Story by
Clemson baseball's high-speed race to CWS comes to a crashing halt in NCAA regional
- Story by
- Clemson baseball's high-speed race to CWS comes to a crashing halt in NCAA regional
CLEMSON – After not tasting defeat for 36 days, 2 hours and 59 minutes, some folks were beginning to wonder if this Clemson baseball team might not lose again.
It certainly felt like the Tigers might indeed be on the fast track to Omaha and the College World Series after winning the ACC Tournament and a 17-game winning streak in tow entering Saturday's second day of the NCAA Tournament's Clemson Regional.
Advertisement
"It was an incredible run," first-year Clemson coach Erik Bakich said. "It feels like driving 100 miles an hour and then all of a sudden we just slammed on the brakes."
By the time the Tigers came to a complete stop, they'd been slammed from behind – first by Tennessee 6-5 in a drama-filled, 14-inning game Saturday night, then by Charlotte (36-27) in a 3-2 defeat in an elimination game 13 hours later.
Season over. Thanks for playing.
"Any time you're not the last team standing, you're going to have these scars that don't heal," Bakich said. "Those go back a long time. You look at what could you have done, what should you have done. You've just got to live with it and move on."
Advertisement
EARLY END: Clemson baseball eliminated in own regional with 3-2 loss to Charlotte in NCAA Tournament
WATCHING WATSON: Deshaun Watson makes appearance at Clemson baseball game vs Tennessee in NCAA regional
SWINNEY'S SAFARI: Clemson football's Dabo Swinney had 1 goal on South African safari: Don't 'get eaten'
It was obvious that Clemson wasn't its usual self on Sunday.
With a depleted pitching staff after trotting 15 different players to the mound in the two losses and without ACC freshman of the year Cam Cannarella at the top of the lineup after being ejected following a verbal exchange with a Tennessee player Saturday, Clemson appeared somewhat detached.
Advertisement
"It probably looked exactly like it was – it looked like we were emotionally drained," Bakich said. "That would be accurate. It wasn't a lack of effort, there was just not much in the tank.
"I thought we dug down and dug deep, but as much as that stings we know we did not play well today."
They didn't play well early in the season, either, but managed to pull off a remarkable about-face that ranks as the biggest turnaround in program history, winning 18 of their final 20 ACC games.
Clemson finished with its first ACC Tournament title since 2016 and a 44-19 record in Bakich's first season – not bad for a team picked for a fifth-place divisional finish in preseason voting by league coaches.
Advertisement
"To see what they've done in this short of time here is pretty incredible," Charlotte coach Robert Woodard said. "It's one of the best coaching staffs and this one of the premier programs in the country.
"Having grown up in Charlotte and driven down here with my friends to watch games at this ballpark, this win means a great deal to me."
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball has nothing left for Charlotte after Tennessee loss
