Clemson NCAA baseball tournament projections: Will Erik Bakich's men qualify?

The Clemson Tigers have an excellent chance of making it to the NCAA baseball tournament and possibly, the College World Series. That's because Clemson is one of the top teams in the nation with a 38-13 record (18-10 in ACC).

However, the Tigers dropped from fourth to seventh in the latest USA Today Sports baseball coaches poll. Their quest to secure the top seed in the ACC Tournament fell by the wayside, as they got swept by No. 9 Wake Forest in their weekend series.

Hope isn't lost for the Tigers, though, as they are still ranked second in the ACC standings, behind North Carolina (39-12, 20-8 in ACC). All they have to do is to sweep their remaining games against Boston College on May 17-18 to maintain their seeding going into the ACC Tournament on May 21-26 in Charlotte.

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Clemson on track to host NCAA regional

Senior outfielder Alden Mathes has slugged eight home runs and 27 RBIs for Clemson this season.

According to the latest Field of 64 projections by Baseball America and D1Baseball, Clemson, who aims to make the Super Regionals and College World Series for the first time since 2010, has a big chance of making the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Tigers are even favored to host an NCAA regional once the brackets are released on Selection Monday, May 27, at noon ET.

Baseball America's prediction pits Clemson at sixth overall in the NCAA Tournament and host a regional tournament as the top seed. The Tigers are projected to face No. 2 seed San Diego, third seed James Madison and No. 4 Austin Peay.

The winner of the Clemson regional is paired with the winner of the Greenville regional, which has East Carolina, Duke, Coastal Carolina and High Point as its qualifiers. The projected top seed in this regional tournament is East Carolina, which Baseball America ranks as the No. 11 seed in the Field of 64.

Similarly, D1Baseball ranks the Tigers as No. 6 overall going into the NCAA Tournament. Just like Baseball America's projections, Clemson will likely host a regional tournament as its No. 1 seed. The regionals would have South Carolina as their No. 2 seed, while College of Charleston and Wright State occupy third and fourth spots, respectively.

The Tigers are paired with the Terre Haute Regionals, where Indiana State, Arizona, Illinois and Bowling Green are bracketed. Indiana State is the top seed in the tournament regionals, and they've got the 11th seed based on D1Baseball's projections.

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Clemson Baseball 2024 schedule

The Tigers will have their last two games with Boston College on May 17-18. The series will likely be a tuneup for Clemson as it prepares for the postseason.

However, Erik Bakich and his men are not taking the Eagles for granted, as he would likely field a strong lineup to get themselves in sync moving into the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Baseball Tournament in the next two weeks.

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Will Clemson get a higher seeding going into the NCAA Baseball Tournament? Let's know your views in the comments section.