2023 Clemson Tigers baseball team

2023 Clemson Tigers baseball
2023 Clemson Tigers baseball
ACC Tournament champions
Clemson Regional, 1–2
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 18
CB	No. 17
Record	44–19 (20–10 ACC)
Head coach	Erik Bakich (1st season);
Assistant coaches	Nick Schnabel (1st season); Jimmy Belanger (1st season);
Home stadium	Doug Kingsmore Stadium
	Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Atlantic
No. 3 Wake Forest ^x‍‍‍^y	22	–	7	.759	54	–	12	.818
No. 18 Clemson ‍‍‡‍^y	20	–	10	.667	44	–	19	.698
Boston College ‍‍‍^y	16	–	14	.533	37	–	20	.649
Notre Dame ‍‍‍	15	–	15	.500	30	–	24	.556
NC State ‍‍‍^y	13	–	16	.448	36	–	21	.632
Louisville ‍‍‍	10	–	20	.333	31	–	24	.564
Florida State ‍‍‍	9	–	21	.300	23	–	31	.426
Coastal
No. 6 Virginia ^x‍‍‍^y	19	–	11	.633	50	–	13	.794
No. 20 Miami (FL) ‍‍‍^y	18	–	12	.600	42	–	21	.667
No. 15 Duke ‍‍‍^y	16	–	13	.552	39	–	23	.629
North Carolina ‍‍‍^y	14	–	14	.500	36	–	24	.600
Virginia Tech ‍‍‍	12	–	17	.414	30	–	23	.566
Georgia Tech ‍‍‍	12	–	18	.400	30	–	27	.526
Pittsburgh ‍‍‍	10	–	18	.357	24	–	31	.436

x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 25, 2023^[1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2023 Clemson Tigers baseball team were the varsity intercollegiate baseball team that represented Clemson University during the 2023 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Tigers competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and were led by first-year head coach Erik Bakich. Clemson played its home games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

The Tigers started the season sluggishly going 4–4 in February and losing their first three ACC Series. They were 17–14 overall and 2–8 in the ACC as of April 6, after the first game of their series against Florida State. The Tigers won their next two games in the series and their season turned around. The Tigers only lost three more games during the regular season, and finished 39–17 overall and 20–10 in ACC play to finish in second place in the Atlantic Division. They went into the ACC tournament on a twelve game winning streak and were the third seed. The Tigers were placed in a pool with sixth seed Boston College and tenth seed Virginia Tech. After going 2–0 in pool play, the Tigers defeated North Carolina in the Semifinals and Miami (FL) in the Final to win their eleventh ACC tournament title.^[2] The Tigers earned the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and were selected as the fourth overall seed. They won the opening game of the regional against Lipscomb to extend their winning streak to seventeen games.^[3] Their streak ended there as they lost to Tennessee in fourteen innings. The Tigers could not overcome Charlotte in the elimination game of the regional and their season ended.

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2022 season 35–23 overall and 13–16 in ACC Play, to finish in sixth place in the Atlantic Division. As the twelfth seed in the ACC tournament they were placed in pool A with first seed Virginia Tech and eight seed North Carolina. They lost both games and were eliminated from the tournament. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. It was the first time the Tigers had missed the NCAA tournament in consecutive years since 1982-1986. It was their first time missing back-to-back tournaments since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999.^[4] At the end of the season, Monte Lee was fired as the head coach.^[5]

Personnel

Roster

2023 Clemson Tigers roster^[6]

Pitchers

13 - B.J. Bailey - Junior
15 - Reed Garris - Sophomore
18 - Tristan Smith - Freshman
20 - Willie Weiss - Senior
21 - Ryan Ammons - Junior
25 - Jackson Lindley - Senior
26 - Casey Tallent - Sophomore
29 - Joe Allen - Freshman
30 - Billy Barlow - Sophomore
31 - Caden Grice - Junior
35 - Jay Dill - Sophomore
36 - Ty Olenchuk - Junior
37 - Nick Hoffmann - Junior
39 - Ethan Darden - Freshman
41 - Nathan Dvorsky - Freshman
44 - Nick Clayton - Junior
48 - Rob Hughes - Senior
51 - Rocco Reid - Sophomore
53 - Josh Davis - Freshman
56 - Austin Gordon - Sophomore

Catchers

9 - Jacob Jarrell - Freshman
12 - Cooper Ingle - Junior
33 - Hogan Garner - Freshman

Infielders

2 - Nolan Nawrocki - Freshman
6 - Riley Bertram - Senior
8 - Blake Wright - Junior
10 - Cam Cannarella - Freshman
17 - Billy Amick - Sophomore
19 - Cooper Blauser - Freshman
24 - Mac Starbuc - Senior
32 - Jack Reynolds - Freshman
50 - Jay Dillard - Freshman

