Where Clemson is Projected to Land in the NCAA Tournament

We're now past the halfway point for the College Baseball season as the Clemson Tigers have played 30 of their 56 contests, and with that comes NCAA Tournament projections.

After starting 15-1 on the year, it's been a rough stretch for the Tigers and head coach Erik Bakich, with the team dropping seven of its last eight and winning just four of its last 14. That skid has Clemson sitting at 19-11 overall and 2-7 in ACC play, second-to-last in the conference, and has led to some harsh projections.

It's been nearly two weeks since the Tigers were left off in D1 Baseball's Top 25 rankings, dropping from No. 11 to unranked within just one week. And with performances only getting worse since then, Clemson sits "On the bubble," in the "Four to watch" category alongside Baylor, Arkansas State and Louisiana.

Baseball America, which kept Clemson in the polls just one week longer than D1, put the Tigers in essentially the same category. They have the program sitting in the "Next Four Out" category, alongside TCU, UAB and Tennessee.

When looking at the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), which essentially ranks teams based on how good they are and how tough their schedule is, Clemson is modest at best, sitting at No. 36.

Additionally, looking over their quadrant wins doesn't help their situation. The Tigers are 3-9 against quadrant one teams, 0-1 against quadrant two teams and 16-1 against quadrant three/four teams.

Considering Clemson hasn't missed an NCAA Tournament since the 2021-22 season — which was before Bakich's arrival — this recent slide is out of the ordinary. Especially for a program that has hosted a regional in each of the past three years, won the ACC in 2023 and reached its first Super Regional since 2010 just two years ago.

Nevertheless, Bakich hopes to turn the tide soon.

"Believe me, the coaches are doing everything we can," Bakich said after their 15-4 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday. "The players are doing everything they can. Right now, it's just not good enough. It's on me to find the solution… I need to be better."

Clemson Baseball will look to bounce back this weekend, traveling to Stanford, California, for a three-game road series against the Cardinal. The West Coast program sits at 13-13 overall and just above the Tigers in the ACC with a 3-6 record. Safe to say, this matchup could either shift momentum or deepen Clemson's current slide.