Clemson's World Series Dreams in Peril After Dropping Game 1 Against Florida

The Clemson Tigers are in the midst of another great baseball season as they won 44 games for the second consecutive year and were able to host the regional tournament that took place last week.

Entering as the sixth-ranked team overall, there were major expectations placed upon this team to get to their first Super Regional since 2010.

That was also the last time Clemson made it to the College World Series, something they have had their eye on after making the NCAA Tournament 11 times since they made their last trip to Omaha.

This season was as good chance as any considering the dominance this program has had under new head coach Erik Bakich since he took over in 2023.

The Tigers made lightwork of their regional matchups, pulling off a viral moment that was the talk of the college baseball world even after everyone punched their tickets to the Super Regional round. When they drew Florida, a team with a 32-28 record who was the third seed in their region, this seemed like a great opportunity for them to get to the College World Series.

Early on in their game Saturday, it looked like that was the case.

Clemson led 3-0 after two innings and 4-1 after three.

Then, the fifth inning happened.

Florida put up seven runs in that frame alone to take a 9-4 lead, something they never looked back from on their way to taking Game 1 of this best-of-three matchup.

Left-handed pitcher Jacob McGovern was able to stifle the Gators after he was called upon in the sixth inning, only giving up one run, which was a homer in the ninth, during his four innings of work. He gave the Tigers a shot at making a comeback as they cut the deficit to two entering the final frame, but ultimately they couldn't pull it off as they lost 10-7.

Clemson is now facing an elimination game on Sunday with their College World Series hopes and dreams on the line.

It's been 14 years since they last punched their ticket to Omaha, and they're going to have to play their best baseball of the season to ensure they end this drought.