Outfielders

1 - Tyler Corbitt - Senior
3 - Jack Crighton - Freshman
4 - Benjamin Blackwell - Senior
5 - Gavin Abrams - Sophomore
11 - Chad Fairey - Senior
16 - Will Taylor - Sophomore
22 - Nathan Hall - Freshman
27 - Tristan Bissetta - Freshman
55 - Lleyton Lackey - Freshman

Utility

40 - Brodey Conn - Freshman
54 - Nick Couch - Junior

Coaching Staff

2023 Clemson Tigers coaching staff^[6]
Name	Position	Seasons at Clemson
Erik Bakich	Head Coach	1
Nick Schnabel	Assistant Coach	1
Jimmy Belanger	Assistant Coach	1
Griffin Mazur	Volunteer Assistant Coach	1

Schedule

Legend
	Clemson win
	Clemson loss
	Cancellation
Bold	Clemson team member
*	Non-Conference game
†	Make-Up Game

2023 Clemson Tigers baseball game log^[7]

Regular season

February (4–4)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	ACC record
Feb 17	Binghamton*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium Clemson, SC	W 11–3	Ammons (1–0)	Babalis (0–1)	None	4,469	1–0	–
Feb 18	Binghamton*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 3–2	Weiss (1–0)	Collins (0–1)	Smith (1)	5,050	2–0	–
Feb 19	Binghamton*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 19–1	Dill (1–0)	Bryggman (0–1)	None	4,150	3–0	–
Feb 21	Charlotte*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 9–5	Bailey (1–0)	Gillentine (0–1)	None	4,200	4–0	–
Feb 24	UCF*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 2–4	Centala (1–0)	Lindley (0–1)	Kramer (1)	4,281	4–1	–
Feb 25	UCF*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 7–10	Marlowe (1–1)	Darden (0–1)	None	4,357	4–2	–
Feb 26	UCF*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 6–13	Vespi (1–0)	Bailey (1–1)	Vieira (1)	4,286	4–3	–
Feb 28	vs. USC Upstate*		Fluor Field at the West End Greenville, SC	L 3–6	Curtis (2–0)	Hoffmann (0–1)	Sullivan (1)	1,397	4–4	–

March (12–8)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	ACC record
Mar 3	No. 23 South Carolina*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 5–2	Lindley (1–1)	Sanders (1–1)	None	5,456	5–4	–
Mar 4	vs. No. 23 South Carolina*		Fluor Field at the West End	L 9–11	Becker (1–0)	Dill (1–1)	None	7,215	5–5	–
Mar 5	at No. 23 South Carolina*		Founders Park Columbia, SC	L 1–7	Hicks (3–0)	Barlow (0–1)	None	8,242	5–6	–
Mar 7	East Tennessee State*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 4–1	Allen (1–0)	Smiddy (3–2)	Lindley (1)	4,263	6–6	–
Mar 8	Presbyterian*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 5–3	Dvorsky (1–0)	Ymker (0–1)	Tallent (1)	4,107	7–6	–
Mar 10	Georgia State*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 9–8	Hoffmann (1–1)	Ottinger (0–2)	None	3,912	8–6	–
Mar 11	Georgia State*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 10–2	Garris (1–0)	Landry (0–1)	Allen (1)	5,242	9–6	–
Mar 11	Georgia State*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 10–7	Clayton (1–0)	Watson (0–1)	None	5,242	10–6	–
Mar 14	College of Charleston*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 4–3	Hoffmann (2–1)	Privette (1–1)	Lindley (2)	4,089	11–6	–
Mar 18	Duke		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 2–3	Beilenson (1–1)	Gordon (0–1)	Tallon (3)	5,213	11–7	0–1
Mar 18	Duke		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 14–9	Tallent (1–0)	White (2–1)	Hoffmann (1)	5,213	12–7	1–1
Mar 19	Duke		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 8–11	Weaver (2–1)	Reid (0–1)	None	3,974	12–8	1–2
Mar 21	Winthrop*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 8–5	Clayton (2–0)	Whittle (2–1)	None	3,803	13–8	–
Mar 22	at Kennesaw State*		Fred Stillwell Stadium Kennesaw, GA	W 6–2	Garris (2–0)	Eidson (1–2)	None	857	14–8	–
Mar 24	at Georgia Tech		Russ Chandler Stadium Atlanta, GA	L 3–4 (11)	Busse (1–1)	Lindley (1–2)	None	1,279	14–9	1–3
Mar 25	at Georgia Tech		Russ Chandler Stadium	L 3–16	Schmolke (3–0)	Smith (0–1)	None	1,779	14–10	1–4
Mar 26	at Georgia Tech		Russ Chandler Stadium	W 14–5	Grice (1–0)	Finley (1–2)	None	1,205	15–10	2–4
Mar 28	vs. College of Charleston*		Segra Park Columbia, SC	W 10–3	Darden (1–1)	Campbell (1–1)	None	1,678	16–10	–
Mar 30	No. 2 Wake Forest		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 3–8	Lowder (6–0)	Gordon (0–2)	None	4,217	16–11	2–5
Mar 31	No. 2 Wake Forest		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 3–4	Keener (3–0)	Lindley (1–3)	Minacci (7)	4,345	16–12	2–6

