Clemson (29-20 overall; 8-16 ACC) picked up one of its biggest wins of the season Tuesday night, knocking off No. 8 Coastal Carolina on the road in Conway. After weeks of frustration and close calls, the Tigers finally looked like a team playing with confidence, toughness, and purpose from the first inning through the last.
It was not a game built around home runs or flashy offensive numbers. Instead, Clemson won with execution. Against a Coastal Carolina club that pressures opponents in every phase of the game, Clemson stayed composed and answered every challenge.
The pitching effort was especially impressive. Clemson attacked the strike zone, limited mistakes, and never allowed the Chanticleers to fully settle into the game offensively. Defensive plays behind the pitching staff helped preserve momentum throughout the night, and the Tigers continued to make the routine plays that have sometimes escaped them during conference play this season.
One of the biggest differences was the energy level. Clemson looked loose, focused, and connected throughout the game. The return of Jarren Purify has clearly helped stabilize things emotionally and offensively, while veterans across the roster seemed to embrace the challenge of playing a top-10 opponent on the road.
Tuesday night felt important beyond just the result itself. Winning at Springs Brooks Stadium against a nationally ranked Coastal Carolina team is the kind of performance that can restore confidence inside a clubhouse. Clemson played smart baseball, trusted its pitching, and handled pressure situations well all night long.
For a team that has spent much of the season searching for traction, this was a really nice result to have late in the year.
Clemson Briefly
Jack Crighton had a career-high 4 hits on Tuesday night in Conway. As steady of a hitter as Clemson has ever had. He’s quietly had a phenomenal year for the Tigers.
Jarren Purify continues to hit since returning from the hand injury that made the emotional leader of the team to miss 10+ games. He added two more hits against the Chants.
Danny Nelson, Drew Titsworth, Dylan Harrison and Hayden Simmerson were great on the mound against a tough offensive team for the Tigers. I thought Ariston Veasey and Dion Brown were ok too and maybe dealt with a little tough luck with some pitches. All six pitchers had their moments in the mid-week.
Small Ball – Clemson scored runs using two squeeze plays. Got a bloop over 1st base to score a run. It looked like Clemson baseball again on Tuesday night.
Through 49 games, Clemson is hitting .288 as a team and has tallied 82 doubles, 3 triples and 65 home runs while scoring 329 runs, good for an average of 6.7 runs per game.
Clemson will start the same weekend rotation from last weekend.
Dane Moehler gets the ball on Friday night, at least to start. He’s continued his recovery from Tommy John and has not thrown more than 35 pitches all season. Moehler is 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA over 12.1 innings pitched and 8 starts.15 strikeouts to only 4 walks and opponents are hitting .260 against the redshirt freshman right hander.
Michael Sharman will start in his usual spot on Saturday, which also happens to be when they will celebrate Senior Day. The redshirt senior lefty will start his last game at home. He’s been fantastic all season. 6-1 with a 3.04 ERA over 68 innings and 12 starts. 61 strikeouts and only 11 walks, less than a walk per start is extremely impressive. Opponents are hitting a paltry .225 against him.
Aidan Knaak had a nice outing last Sunday after seeing the offense he will be facing for two nights. He’ll get the ball in likely his last home outing as well for the Tigers. The junior righty is 2-5 with a 4.99 ERA. Knaak has pitched 52.1 innings over 11 starts. 82 strikeouts and 20 walks on the season. Opponents are hitting .273 against one of the best pitchers Clemson has had in recent memory.
Clemson pitchers have a 4.47 ERA with 478 strikeouts and 162 walks. Opponents are hitting .239 against Tiger pitching.
Here is a look at the Florida State Seminoles
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Head Coach – Link Jarrett (4th Season; Previous: Notre Dame HC)
2026 Record: 34-14 (15-9 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Latest Result: Won midweek game vs. Jacksonville 5-2
Wins: James Madison (x2), Jacksonville (x2), Michigan, North Florida (x2), Citadel (x3), Mercer, Northern Kentucky (x3), Wake Forest (x3), Bethune-Cookman, NC State (x2), Duke (x2), Stetson (x2), Virginia (x2),Notre Dame (x3), USF, Pitt (x3)
Losses: Auburn, Nebraska, Florida (x3), NC State, Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech (x3), Stanford (x3)
The Florida State Seminoles enter the ACC weekend road series at 34-14 overall and 15-59in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Noles are hitting .280 as a team and have collected 100 doubles, 10 triples and 58 home runs in their 48 games. They average 7.3 runs per game. The Noles don’t run a while lot, only 55-68 in stolen bases this season, a success rate of 81%.
