Baseball fans, do I have a juicy one for you—or at least juicy if you’re repping any shade of orange. It’s about Clemson and why they’re rubbing the proverbial head-scratcher this week.
So here’s the gist. Clemson, who’s had a pretty slick season so far with a record of 36-10, faced their rival NC State this past weekend. And it was not pretty, folks. They got swept hard. The Wolfpack dominated, hammering the Tigers with a tally of 26-8 over three games. Ouch, right? Kinda like when your roommate takes the last slice of your favorite pizza without telling you—unforgivable.
Aidan Knaak’s Thursday was a special kind of rough patch, giving up eight runs and 11 hits in just four innings. And Saturday? Clemson’s bats must’ve been sleeping in because they only managed five hits in a 4-1 loss—straight-up ghost mode in the field.
Okay, here’s where it gets interesting. For the first time this season, Clemson took the “L” on a weekend series. Meanwhile, NC State was all flex and flow, climbing to No. 13 in one of the Top 25 polls. And Clemson? You’d think they’d take a bigger hit in the rankings after this skid, right?
But nah—USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll knocked them just two spots down to No. 4. D1 Baseball slipped them one spot to No. 3, and The Athletic parked them at No. 5. Doesn’t sound too harsh, right? Just a gentle, meh, we’ve seen worse.
Then you have Baseball America and Perfect Game, dragging Clemson off the top shelf a bit more severely. Baseball America sent them down four slots to No. 6, and Perfect Game decided “let’s spice this up” and dropped Clemson six slots to No. 8. And why? Well, they put the Georgia Bulldogs above them. The same Bulldogs Clemson shut out 3-0 last Wednesday. Talk about playing Uno and someone skips your turn—totally frustrating.
Georgia’s sitting pretty at No. 3 in Perfect Game’s rankings. Yes, yes, they lead the NCAA in home runs. Still, Clemson effectively shut down their big bats just a few days before the rankings. But with the Bulldogs winning just two games against a less-than-elite Oklahoma, should they really be strutting ahead of the Tigers already?
I mean, let’s be real—these rankings? They’re like every mid-week result—debatable. They get the fans riled up more than they actually define the paths for teams. But putting Georgia ahead of Clemson *this* soon after that head-to-head? That’s what we call a talking point—or downright puzzling, depending on your fan inclinations.
Clemson, if you’re biting your nails about getting back in grind mode—they’re set to face off against Florida State this coming weekend. It’s looking tense but hey, if you’re looking for all the drama, catch the games streaming on ACC Network. No spoilers here, but you don’t wanna miss this one. Will they rise like a phoenix from the ashes? Only time will tell, my friends.
Basketball fans—
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Oh, and if you’re into reminiscing about old game days—or just curious about where Clemson football stars end up post-draft—hit up @Clemson_Wire on your socials for the latest scoop!