April (12–5)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	ACC record
Apr 1	No. 2 Wake Forest		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 5–6	Hartle (6–1)	Grice (1–1)	Roland (1)	4,521	16–13	2–7
Apr 4	No. 17 Coastal Carolina*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 16–6 (7)	Hoffmann (3–1)	Huesman (1–3)	None	4,678	17–13	–
Apr 6	at Florida State		Dick Howser Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 1–5	Baumeister (2–2)	Gordon (0–3)	Montgomery (1)	4,542	17–14	2–8
Apr 7	at Florida State		Dick Howser Stadium	W 8–1	Darden (2–1)	Whittaker (3–3)	None	4,406	18–14	3–8
Apr 8	at Florida State		Dick Howser Stadium	W 6–2	Grice (2–1)	Armstrong (1–2)	None	4,279	19–14	4–8
Apr 11	at Georgia*		Foley Field Athens, GA	W 8–1	Weiss (2–0)	L. Wagner (1–2)	None	3,569	20–14	–
Apr 14	Notre Dame		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 4–10	Spivey (1–0)	Darden (2–2)	Tyrell (1)	4,347	20–15	4–9
Apr 15	Notre Dame		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 5–1	Gordon (1–3)	Findlay (4–2)	None	5,174	21–15	5–9
Apr 16	Notre Dame		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 6–4	Clayton (3–0)	Birkholz (0–3)	None	4,202	22–15	6–9
Apr 18	Georgia*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 4–5	Caldwell (2–0)	Bailey (1–2)	Finley (3)	4,645	22–16	–
Apr 21	at NC State		Doak Field Raleigh, NC	W 10–2	Darden (3–2)	Whitaker (3–3)	None	3,048	23–16	7–9
Apr 22	at NC State		Doak Field	W 9–7	Garris (3–0)	Britton (2–2)	Ammons (1)	2,844	24–16	8–9
Apr 23	at NC State		Doak Field	W 8–5	Grice (3–1)	Willadsen (4–3)	Smith (2)	2,956	25–16	9–9
Apr 25	Kennesaw State*		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 15–5 (7)	Olenchuk (1–0)	Sliver (1–2)	None	4,112	26–16	9–9
Apr 28	at No. 11 Boston College		Brighton Field Brighton, MA	W 9–7	Clayton (4–0)	Schroeder (5–3)	Ammons (2)	N/A	27–16	10–9
Apr 28	at No. 11 Boston College		Brighton Field	L 1–3	West (2–3)	Gordon (1–4)	Ryan (3)	1,063	27–17	10–10
Apr 29	at No. 11 Boston College		Brighton Field	W 6–3	Grice (4–1)	Flynn (6–2)	None	832	28–17	11–10

May (11–0)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	ACC record
May 5	Louisville		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 6–3	Garris (4–0)	Campbell (1–1)	Ammons (3)	4,187	29–17	12–10
May 6	Louisville		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 4–3	Clayton (5–0)	Phillips (4–2)	Hughes (1)	4,456	30–17	13–10
May 7	Louisville		Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 7–3	Grice (5–1)	Biven (0–2)	Ammons (4)	4,189	31–17	14–10
May 10	at No. 8 Coastal Carolina*	No. 16	Springs Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	W 13–6	Allen (2–0)	Shaffer (4–1)	None	3,511	32–17	14–10
May 12	at Virginia Tech	No. 16	English Field Blacksburg, VA	W 15–4	Lindley (2–3)	Hackenberg (5–6)	None	1,461	33–17	15–10
May 13	at Virginia Tech	No. 16	English Field	W 9–8	Clayton (6–0)	Kirtner (1–1)	Smith (3)	1,485	34–17	16–10
May 14	at Virginia Tech	No. 16	English Field	W 9–6	Grice (6–1)	Hurney (3–2)	Smith (4)	1,805	35–17	17–10
May 16	USC Upstate*	No. 7	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 12–2 (8)	Allen (3–0)	Matheny (2–3)	None	4,123	36–17	17–10
May 18	North Carolina	No. 7	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 14–7	Clayton (7–0)	Carlson (4–2)	None	4,102	37–17	18–10
May 19	North Carolina	No. 7	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 5–4	Ammons (2–0)	Poston (3–3)	None	4,644	38–17	19–10
May 20	North Carolina	No. 7	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 3–1	Grice (7–1)	Pence (4–2)	Hughes (2)	4,589	39–17	20–10