FSU is led offensively by Junior CF Brayden Dowd. The transfer from Southern California is hitting .301 with 12 doubles and 8 home runs. He has been leaned on heavily since star outfielder Myles Bailey broke his ankle at the end of March. Redshirt Sophomore RF Brody DeLamielleure has filled in admirably for Bailey. Hitting .326 on the season in 26 appearances with 7 doubles and 5 home runs. Leadoff hitter, Freshman LF John Steutzer leads the team with 35 runs batted in. He also is 11-15 in stolen bases on the season.
On the mound, Florida State has announced all three of their weekend starters. Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week, Junior lefty Wes Mendes will get the ball on his usual Friday night spot. On Saturday, another Junior lefty and FAU transfer, Trey Beard will start for the Noles. And then for the finale on Sunday, Junior right hander Bryson Moore will face Knaak.
The Florida State pitching staff carries a 4.01 ERA through 48 games. The staff has struck out 508 batters and has issued 185 walks, allowing opponents to hit .256
Here are the probable players for Florida State that we’ll see over the weekend and their 2026 season stats:
Position Players
| Name (#) | Year | Position | 2026 Stats |
| John Stuetzer (9) | Freshman | LF | .279; 9 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 35 RBI; 11-15 SB |
| Brayden Down (16) | Junior | CF | .301; 12 2B, 8 HR, 30 RBI; 8-8 SB |
| Brody DeLamielleure (23) | RS Sophomore | RF | .326; 7 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 19 RBI; 1-2 SB |
| Hunter Carns (25) | Sophomore | C | .316; 11 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 25 RBI; 2-2 SB |
| Nathan Cmeyla (21) | RS Senior | DH | .291; 6 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 24 RBI |
| Gabe Fraser (5) – (Arkansas) | Sophomore | SS | .350; 5 2B, 2 3B, 8 RBI; 6-6 SB |
| Eli Putnam (26) – (Davidson) | RS Senior | 1B | .217; 5 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 30 RBI; 2-3 SB |
| Cal Fisher (4) | Junior | 3B | .225; 8 2B, 2 HR, 24 RBI; 1-1 SB |
| Carter McCulley (2) | Senior | 2B | .239; 7 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI; 1-1 SB |
| Reserves To Know: | |||
| Noah Sheffield (13) | Sophomore | OF | .245; 9 2B, 3 HR, 28 RBI; 2-2 SB |
| Chase Williams (1) | Junior | OF | .278; 6 2B, 3B, 12 RBI; 17-20 SB |
Starting Pitchers
| NAME (#) | Year | Hand | 2026 Stats |
| Wes Mendes (7) | Junior | LHP | 8-3; 2.25 ERA, 12 starts, 72 IP, 93 K, 21 BB; OppBA: .188 |
| Trey Beard (3) – (FAU) | Junior | LHP | 5-1; 5.13 ERA, 10 starts, 52.2 IP, 76 K, 21 BB; OppBA: .250 |
| Bryson Moore (30) | Junior | RHP | 5-1; 4.41 ERA, 11 starts, 49 IP, 53 K, 23 BB; OppBA: .219 |
Final Thought
Three straight wins have changed the tone a bit around the program. The series victory over #20 Boston College gave Clemson confidence, and the road win over No. 8 Coastal Carolina backed it up. The Tigers have pitched better, played cleaner defensively and looked much more connected offensively over the last week, doing whatever it takes to manufacture runs.
Now comes another major test with No. 12 Florida State coming to town for the weekend.
For Coach Bakich, this upcoming weekend is another opportunity to show progress. Clemson has spent much of the year searching for consistency, but the recent adjustments on the mound and the renewed energy throughout the lineup have started to produce results. The challenge now becomes sustaining it against one of the conference’s best teams.
This weekend also feels important for postseason positioning and confidence. Clemson has put itself back into conversations that felt far away just a couple weeks ago. Another strong showing against a nationally ranked opponent would go a long way toward reshaping how this season is viewed heading into the final stretch.
And if the Tigers can deliver a Sunday win, it would probably make for a pretty solid Mother’s Day gift for Clemson moms everywhere. At minimum, it would save a few families from having a sad family dinner.
Game times this weekend are Friday at 6pm EST, Saturday at 6pm EST and Sunday at 3pm EST at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Go Tigers.
