Erik Bakich explains Clemson's confidence entering Super Regional
Heading into a Clemson Super Regional that figures to be hotly contested, with Florida coming to town to take on Clemson, Tigers coach Erik Bakich feels pretty confident in his squad.
The Tigers are coming off an impressive regional sweep, having knocked off High Point and Coastal Carolina by a run each before demolishing Coastal in the final game of the regional.
“Our guys are feeling good. They’re fired up,” Bakich said. “Everyone’s confident who’s made it to this level. Everyone’s coming off a regional championship, so how could you not be confident?”
Clemson’s opponent will also feel pretty confident, though. Florida fell to the loser’s bracket after winning its opening game in the Stillwater Regional, forcing the Gators to advance from the loser’s bracket.
The Gators have seen their season hang in the balance without blinking.
Florida finished off Oklahoma State twice in elimination games to advance to the Clemson Super Regional.
But if it’s to be a battle of confidence going into this weekend, Bakich feels great about his team based on what he’s seen for the past several months.
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“We feel especially confident just because our guys have been consistent,” Bakich said. “Not just this season, but from Day 1 of the fall. What they’ve done off the field as well as on the field, how they’ve competed in the classroom, how they’ve served the community as well as the consistency. Maybe not every week, we had a couple of slip-ups here and there. But our guys from a preparation standpoint have been hyper competitive and ultra consistent and as a coaching staff and as a program and as Team 127 we couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Clemson and Florida won’t play on the opening day of Super Regional action, instead getting underway on Saturday. Saturday’s opening game will begin at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN. A second game on Sunday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
If a third game is needed, it will be on Monday with a time and TV network to be determined at a later date.
Bakich just wants his team focused on one thing.
“Draw a lot of confidence just from our preparation, knowing that we’re ready and it’s time to let it rip,” he said.