Erik Bakich says there was no 'secret sauce' to Clemson's ACC Tournament win
Everybody wants the easy way to success. The six-minute ab routine. The job hack. The secret sauce. Clemson baseball head coach Erik Bakich insists none of these were involved in Clemson’s shocking ACC Championship victory.
The Clemson Tigers began the season 17-14. They started conference play 2-8. They entered the ACC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Now, they’re boasting their first conference title since 2016. The glamorous result is a product of gritty work.
“To the players’ credit, they did not deviate. They did not buckle. They did not get rattled, not for one second,” Bakich said following his team’s win over No. 4 seed Miami in the ACC Championship.
The players weren’t the only ones who refused to give up on the season. Bakich joined the program on June 16, 2022, after coaching at Michigan for 10 seasons prior. He’s already earned a reverence for the program that comes with years of experience.
“There was no secret sauce, magic pill. It was just dirty hard work,” Bakich said. “I will always be forever grateful to them for that.”
Save the gratefulness for after season. The NCAA announced on Monday, the Tigers are the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host Lipscomb, Charlotte and Tennessee in their regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Finishing at No. 12 in the country, Tennessee is Clemson’s clear-cut competition in regional play. Clemson did not face Tennessee or Lipscomb earlier this season. However, the Tigers did handily defeat Charlotte 9-5 on Feb. 21.
Now, it’s time to step up when it matters most. Clemson left-handed pitcher Caden Grice is confident his team will do just that.
“We got a bunch of good guys. A bunch of dogs one through nine,” Grice said. “There’s no quit in anybody, not in the bunker, not in the lineup. They really make it easy and they’re really behind you the whole game. It’s super special what we have.”