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How Clemson baseball, coach Erik Bakich celebrated advancing to NCAA super regionals
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- How Clemson baseball, coach Erik Bakich celebrated advancing to NCAA super regionals
CLEMSON — Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich climbed into the Cajun Cafe in right field. His players followed. It was a fitting celebration.
The No. 6 overall seed and NCAA regional host Tigers (44-14) routed third-seeded Coastal Carolina 12-5 Sunday after scoring six runs in the eighth inning to advance to the super regionals for the first time since 2010. They will face the winner of the Stillwater Regional between Oklahoma State and Florida.
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But first, the Tigers celebrated with the 6,000-plus fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium that helped create a raucous environment for three straight days. Then, players doused Bakich multiple times with Powerade in the outfield. They greeted and high-fived other fans around the ballpark. They hugged each other to savor the moment.
"You got to go all in and celebrate that," Bakich said. "It would have been an opportunity missed if we didn't jump into the Cajun Cafe and hanging out with everyone in the cheap seats throwing beer on us."
This moment was 14 years in the making, and the Tigers knew it. They've made the NCAA regionals 10 times since their last appearance in the super regionals and could not break through. It was like getting stuck on the same level with no lives in a video game and having to start over repeatedly.
The Tigers endured being competitive enough to make the NCAA tournament but not executing well enough when it mattered most for years. So, when Tristan Bissetta logged the final out of the game against Coast Carolina (36-25), the Tigers let their hair down and showed how much Sunday's win meant.
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"It's special. You can see it with our celebration, jumping in the Cajun Cafe," third baseman Blake Wright said. "This is what we worked for all year and really happy this program is back to where it belongs."
Bakich loved every minute of his team's celebration.
"I instantly go to dad-mode (on) Christmas morning and watching young kids open presents," Bakich said. "To see their genuine authentic expressions of joy on their faces, that's what we're chasing. We're chasing the celebratory moments."
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Now, the Tigers get to host a super regional for the first time since 2006. That preparation will begin this week, but on Sunday, they immersed themselves in the sweet sensation of victory.
"It's one of the coolest experiences that I've ever been a part of," pitcher Austin Gordon said.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball celebrates advancing to NCAA super regionals
