan Wideman entered his name after slashing .398 with 68 RBIs and 10 home runs. While Texas A&M's 30-26 (11-19 SEC) record last season resulted in missing the postseason for the first time since 2006, gaining talented players from the transfer portal has not been an issue in the previous two offseasons. However, Earley still has a lot to prove in terms of offseason recruiting. Landing Wideman would be a great start and likely provide momentum moving forward. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.


Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton took roads less traveled to stardom in the NBA Finals
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton weren't expected to ever be starring in leading roles on the NBA Finals stage. Well, at least not by many. 'It's been a roller coaster,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I had nights where I thought I wasn't good at basketball, had nights where I thought I was the best player in the world before I was. It's been ups and downs. My mentality to try to stay level through it all really helped me. Once I figured that out, I really saw jumps in my game.' Those jumps have made Gilgeous-Alexander the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This, after he was cut from his junior varsity team as a ninth grader. He came off the bench for most of the first two months of his freshman season at Kentucky, wasn't a top-10 draft pick and was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers after his rookie year. Haliburton has traveled a similar road to NBA stardom. Now a favorite son in the state of Indiana, Haliburton didn't get attention from major college programs until his senior year of high school when he led Oshkosh North High School (Wisconsin) to a state title. The slender guard was visited schools such as Ohio and Indiana University-Indianapolis before Iowa State offered a scholarship. He wasn't a one-and-done, wasn't a top-10 pick and got traded from Sacramento during his third year in the league. 'This is a franchise that took a chance on me, saw something that other people didn't see in me,' Haliburton said of the Pacers. 'Sometimes I think they saw more in me than I saw in myself.' Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander aren't the household names that familiar to casual basketball fans are accustomed to seeing in the Finals, like LeBron James or Stephen Curry. But they will be the engines for their squads when their teams meet in Game 1 Thursday night in Oklahoma City — and for good reason. Gilgeous-Alexander is the this year's league MVP and Haliburton is a two-time All-Star and an Olympic gold medalist. Gilgeous-Alexander, the 6-foot-6 OKC guard, averaged a league-best 32.7 points per game in the regular season to claim his first scoring title. He has averaged 29.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per contest in the playoffs. That's a long way from his formative days in Canada, or even four years ago when the Thunder were one of the worst teams in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander just seems to always be focused on the task at hand. He said the ups and downs of the journey flashed through his mind when he was named MVP. 'All the moments I got, like, cut, traded, slighted, overlooked,' he said. 'But also all the joy, all the things that my family has comforted me in, all the life lessons. Everything that's turned me into the man and the human being that I am today.' Haliburton spent two seasons at Iowa State and appeared in exactly one postseason game, a 62-59 first-round loss to Ohio State in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. He entered the NBA draft despite suffering a season-ending fractured left wrist in February 2020. Sacramento made him the 12th overall pick, even with De'Aaron Fox already on the roster. But Haliburton never made the playoffs in 2 1/2 seasons with the Kings and their crowded backcourt led to Haliburton's trade to Indiana for All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis in February 2022. The change of scenery didn't change his postseason misfortune — at least not immediately. The Pacers missed the playoffs in 2022 and again in 2023 as Haliburton sat out the final 2 1/2 weeks, costing him his first NBA assists crown. The breakthrough finally came last season, when Indiana secured the No. 6 seed in the East and eliminated Milwaukee and New York before getting swept by Boston in the conference finals as the injured Haliburton watched the final two games from the bench. This year, the Pacers have dispatched Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York to reach the Finals. But even with his success, Haliburton has had his detractors. The Athletic published an anonymous player poll in April saying he was the league's most overrated player. During the postseason, Haliburton is averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. 'What makes him very good is that he's very confident,' Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams said. 'So to be able to play as well as he's been playing through like a lot of the 'overrated' stuff ... you have to tip your hat to him for that. So he's just an extremely confident individual. And I think that, regardless of who you are, makes you dangerous.' It also makes for an intriguing backcourt matchup after a couple of winding roads to the NBA Finals. ___ AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA: recommended


New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Tennessee's journey hasn't always been smooth, but Vols are feeling Super once again
