Clemson Baseball Climbs National Rankings for Second Straight Week

Clemson Baseball had an eventful weekend, defeating the rival South Carolina Gamecocks in the annual Palmetto Series, 2-1. While they dropped their first contest of the year in game one, the team still made a jump in this week's rankings.

The Tigers have risen one spot, landing at No. 14 in D1 Baseball's Week 3 rankings, which were released on Monday morning.

They remain the fourth-highest ranked team in the ACC, still sitting behind Georgia Tech (No. 5), North Carolina (No. 8) and NC State (No. 13). Trailing Clemson are Wake Forest at No. 15, Florida State at No. 20 and Miami at No. 24 — who dropped seven spots following a series loss to No. 9 Florida.

🆕 D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: Week 3
(Presented by @NettingPros)

Who's too high? Too low?

🔗 https://t.co/onJPtNJ29p pic.twitter.com/RMFyNeoSRH
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) March 2, 2026

(Note: Baseball America moved Clemson down one spot, sliding the team to No. 15)

Clemson's week three started with a clean, easy game against Presbyterian College, as the Tigers defeated the Blue Hose 6-2, with three different pitchers making their 2026 debuts.

Those included Alabama transfer Ariston Veasey, true freshman Peyton Miller and veteran Noah Samol. Following the first five innings of work from two-way player Dylan Harrison and Eston Simpson — who allowed just two hits combined — the trio finished out the majority of the game and impressed.

The bats were relatively cold in the contest, though, as the Tigers hit seven-of-30 (.233), with four of those coming from infielders Tryston McCladdie and Jarren Purify, who both had a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs.

Clemson's lack of offensive momentum carried over into the first game of the Palmetto Series, as the team totaled just three hits in 31 at-bats.

The defense didn't look all too great either, as starter Aidan Knaak and reliever Justin LeGuernic let up five earned runs and five walks apiece. Not to mention Jarren Purify and Tyler Lichtenberger each had an error in the contest, which led to two more runs.

However, the series took a sharp turn on Saturday. Tennessee transfer Michael Sharman has been the most effective arm to start the year — and continued that trend in game two — as he pitched arguably the greatest game in Palmetto Series history.

The 6-foot-1 lefty was nothing short of masterful, tossing a complete game on just 78 pitches while allowing four hits, one earned run and punching out four batters across nine innings.

He attacked the zone all afternoon, landing 86% of his pitches for strikes and never exceeding 11 pitches in any single inning. The efficiency was staggering as well, with only 11 balls thrown the entire game. Following series end, Sharman was named the MVP of the rivalry series, as he was awarded with the Bob Bradley plaque.

Your 2026 Bob Bradley Award winner: @MichaelSharman7 pic.twitter.com/giiHpysjp6
— Clemson Baseball (@ClemsonBaseball) March 1, 2026

Beyond the individual brilliance, he gave the Clemson bullpen a massive favor, preserving every arm heading into Sunday's series-clincher.

Both sides of the ball clicked in the series finale, as the Tigers dominated the Gamecocks 7-2 to clinch their third straight Palmetto Series victory.

Clemson returns to action Wednesday, March 4, at 6:00 p.m. EST at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina, against Michigan State before heading back home to Doug Kingsmore this weekend for a home series against La Salle.