What Erik Bakich said after Clemson baseball's loss to Miami in Game 1
Clemson suffered its fifth straight loss after Miami beat the Tigers on March 26. Here's what Clemson coach Erik Bakich said about the skid.
CLEMSON — Before Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich did his postgame interview, his voice echoed out of the Tigers' dugout The often-optimistic coach was frustrated talking with his players after Clemson lost 8-3 to Miami in extra innings of Game 1 of a three-game series on March 26 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. "The players on the field and everybody have to, at some point, say 'Enough is enough,'" Bakich said. "...
We have no one to blame but ourselves. We're not getting screwed. " Clemson (18-9, 1-6 ACC) is on a five-game losing streak, the longest in Bakich's Tigers tenure, and has lost Game 1 of every ACC series this season.
He became Clemson's coach ahead of the 2023 season. The Tigers are in uncharted territory under Bakich as the team struggles to hit with runners in scoring position and continue to commit errors. Clemson was 3 of 13 with runners in scoring position against Miami (20-6, 3-4), including striking out twice in the sixth inning with players on second and third base with one out and in the ninth with batters on second and third with two outs.
The Tigers also committed two errors, which extended their ACC lead to 37. Their biggest came in the 10th inning when Miami scored three runs after Daniel Cuvet hit a two-out bases-loaded chopper along the left-field line that went past third baseman Tryston McCladdie, who was charged with an error. "We're not panicking, but the urgency button is all the way smashed down because we need to correct our mistakes and stop making the same stupid mistakes over and over," Bakich said.