Clemson misses out on NCAA tournament for second straight year

From 1987 until 2019, Clemson only missed the NCAA tournament one time.

Now the Tigers have missed the NCAA tournament in back-to-back years after they were not selected on Monday.

Clemson’s season has come to an end with a 35-23 record. The Tigers were considered to be on the bubble entering this past week, but struggles in the ACC tournament likely sealed Clemson’s fate.

Monte Lee’s club went 0-2 in Charlotte this past week and was outscored 27-8 in the two games.

Lee said following Thursday’s 18-6 loss to Virginia Tech that he was hopeful Clemson would still get an NCAA tournament berth, but he also understood that it was a real possibility the Tigers would be left out.

“Certainly it’s not in our hands now. Obviously it’s going to be dependent upon the selection committee,” Lee said. “I think we have a lot of really good points. I think we’re sitting in the low 30s, if I’m not mistaken, in the RPI. But ultimately it’s going to be up to the selection committee. Hopefully we get an opportunity to keep playing. Obviously this week did not go the way that we wanted it to go.”

Clemson ended up No. 34 in the RPI and was hurt by its 6-12 road record. The Tigers also finished the season with a 13-16 record in the ACC and a 13-18 record if you include the ACC tournament games.

ACC Player of the Year Max Wagner did all he could to get Clemson into the tournament, tying the school record for home runs in a season with 27, but it wasn’t enough.

Wagner is one of several players eligible for the 2022 MLB draft.

“It’s really hard to put into words the way the end of the season feels. I’ve been coaching now for 22 years. I played baseball. I’ve had my heart broken at the end of the year a lot of times,” Lee said. “More than half my life, I’ve been in this situation where your hearts broken at the end of the season. It’s really hard to put into words.”

The next question is will Lee be back for next season?

He certainly hopes to be, but he also knows that it’s no guarantee.

“I do expect to be back, but ultimately that’s not my decision,” he said following the ACC tournament. “It’s going to be up to the administration. I’m sure that I will meet with the administration at some point and hear what they have to say. I expect to be back, but ultimately that’s not my decision. We’ll certainly cross that bridge when we get there.”