NCAA Baseball Tournament – Clemson Regional
NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT – CLEMSON REGIONAL — Can Clemson finally make it out of a regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium? The Tigers have hosted five regionals over the past 11 seasons, and they’re yet to make it to the super regionals. Granted, Clemson hasn’t made it to supers playing from anywhere since 2010, but squandering home field really rubs the Tigers the wrong way.
And this year’s not a sure thing either. Clemson wanted another shot at South Carolina. It didn’t get it. Instead, the Gamecocks got sent to NC State, and Clemson drew Vanderbilt from the SEC. The Commodores have been their own thorn in Clemson’s side; the Tigers have failed to get past them the past three times the teams shared a regional.
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It gets no easier from there. The in-state opponent Clemson did get is the one the Tigers didn’t want. Gary Gilmore’s retiring after 29 years coaching Coastal Carolina, and the Chanticleers could easily spring a surprise in this region. High Point’s playing with house money; the Panthers have never reached the NCAA tournament before. They’re not likely to be a threat, but Vanderbilt and Coastal could certainly add to Clemson’s misery.
Players to Watch
Vanderbilt is more about the whole than the sum of its parts. But the Commodores do boast a base stealing threat in RJ Austin, who has 27 swiped bags this year. Austin’s a critical part of Vandy’s offense, as the Commodores tend to manufacture runs. If he isn’t getting on, it’s much tougher for Vanderbilt to get results.
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Clemson will count on Aidan Knaak to get outs and center fielder Cam Cannarella to turn doubles into outs. Cannarella doubles as the Tigers’ best hitter, but it’s his defense that really excites pro scouts. He can get to just about any ball that stays in the park, and playing in his home park gives him an edge.
Sam Antonacci is just as important to Coastal as Austin is to Vanderbilt. Antonacci’s not as big a threat to run, but he hits .367 and has 82 runs for the Chanticleers this season. Coastal will need him on base to score with the big boys.
The Favorite
If Clemson’s going to make it out of the regional, it’s going to do it with pitching and defense. The Tigers were just average in runs produced, but only North Carolina had a better ERA among ACC teams. Knaak will likely get the second start (High Point should be beatable with a bullpen game), and the Tigers will trust the rest of the staff to handle the load.
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The biggest thing Clemson can’t do is get inside its own head. The Tigers didn’t get an easy regional by any means, but they do have the No. 6 seed for a reason. Clemson has to stay relaxed and focused to get through this.
Potential Surprise
Nobody wants to see Gilmore and Coastal’s run end early. Gilmore is one of the most popular coaches in the game, and his roster will fight to make this run last as long as possible.
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It’s tough to pick against either Coastal or Vanderbilt, but this isn’t a vintage Vandy squad. Meanwhile, Coastal doesn’t have the pitching. Clemson might lack rotation depth, but it has a quality bullpen behind Knaak. Getting into the Tigers’ bullpen won’t help much.
Coastal’s probably most likely to spring a surprise given that Vandy doesn’t stand out in any category. But neither one seems ready to make an upset happen here. Clemson should finally make it through its regional.
