What we learned from Clemson baseball’s series sweep of ACC rival Florida State
Just call them the kings of comebacks.
Blake Wright’s second grand slam in as many days in the bottom of the seventh inning highlighted a six-run rally as No. 3 Clemson completed a three-game sweep of No. 7 Florida State in an early season ACC baseball series with a 14-12 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Sunday.
Clemson trailed 11-2 in the bottom of the sixth before staging a comeback for a third consecutive game against the Seminoles (19-3, 3-3 ACC).
On Saturday, the Tigers rallied from a 4-0 first-inning deficit in the first game to win 15-5 in seven innings via run rule, then staged an eight-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to win the nightcap 9-8.
The series sweep reaffirmed what we already suspected — namely, that coach Erik Bakich’s team will be among the top contenders not only in the ACC but for a College World Series berth as well.
“They’re low maintenance, high production,” Bakich said of his team. “And a lot of fun to be around.”
Clemson (22-2, 5-1) has won 13 consecutive regular-season weekend series dating to last season. These were Florida State's first three losses of the season.
The Tigers will carry a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday’s home game against Coastal Carolina before heading to Miami for a three-game weekend series.
Here are the major takeaways from the series against Florida State:
Tigers can't be counted out
Clemson has staged comebacks in 14 of its victories this season.
“The theme the whole year has been, ‘We're never out of the fight,’ ” Wright said. “We always just keep that same mindset.”
In the three games against FSU, the Tigers trailed 4-0 in the first game, 8-1 in the second game and 11-2 in the third.
“It seems very rarely do we play with a lead,” Bakich said. “We’re always behind. But it’s part of what I love about this group. It shows the toughness and resiliency of this team.”
Clemson's Blake Wright has become a beast
We got a glimpse of Wright’s capabilities when he hit .349 as a sophomore, but he entered this season with a career .281 average after hitting .250 last season. So much for recent history.
Wright has been on a tear through 24 games and went 6-for-14 with three home runs and 12 RBI against the Seminoles. He leads the Tigers in at-bats (104), hits (38), runs (35), home runs (14) and RBI (40) and has hit nine homers in his past 10 games.
“He’s just playing mentally free this year,” Bakich said. “He’s not worried about the next thing, he’s just immersing himself in the moment, and that’s what you need from a senior and a leader and a captain. It looks like he’s having a ton of fun playing baseball and it shows.”
Clemson's influx of veteran talent having big impact
It’s evident that graduate transfers are going to have a major effect, with first baseman Jacob Hinderleider, who transferred from Davidson, leading the way. He’s batting .324 and had six hits against Florida State, including a two-run homer and a three-run blast in Saturday’s doubleheader sweep.
Also off to solid starts are outfielder Alden Mathes, a transfer from Richmond who’s batting .354; catcher Jimmy Obertop (Michigan), who is hitting .301 and has drawn a team-leading 32 walks; and shortstop Andrew Ciufo (Georgetown), who’s batting .273.
On the pitching side, Wofford transfer Matthew Marchal is 4-0 with a 3.55 ERA.
EXTRA INCENTIVE: Go ahead and pick Clemson to lose vs Baylor. It's just fuel for Tigers in NCAA Tournament
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball's sweep of FSU enhances come-from-behind reputation
