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What would Clemson baseball's path to the College World Series look like?

ByConnor Muldowney|
Clemson Head Coach Erik Bakich waves to the crowd before the game with University of Louisville at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Friday, April 18, 2025.
Clemson Head Coach Erik Bakich waves to the crowd before the game with University of Louisville at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Friday, April 18, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sunday was a tough day for Clemson baseball as pitching woes led to another avoidable loss and this time it happened to be with a trophy on the line.

North Carolina walloped the Tigers 14-4 in the ACC Championship to take down the Tigers and make a legit case for a top five seed in the NCAA men's baseball tournament. The Tar Heels earned the No. 5 seed after winning the conference tournament title in emphatic fashion and Clemson was all the way down at No. 11 despite having a legit case for a top eight seed and guaranteed host in the Super Regional.

Still, Clemson earned the 11-seed and is hosting its third straight regional which makes the Tigers one of just two programs that have hosted one in each of the past three postseasons.

Clemson has made the Super Regional just one time since 2010 and it was last year under Erik Bakich, but it's looking to make two straight for the first time since 2009-10. That was also the last time the Tigers made the College World Series.

So what would it take to get back? Outside of better pitching, it would mean cruising through the regional against USC Upstate (36-23) on Friday and then sweeping the field against Kentucky (29-24) and West Virginia (41-14). This seems like a favorable draw for the Tigers.

If Clemson gets past the regional, which I expect, they would have to face the winner of the Baton Rouge Region between LSU (43-14), Little Rock (24-32), Rhode Island (38-20), and Dallas Baptist (40-16). The clear choice there is LSU and I'd be shocked if the Tigers didn't win their regional with ease and without a single loss.

That would set up LSU vs. Clemson in the Super Regional in Baton Rouge in a best-of-three. This football preview would pit two college baseball powers against each other.

LSU has made eight Super Regionals since 2012 and four College World Series appearances in that same time period. Clemson would have to play its best baseball of the season to make that first College World Series appearance since 2010.

Not easy, but it's possible with the talent on this roster.

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