How to Watch Clemson Baseball's ACC Tournament Opener, Path to Long Shot NCAA Tournament Bid

Head coach Erik Bakich and the Clemson baseball team need to go on a run if they want to continue the season. Here's how you can watch that journey begin.

Clemson head coach Erik Bakich is projected to miss his first NCAA Tournament since being hired in 2023. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are in dire straits on the baseball diamond, but there’s one more opportunity for the team to make a last-minute push to the NCAA Tournament. 

Next week, the ACC Tournament will commence at Truist Field in Charlotte, beginning on Tuesday. Clemson will play that day as the No. 15 seed in the conference, playing Notre Dame, the No. 10 seed. 

Let the games begin 🏆

The bracket for the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship is set.

🎟️ Champ Info: https://t.co/c2EvuqLmWC pic.twitter.com/FBIBKOJXUI

— ACC Baseball (@ACCBaseball) May 17, 2026

The game will be the third game of the first-round schedule, with the Tigers narrowly avoiding a difficult 9 a.m. start time assigned to the worst seed in the conference. Instead, that was given to the Duke Blue Devils. 

Head coach Erik Bakich has had a season to forget in 2026, one that many analysts believed would see Clemson go to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time in over a decade. Despite a strong start, the Tigers have gone 10-20 in ACC play and finished the season 31-25. It’s tied for the most conference losses that the program has had in an ACC campaign. 

Yet, all of that is wiped away this week. 

Clemson’s path is simple: winning the ACC Tournament will most likely be the only way for the Tigers to get into the 64-team tournament. Similar to how it is in other conference tournaments, if you win it all, you get an automatic bid into the postseason tournament. 

However, it’s not an easy path. 

The Tigers were swept by the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana, back in March. Clemson’s second ACC series finished in a 6-0, 8-7 and 7-4 sweep, respectively, across the weekend. Not only will Bakich’s group be fighting for a late-opening spot, but Notre Dame is also not in the field just yet, according to 11Point7.

Keep an eye out for Clemson’s pitching during Tuesday’s game. Notre Dame is ranked in the top 40 in batting average and 60th in runs per game. The Tigers must play smart defense, something that they have struggled with throughout the season, to move on to play on Wednesday. 

The winner would play No. 7 seed Virginia Tech in the next game, which Clemson just faced this past weekend. The Tigers lost the first two games against the Hokies before winning 10-8 to close out the regular season. Virginia Tech knows how to win games in conference play, going .500 to get its respective seed. 

As if things get better after that, they don’t. No. 2 North Carolina awaits the winner of that on the double-bye. The Tar Heels are considered one of the best teams in the country, but they had their hands full with Clemson back in April. The Tigers took the first game of the series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, but North Carolina used a 14-inning win in the second contest to end up winning the series that Sunday, 12-5. 

Bakich believes that there is momentum on the Tigers’ side, especially after a bounce-back win this past Saturday against Virginia Tech. 

“Credit to the guys,” he said after the game. “They were up for the challenge and a much-needed win for us, and much-needed momentum going into next week."

How to Watch Clemson Tigers Baseball vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

When: Tuesday, May 19, 5 p.m.

Where: Truist Field, Charlotte, N.C. 

Watch: ACC Network

Listen: Clemson Athletic Network