CLEMSON — Erik Bakich wants his Clemson team to know the Florida team that won the Stillwater, Oklahoma Regional last weekend, is the team they are. They are not the team that struggled to be consistent during the regular season and had a 28-27 record entering the NCAA Tournament.
“Their record in the regular season means absolutely nothing,” Bakich said Friday as the No. 6 overall seeded Tigers get set to host Florida in Game 1 of the Clemson Super Regional Saturday (2 p.m.) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. “All that matters is they won the regional and they are playing well. There were a lot of people unsure they were going to get in. They got in and that can be a mentally freeing type of feeling.
“I am sure they feel like they have house money and they capitalized on that in the regional. They are hot and coming in here with a lot of confidence and it is going to be a huge challenge for us, especially given the caliber of their players.”
Clemson (44-14) also comes into the Clemson Super Regional playing with confidence and house money. The Tigers ended a 14-year drought last weekend when they ran through the Clemson Regional with a 3-0 record.
Clemson had not won a NCAA Regional since 2010.
The Tigers got a walk-off win against High Point in their first game and then scored late to beat Coastal Carolina in the second game. Then a six-run eighth inning lifted Clemson past Coastal Carolina in the regional finals.
Prior to the Clemson Regional, they rallied from six runs down to beat Louisville in walk-off fashion in the ACC Tournament.
“Our guys are feeling good. They are fired up,” Bakich said. “Everyone is confident who has made it to this level. Everyone is coming off a regional championship. How could you not be confident?
“We feel especially confident because our guys have been consistent. Not just this season, but Day 1 in the fall. What they have done off the field, as well as on the field and how they have competed in the classroom and how they have served the community, as well as the consistency.
“Maybe not every week. We’ve had a couple of slip ups here and there, but our guys from a preparation standpoint have been hyper competitive and ultra consistent.”
Florida (32-28) went 4-1 in the Stillwater Regional, beating Nebraska and Oklahoma State twice. The Gators also took two of three at No. 7 national seed Georgia to close the regular season.
Winning two of three at Georgia and then winning two straight at Oklahoma State means the Gators will not be intimidated by Clemson’s packed Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
“Oklahoma State was outstanding… It was a hostile environment, but we played three games in about twenty-eight hours. I think it has been well scripted that we have underachieved this year,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We played a really difficult schedule, and we played in some really tough places – Arkansas, LSU, we played Florida State three times.
“You look up and down our schedule there are quite a few places that are difficult to play at and I think that helped prepare us for last week.”
Clemson Super Regional Schedule
Saturday
Game 1: Florida vs. Clemson, 2 p.m., ESPN. (Clemson will be the designated home team)
Sunday
Game 2: Clemson vs. Florida, 2:30 p.m., ESPN (Florida will be the designated home team)
Monday
Game 3: Florida vs. Clemson, if necessary, time and TV TBD, (Clemson will be the designated home team)
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