How Clemson baseball proved its slump is truly over after ACC Tournament win vs NC State

Clemson baseball's Jacob Jarrell observed NC State relief pitcher Anderson Nance from the dugout then the on-deck circle.The junior watched the right-hander strikeout Josh Paino and force a groundout against Dominic Listi, relying on the fastball.

When it was Jarrell's at-bat, he knew what to pounce on.

He took two balls, hit a ball foul and took another ball before crushing a fastball for a projected 407-feet solo home run."I just saw the pitch and swung," Jarrell said.

"...

I watch guys in front of me like Dom Listi and Josh Paino, so having them in front of me, especially Josh a lot of teams pitch Josh the same they pitch me," Jarrell said.Jarrell's home run helped No.

5 seed Clemson beat No.

4 NC State 7-6 on May 22 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Durham, North Carolina, at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Tigers (43-15) face No.

1 Georgia Tech on May 24 (1 p.m.

ET, ACC Network) in the semifinals, and the winner will advance to the championship.Jarrell was one of nine Clemson batters to record a hit and was among five batters to have multi-hit games and contribute to its 16-hits total.

Cam Cannarella, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, extended his hitting streak to 17 games after recording four hits.

Other hitters supported the Clemson star, including Jack Crighton (three hits with a triple), Andrew Ciufo (two hits with two RBIs) and Jarrell (two hit with three RBI).Clemson achieved double-digit hits for the fifth straight game, which Tigers coach Erik Bakich believes is a recipe for success when multiple players contribute in games."(Cannarella's) the guy you want up when the game's on the line and want the ball to hit to win the game's on the line, but the contributions up and down the lineup, that's when we're at our best," Bakich said.

"When it's not just one or two guys, but it's nine guys."Clemson's play was a complete change from when it faced NC State (33-19), a team that swept them and began its late-season struggles when it lost eight of 10 games.

In their three-game series, the Tigers scored eight runs, recorded 20 hits, were 5-for-39 (.128) with runners on base and 1-for-21 (.048) with runners in scoring position and struck out 32 times.In this standalone tournament game, Clemson scored seven runs, recorded 16 hits, batted 8-for-21 (.381) with runners on and 5-for-11 (.455) with runners in scoring position and struck out 13 times.Clemson played with more confidence and energy, having lively at-bats and making critical hits with runners on base.

Ciufo and Jarren Purify both hit RBI singles on squeeze bunts in the fifth inning.

It also put together a three-run eighth inning capped off by Ciufo's go-ahead one-out RBI single.Clemson needed a win against an NCAA Tournament-caliber team after losing three straight conference series and a midweek game to teams projected to make the field of 64.

Sweeping Pitt to close the regular season and beating Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament second round were needed wins, but both are not projected to make the NCAA Tournament.Clemson's continued offensive brilliance against NC State proved its slump is truly over, and it has rounded back into form after winning its fifth straight game."Our guys fought through it and got back up stronger and playing better baseball than ever before," Bakich said.

"It doesn't have to be perfect, but it certainly feels right, looks right, and this looks like an even more confident bunch."Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network.

Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball: How Tigers proved their slump is over in NC State win.

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