On Sunday, the Clemson Tiger baseball program took home their first ACC Tournament Championship since 2016. It marks the fourth ACC Championship for the Clemson athletic department this year.

The continued success of the Clemson athletic department is something that first-year head coach Erik Bakich and his players are eager to contribute to.

“It’s the best of best,” Bakich said. “Graham Neff and his team have assembled some unbelievable coaches. It all starts with Dabo and his staff and just the bar that they’ve set of national championships.”

Bakich continues the tradtition of Clemson baseball coaches winning the ACC Championship in their first season at the helm, joining Bill Wilhelm, Jack Leggett and Monte Lee.

“I think it’s something we all strive to do as coaches,” Bakich said. “To be a part of an athletic powerhouse as a college coach, this is what you want. You want to be a part of excellence.”

The emergence of Caden Grice as one of the nation’s best two-way stars has been one of the main factors in Clemson’s success in year one under Bakich. The 2023 ACC Tournament marked the first time in his three seasons that the Tigers advanced past pool play.

“I think it means everything,” Grice said. “It means everything to us, everything to Clemson. Clemson is a championship school and that trophy is where it belongs now, but we’ve worked for it from day one in the fall to now and it’s awesome.”

The Tigers officially clinched their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they will almost certainly be a top-eight national seed.