How Erik Bakich's bold decision helped Clemson baseball win series vs Boston College
Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich moved Aidan Knaak from a Game 1 starter to a Game 3 one. Here's why Bakich's decided to make the change.
CLEMSON — Erik Bakich shook up Clemson baseball 's starting pitching rotation, and his move led to bountiful results. He moved ace pitcher Aidan Knaak from a Game 1 starter to a Game 3 instead, swapping places with Dane Moehler. It was Knaak's first time not being the starting pitcher of a series in the regular season since his freshman year in 2024.
Bakich's decision came as Clemson is a longshot to make the NCAA Tournament and the Tigers have lost six conference series. The move helped Clemson beat No. 19 Boston College 4-3 in the series finale on May 3 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
It was the Tigers' second ACC series win and the first at home, and Clemson (28-20, 8-16 ACC) achieved it after dropping the series opener. "We shuffled some things up, and it worked," Bakich said May 3. "That's what we were hoping for.
It's one thing to have a plan. It's another thing to execute it, and today, (Knaak) looked good. " Bakich mixed up the rotation with hopes of Clemson getting hot to close the regular season and make the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season.