Postseason

ACC Tournament (4–0)
Date	Opponent	Seed/Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	Tournament record
May 24	(10) Virginia Tech	(3) No. 6	Durham Bulls Athletic Park Durham, NC	W 14–5	Bailey (2–2)	Hackenberg (5–8)	None	2,398	40–17	1–0
May 26	(6) Boston College	(3) No. 6	Durham Bulls Athletic Park	W 4–1	Gordon (2–4)	Flynn (7–3)	Ammons (5)	3,348	41–17	2–0
May 27	(7) North Carolina	(3) No. 6	Durham Bulls Athletic Park	W 10–4	Grice (8–1)	Bovair (4–4)	None	3,147	42–17	3–0
May 28	(4) No. 11 Miami (FL)	(3) No. 6	Durham Bulls Athletic Park	W 11–5	Lindley (3–3)	Torres (4–1)	None	4,792	43–17	4–0

NCAA tournament (1–2)
Date	Opponent	Seed/Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall record	Tournament record
June 2	(4) Lipscomb	(1) No. 3	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	W 12–5	Clayton (8–0)	Van Treeck (8–5)	None	5,322	44–17	1–0
June 3	(2) No. 21 Tennessee	(1) No. 3	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 5–6 (14)	Halvorsen (3–3)	Tallent (1–1)	None	6,275	44–18	1–1
June 4	(3) Charlotte	(1) No. 3	Doug Kingsmore Stadium	L 2–3	Thompson (8–2)	Hughes (0–1)	None	4,834	44–19	1–2

Note: All rankings shown are from D1Baseball Poll.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
Coaches'^[8]	—	—*	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	21	10	8	5	5*	5*	18
Baseball America^[9]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	18	16	7	4	4*	4*	15
Collegiate Baseball^^[10]	42	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	25	17	11	7	3	17	17	17
NCBWA†^[11]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	21	13	9	6	19	19*	18
D1Baseball^[12]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	16	7	6	3	3*	3*	18

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

^ "Baseball Standings". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
^ Rapp, Timothy (May 28, 2023). "ACC Baseball Championship 2023: Clemson vs. Miami Score, Reaction". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
^ "Clemson baseball loses marathon game, moves to brink of elimination in NCAA tournament". news.yahoo.com. Yahoo! News. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
^ Rink, Brandon (May 30, 2022). "Clemson baseball misses NCAA tournament for rare second consecutive time". tigernet.com. TigerNet. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
^ Aaro, David (May 31, 2022). "Monte Lee out as Clemson head baseball coach after seven seasons". foxnews.com. Fox News. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "2022-23 Baseball Roster". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
^ "2022-23 Baseball Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
^ Baseball Coaches Poll
^ Baseball America College: Top 25
^ NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
^ NCBWA Division I poll
^ Division 1 Baseball Rankings

[1] "Baseball Standings". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved June 26, 2023.

[2] Rapp, Timothy (May 28, 2023). "ACC Baseball Championship 2023: Clemson vs. Miami Score, Reaction". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

[3] "Clemson baseball loses marathon game, moves to brink of elimination in NCAA tournament". news.yahoo.com. Yahoo! News. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

[4] Rink, Brandon (May 30, 2022). "Clemson baseball misses NCAA tournament for rare second consecutive time". tigernet.com. TigerNet. Retrieved May 31, 2022.

[5] Aaro, David (May 31, 2022). "Monte Lee out as Clemson head baseball coach after seven seasons". foxnews.com. Fox News. Retrieved June 1, 2022.

[roster-6] "2022-23 Baseball Roster". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved February 22, 2023.

[7] "2022-23 Baseball Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.

[8] Baseball Coaches Poll

[9] Baseball America College: Top 25

[10] NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

[11] NCBWA Division I poll

[12] Division 1 Baseball Rankings

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v t e Clemson Tigers baseball
Venues	Bowman Field (1896–1915) Riggs Field (1916–1969) Doug Kingsmore Stadium (1970–present)
Rivalries	South Carolina
People	Head coaches Prominent Players
Seasons	1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
College World Series appearances in italics