CLEMSON IS no. 16!
Since the beginning of April, the Clemson Tigers have been one of the hottest baseball teams in the nation. With 5 straight ACC series wins, including sweeps over NC State and Louisville, in addition to impressive out-of-conference wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia, the Tigers have improved to 31-17 and sit firmly in second place of the ACC Atlantic.
It seems the team’s efforts are being recognized, as D1Baseball.com’s most recent College Baseball Top 25 Rankings featured the Tigers at no. 16. This is the first time D1Baseball’s rankings have included the Clemson Tigers in the 2023 season.
https://twitter.com/d1baseball/status/1655543571498385408
This is a big jump in a poll that did not include Clemson only a week prior. In fact, their no. 16 ranking is the highest ranking by any team not featured in last week’s standings.
Based on their season in its entirety, perhaps the Tigers have not lived up to the standard of a Top 25 team, as their 17 losses is the most of any team in this week’s rankings.
The argument for their inclusion, however, is based primarily on their recent play. The Tigers have gone 15-4 in their last 19 games, including a monumental 9-1 stretch over their last 10 games.
After winning a road series over a Top 25 Boston College team, many Clemson fans felt the Tigers deserved to be in the standings last week. However, a three-game sweep over Louisville seemed to be just enough to earn the respect of the voters, as they placed the Tiger’s in the heart of the nation’s premier rankings.
SIX ACC TEAMS RANKED
In addition to Clemson, five other ACC teams were also featured in this week’s rankings.
Wake Forest (39-7), took over the no.1 spot for the first time this season. They will look to defend that ranking this week as they work to become the first team to reach 40 wins this season.
Duke (32-13) remained in the no.10 spot, with Miami (31-16) trailing just behind them at no. 11. Boston College (30-16) fell one spot from no. 19 to no. 20, leaving them just ahead of no. 21 Virginia (37-11).
Navigate to D1Baseball Top 25 to see the full list of this week’s standings.
LOOKING AHEAD
Also featured in this ranking is no. 8 Coastal Carolina. Clemson will travel to Conway, SC, to take on the Chanticleers on Tuesday, May 9th. The Tigers earned a big 16-6 win over CCU back on April 4th.
If the Tigers hope to climb in next week’s edition of the polls, earning a big road win over the Chanticleers would be a sure way to bolster their resume!