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Clemson

Erik Bakich challenges Tigers fans ahead of Clemson Regional

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•05/28/24•

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(Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)

The Clemson baseball program is attempting to win its first regional since 2010 this weekend. Head coach Erik Bakich is hopeful that Tigers fans will show up, be loud and do all they can to help his team get over the hump.

No. 1 seed Clemson is the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are welcoming No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, No. 3 Coastal Carolina and No. 4 High Point to town.

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Clemson enters the NCAA Tournament with a 27-6 home record, and Bakich wants to see that home success continue this weekend.

“When the crowd is loud and they stand up and clap with two outs and two strikes and they actually have synchronized chants and they cheer and they get into it and they are actually an active participant in the game, instead of a spectator, our guys absolutely feed off of that,” Erik Bakich said. “And that’s what we need the crowd to do.”

Clemson has failed to advance out of 10 consecutive regionals, with five of those regional losses coming at home. That includes last season when the Tigers lost at home to Tennessee, as the Vols ended up reaching the College World Series.

Bakich believes Clemson has a team capable of going on a deep run this postseason, but it has to start with playing well this weekend. If Clemson does come out on top at its regional, the Tigers will also be home for the Super Regionals.

“We need DKS to be filled with 6 or 7 thousand participants, acting as if they’re the 10th-man on the field, not just showing up to watch a game,” Erik Bakich said. “And if we can do that, wow, I can’t wait to hear this place rocking.”

Erik Bakich on sharing regional with Tim Corbin: ‘It needs to be just about the players’

Erik Bakich and his Clemson baseball program will be welcoming a familiar face to town this weekend. The No. 2 seed in the Clemson Regional for the NCAA Tournament is Vanderbilt, which is led by head coach Tim Corbin.

Long before Bakich was the head coach of the Tigers and Corbin was leading the Commodores program, the two were assistants together at Clemson.

Erik Bakich and Tim Corbin also worked together at Vandy, with Bakich spending seven seasons as an assistant under Corbin.

Ahead of the start of the NCAA Baseball Tournament, Bakich shared his emotions of being in the same regional as Corbin and Vanderbilt.

“We don’t want to get emotional about the storylines. It needs to be just about the players,” Erik Bakich said. “The players don’t have those storylines. Only coach Leggett and myself do. I’m not the type of guy to ever want the attention on the coaches. Just make it about the kids. So for that reason, since it is really about the kids, then there’s no emotion. Just about execution.”