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Where Clemson baseball is ranked in USA TODAY preseason poll rankings
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- Where Clemson baseball is ranked in USA TODAY preseason poll rankings
CLEMSON — Clemson baseball is No. 17 in the 2026 USA TODAY Sports preseason baseball coaches poll .
The Tigers received 236 points and no first-place votes to be the fifth-highest ACC team. This is Clemson 's lowest ranking to start a season under coach Erik Bakich since 2023 when the Tigers weren't ranked but were receiving votes.
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Clemson opens its season on Feb. 13 (4 p.m. ET) vs. Army at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. It will be a three-game series from Feb. 13-15.
Clemson finished No. 20 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll last season, its lowest finish under Bakich. The Tigers went 45-18 to host an NCAA regional for the third straight season after earning the No. 11 overall seed. They won the most games under Bakich, who became Clemson's coach in 2023, and most since 2018.
However, Clemson suffered an early exit in the tournament after losing to West Virginia and Kentucky in two straight games. It was the Tigers' sixth time in seven tries being eliminated as NCAA regional hosts since 2011 and the 11th time in their last 12 regional appearances that Clemson failed to reach the super regional.
Clemson's roster will look different in 2026 with star center fielder Cam Cannarella gone. The Miami Marlins selected him 43rd overall in the 2025 MLB Draft.
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Ace pitcher Aidan Knaak will return as well as other contributors, like catcher Jacob Jarrell and infielder Jarren Purify. Clemson also added a talented freshman and transfer portal class in hopes of making the College World Series for the first time since 2010.
LSU is No. 1 after winning the national championship for the second time in three years in 2025. Runner-up Coastal Carolina is No. 7.
The USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of 31 head coaches at Division I schools.
MORE: Clemson baseball pitcher arrested on assault and battery charges
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USA TODAY Sports preseason baseball coaches poll
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LSU (733)
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UCLA (724)
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Texas (635)
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Georgia Tech (596)
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Arkansas (582)
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Mississippi State (574)
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Coastal Carolina (503)
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North Carolina (490)
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Auburn (462)
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TCU (449)
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Louisville (438)
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Oregon State (429)
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Georgia (400)
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Florida State (391)
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Tennessee (384)
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Florida (269)
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Clemson (236)
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Vanderbilt (203)
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NC State (181)
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Southern Miss (154)
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Miami (140)
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Virginia (101)
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Oregon (100)
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Arizona (98)
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Wake Forest (93)
Others Receiving Votes:Kentucky 92; Ole Miss 59; West Virginia 42; Texas A&M 38; Oklahoma 28; East Carolina 25; Dallas Baptist 19; UC Irvine 13; Kansas 11; Arizona State 7; Murray State 7; Alabama 6; Duke 6; Southern California 6; UC Santa Barbara 6; Oklahoma State 5; Troy 5; Texas-San Antonio 4; Northeastern 2; Bethune-Cookman 1; Cal State Fullerton 1; UConn 1; Nebraska 1.
Where Clemson baseball is ranked in preseason polls
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USA TODAY Sports:No. 17
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D1 Baseball:No. 19
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Baseball America:No. 20
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Perfect Game:No. 20
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ACC:No. 5 in the conference
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball rankings in college preseason polls for 2026 season
