CLEMSON — Clemson went to the ACC Tournament wanting to leave no doubt about the worthiness of their postseason resume.
But after an 0-for-2 showing against No. 8-seeded North Carolina and No. 1 seed Virginia Tech, coach Monte Lee knows the Tigers left plenty of room for suspicion with the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
"As the head coach, I didn't do a good enough job of putting us in better position. I'm 100 percent accountable for how our team plays," Lee said. "We were right there but, ultimately, we didn't do some things that we needed to do, all in all, over the course of the season, to leave no doubt."
As college baseball teams across the country watch the NCAA Tournament field unveiled at noon on May 30, Clemson can't be all that sure about its fate. This could be the second year in a row the Tigers have missed the tournament — the first such stretch since the mid-1980s.
"We'll just have to see kind of how all the pieces of the puzzle fit across the country and what our resume looks like compared to some of the teams that are on the table," Lee said.
Let's break down Clemson's NCAA Tournament resume going into selection day, along with other teams from the state of South Carolina.
Clemson (35-23, 13-16 ACC)
RPI: 34
The Tigers were up and down in 2022 and rarely in the middle.
They started the season 14-0 in non-conference play, though it could be judged that Clemson didn't face the best competition. Indiana (RPI, No. 102), Hartford (279) and South Carolina (70) were the Tigers' three-game sets, though they did beat College of Charleston (No. 67).
But Clemson started ACC play in a 2-9 hole, digging out to just below-.500 with series wins over Wake Forest (6), Georgia Tech (21) and Florida State (29). Those impressive wins, along with two non-conference victories over Georgia (18) and one over Wofford (30), are points in the Tigers' favor.
But, again, there was very little middle ground for Clemson. Losing to UNC and Virginia Tech by scores of 9-2 and 18-6, respectively, ended the season with a thud. UNC did end up winning the tournament, which could help the Tigers. But a second non-conference loss to Coastal Carolina on May 17 — the Tigers lost to the Chants by a combined score of 33-9 — could also be fresh on the committee's mind.
Clemson was playing well late — and then it just wasn't anymore.
Prognosticators seem to think this mix of highs and lows will land Clemson on the outside looking in. D1Baseball doesn't have the Tigers among the 64 in the field, nor the "first four out." Baseball America's latest projection has the Tigers first among the teams in the "next four out" category.
Both D1Baseball and Baseball America have 10 ACC teams in the field. Losing both games in the ACC tourney as the No. 12 seed probably won't convince the committee to make Clemson the 11th ACC program in the tourney.
Coastal Carolina (36-18-1, 21-8-1 Sun Belt)
RPI: 31
The Sun Belt's conference tournament was shifted to a single-elimination format due to postponements, and No. 3-seeded Coastal Carolina got the short end of the stick in a first-round loss to No. 6 seed Troy.
During the regular season, Coastal Carolina swept Troy.
Despite that letdown, the bracketologists think the Chanticleers have done enough. Baseball America has listed Coastal Carolina as a No. 3 seed in the Greenville, N.C. (East Carolina) regional. D1Baseball recently had the Chants as a No. 3 seed heading to UNC's regional in Chapel Hill.
UNC swept Coastal Carolina in March, but the score was 4-3 twice. The Chants also beat Wake Forest 4-3, along with pairs of wins over Clemson and College of Charleston. Coastal Carolina also won series over Georgia Southern (RPI No. 8) and South Alabama (73).
Those results should give the Chants the benefit of the doubt.
Wofford (42-14-1, 16-4-1 Southern)
RPI: 30
After losing to Wofford in the opening round of the Southern Conference tournament, No. 4-seeded UNC Greensboro needed to beat the No. 1-seeded Terriers twice on May 29 to win the whole thing.
And the Spartans did just that.
The losses were decisive, as well, as Wofford lost 10-2 and 12-2. The question is whether those blows will bounce the Terriers from the NCAA Tournament or whether they will steal another at-large bid from a team like Clemson.
Before the Southern Conference title game, D1Baseball and Baseball America had Wofford in the field. The Terriers were the No. 3 seed in East Carolina's regional, while Baseball America sent Wofford to Blacksburg, Va., as a No. 2.
Such praise as a No. 2 seed would seem to indicate Wofford had some room for error. Whether or not two losses to UNC Greensboro wiped away all of that cushion, everyone will just have to see.
College of Charleston (37-19, 19-5 CAA)
RPI: 67
Bowing out of the CAA tourney via losses to Northeastern made it unlikely the College of Charleston will be in the postseason. The Cougars' RPI is good but not great, and while they were atop the CAA standings to finish the regular season, it's not expected there will be room for multiple CAA teams.
D1Baseball and Baseball America both list Hofstra as a No. 4 seed in their projections but fail to find a place for CofC in the field.