Clemson baseball’s biggest game of year, postseason on line vs. FSU

Clemson baseball’s postseason hopes are still hanging by a thread, but Saturday’s 4-3 comeback win over No. 12 Florida State gave the Tigers exactly what they needed most, another meaningful late-season victory. After falling behind 3-0 early, Clemson responded with four unanswered runs and leaned on a dominant relief appearance from freshman Danny Nelson along with a huge day at the plate from Jarren Purify to even the series heading into Sunday’s rubber match.

The Tigers entered the weekend needing to build a real postseason case, and while their ACC record still leaves little room for error, Saturday’s result kept that opportunity alive. Clemson has now won four of its last five games, with every victory coming against ranked opponents, showing the kind of late momentum the selection committee tends to notice. A series win over Florida State on Sunday would be massive for Clemson’s NCAA Tournament chances.

It would give the Tigers consecutive ACC series wins and another résumé-building victory against a top-15 opponent at a point in the season where every game matters. The outlook still is not perfect. Clemson sits at 30-21 overall and 9-17 in ACC play, meaning there is still work left to do entering the final stretch of the regular season.

But compared to where things stood just a couple of weeks ago, the Tigers have at least given themselves a fighting chance. Purify played a major role in making sure that chance survived Saturday. The junior second baseman drove in three runs, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning that finally sparked Clemson’s offense after the Tigers were held hitless through the first three frames.