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Dogpile? Forget it. Liam Doyle's fastball — consistently broaching triple digits — whizzed by Wake Forest's Javar Williams and ignited a party on the field Monday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium as he celebrated his fifth strikeout of the night. Kool & The Gang's 'Celebration' provided a fitting soundtrack for the moments after Tennessee clinched a Super Regional berth with an 11-5 win over Wake Forest in the decisive game of the Knoxville Regional. Advertisement But defending national champions don't dogpile after Regional victories. It's a privilege and a weight — that Tennessee has felt all season long. 'It was a headache going into the year and early parts of the fall. You've got commitments and requests and, even celebrations that maybe kind of interfere with what this group is trying to do,' Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said. But among the team, it was mostly unspoken — albeit explicitly spoken on a few occasions — that Tennessee's 2025 team couldn't be defined by or affected by what its 2024 team had done. Whether or not that's possible is up for debate. Reminders are everywhere. The silver and black plaque hanging behind home plate commemorates the program's sole national title, celebrated with a packed-out parade down Gay Street in Knoxville a year ago. Another orange, black and white insignia is plastered on the wall separating the field from the sold-out crowd of 6,198 at Monday night's victory. Another white logo is plastered on the left field wall. Pick a fan in the stands or on the concourse and there's a good chance they're wearing a shirt celebrating the program's finest moment, too. On April 5, the Vols looked determined to do it again. They were the nation's No. 1 team, 28-2 and eyeing another SEC title. 'We came out of the gate strong, probably you could argue a little bit too strong. I think some people outside of this room thought you can play this game and be invincible and roll up on people,' Vitello said. Instead, they finished the season 13-13 and lost six of their final seven series. Rival Vanderbilt eliminated them from the SEC Tournament with a run-rule victory. They needed a late win over NCAA Tournament No. 2 seed Texas in Hoover just to ensure the privilege of playing at home for the Regional. The celebration on the field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium after Monday's win looked anything but certain as the Vols' race for a repeat went off the rails in the second half of the season. Advertisement They ranked 155th nationally in fielding percentage and committed more errors than any team in the SEC. Only four power conference teams had more than the Vols, who advanced to play an Arkansas team that committed the fewest (32) in the SEC. 'These kids have made a bunch of mistakes all year long. Our fans should appreciate consistency and not expect dominance in any sport. I know it's an SEC school, so that's going to fall on deaf ears,' Vitello said. 'They make mistakes, but they work their butts off and there's a lot of passion.' It was evident throughout the game that they've established Vitello's standard of consistency in the absence of dominance. ANDREW FISCHER YOU ARE A TENNESSEE LEGEND — Kerry Williams (@kerrywilliams_) June 2, 2025 First baseman Andrew Fischer beat his chest rounding first base and galloped around third in front of Wake Forest's dugout after hitting a two-run home run that capped a seven-run third inning and put the Vols up 8-2. He tossed his helmet in the air as he bounded back into the dugout. Doyle, coming out of the bullpen for just the second time this season, rallied from a 2-0 hole for a strikeout to end the seventh inning and a scoring threat with the Vols nursing a shrinking 8-5 lead. He threw his head back to the sky and screamed. Tennessee has hosted a Regional four times in five years. Now, it has reached the Supers in five consecutive seasons with three College World Series berths and a national title. The lack of a dogpile and raucous celebration makes it clear Monday's win didn't mean everything, but it still meant a lot. Especially for players like Fischer and Doyle. Doyle might be the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft later this summer. Last month, he showed up at No. 2 in prospect rankings from The Athletic's Keith Law. Advertisement But after closing out the game, Doyle secured the game ball and kept it in his pocket. He plans to give it to his mom. Most of the rest of the roster has been here before. Tennessee's biggest star hasn't. Last year's national title served as a siren song for big-time talents in the transfer portal, helping the Vols secure a package deal from conference rival Ole Miss in Fischer and Doyle. 'Me and Andrew took — I wouldn't say a risk — but a smart decision entering the transfer portal and coming to a spot where we knew we wanted to win. That's all it was about,' Doyle said. 'We wanted to come to a spot that has won in the past. They've done great here. I wanted the ball.' Doyle got it on Friday, dominating Miami (Ohio) with 104 pitches, allowing just four hits and one run with 11 strikeouts. 'We knew what we were walking into facing Mr. Doyle,' said Miami coach Brian Smiley We 🫶 Rocky Top — Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 3, 2025 Monday, Doyle halted Wake Forest's rally, turning off the offensive faucet and giving up no hits in 2 1/3 innings of work. When it was done, he flashed a heart with his hands above his head as the crowd celebrated. A few moments later, Vitello sprinted down the first-base line after a TV interview and found Doyle in the mass of humanity in right field, jumping on him and raining fake punches into his back to revel. 'That was fun and foolish. I'm sure someone won't like it on Twitter or whatever,' Vitello said. 'Kids should enjoy it. You hit a homer 450 feet, it's a new day and age. Maybe you look at it for a second. I had fun doing it. I love him.' Somehow, in barely over a month, the juggernaut reigning national champs with as much talent as any team in the country became something of an underdog story, now forced to go on the road to a conference rival in the Super Regional coached by one of Vitello's mentors, Dave Van Horn. The one-time best team in America finished tied for seventh in the SEC, a league that did little to validate its reputation on Regional weekend, with top-16 seeds Vanderbilt, Texas, Ole Miss and Georgia all being eliminated while the Vols play on. Whether or not Tennessee and its fans have to settle for consistency in pursuit of dominance, one thing is clear. The Vols are in the midst of one of the proudest stretches in program history. No one knows how long that might last. Ask South Carolina: It can change quickly. One of the sport's rising stars and compelling personalities looks uninterested in trading in his Power T hat for any other logo. Its expanding, under-construction stadium — The House That Vitello Built — is full. Advertisement 'Despite the struggles at certain times and other things, it's a group you want to be around,' said Vitello. Added Fischer: 'Not ready to go home yet.' These are the glory years. Tennessee is still fighting like crazy, trying not to waste one. (Photo of Reese Chapman and Levi Clark: Saul Young / USA Network via Imagn Images)