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Clemson Baseball Pulls Off Shock Upset in ACC Tournament Semifinals

The Clemson Tigers punched their ticket to the ACC Championship game with a shocking upset of the tournament's top seed.
Jacob Moss|
Clemson catcher Jacob Jarrell (9) hits a home run against University of Louisville during the bottom of the fifth inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadum in Clemson, S.C. Friday, April 18, 2025. The home run broke up a no-hitter and helped the Tigers win 2-1.
Clemson catcher Jacob Jarrell (9) hits a home run against University of Louisville during the bottom of the fifth inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadum in Clemson, S.C. Friday, April 18, 2025. The home run broke up a no-hitter and helped the Tigers win 2-1. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers baseball team punched their ticket to the ACC Tournament championship game on Saturday afternoon after pulling off a shocking 9-4 upset of the top-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the semifinals of the single-elimination tournament.

After falling down 3-0 early, the Tigers' bats exploded for a five-run third inning and rode that momentum down the stretch to secure the upset win.

Junior slugger Jacob Jarrell was the spark that ignited Clemson's offense, as his grand slam in the third is what firmly swung momentum back in the Tigers' favor.

The Clemson bullpen was also phenomenal once again, coming in and tossing 5.1 innings on one-run baseball that completely shut down a dangerous Yellow Jackets lineup. Lefty Jacob McGovern was the hero on the mound, allowing just one hit and no runs over his four innings of relief work.

The fact that Clemson is playing for their second ACC title in three years is a development that seemed almost impossible just two weeks ago. The Tigers faltered down the stretch of their brutal schedule, limping into the ACC tournament just looking to avoid a first-round upset.

Head coach Erik Bakich has rallied his guys, though, and Clemson is once again playing like the elite program that took the nation by storm over the first two months of the season.

Now, the Tigers will eagerly await the result of this evening's second semifinal matchup between the Florida State Seminoles and North Carolina Tar Heels.

Both potential opponents are sure to present a massive challenge in Sunday afternoon's championship final. Clemson has yet to face the Tar Heels this year, but the Seminoles have already handed the Tigers two regular-season losses.

With the way Clemson is playing right now, though, they're sure to give whoever their opponent ends up being a massive fight.

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Jacob Moss
JACOB MOSS

Georgia native and avid Atlanta sports fan who has lived in the Charlotte area for the past eight years. Got started writing about sports for my middle school paper and haven’t stopped since. Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and proud 49er. Passionate sports writer who has covered everything from high school soccer to the NFL for several prominent outlets including the Charlotte Observer, ESPN, and the Carolina Panthers. Also covered the South Carolina Gamecocks football program as the lead beat writer for Last Word on College Football, and was a contributing writer for several other notable online publications such as Yardbarker. Lives and breathes sports and will watch whatever is on or in season. Favorite teams include the Braves, Hawks, Falcons, and Georgia Bulldogs. Massive Jordan Speith and Rory McIlroy fan on the PGA Tour

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