After dropping two out of three at home to Miami over the weekend, Clemson fell to just 2-7 in ACC play.
The Tigers, who have now dropped nine of their past 13 games, will once again hit the road for a few games, beginning with a stop in Charlotte for a neutral-site contest against Wake Forest. The game will not count in the conference standings. Clemson is the visiting team and will be in the third-base dugout.
“We need to get better, and we all know it,” head coach Erik Bakich said after the series finale loss to Miami. “We know what our deficiencies are. We’ve been working hard on defense. Our defense got a little bit better each of the last two games. Just going to put our heads down and go to work. We’ll get there.”
“Obviously, this is not the start to ACC play that anybody wanted. But it’s not how you start, as we all know, it’s how you finish. And we ain’t exactly finished well the last few years. So, we will see how this plays out. But I can tell you the belief system among the team, which is all that matters, is good. Because if they didn’t believe, we’d be screwed, and there is belief on that team.”
After taking two out of three to move to 6-6 in league play, the Demon Deacons fell on the road to High Point on Tuesday, getting shut out 1-0.
GAME SETUP
• Who – Clemson (19-10) vs. Wake Forest (20-8)
• Best Ranking – CU – NR; WFU – NR
• When – Wednesday (6:30 p.m.)
• Where – Charlotte, N.C. (Truist Field)
• Watch – ACC Network Extra
• Video Announcer – Ty Collins
• Listen (Radio) – Clemson Athletic Network (locally on WCCP (105.5 FM))
• Listen (Internet) – ClemsonTigers.com
SERIES HISTORY
• Overall Record – Clemson leads 144-67-1 (1901-2025)
• Record at Neutral – Clemson leads 15-4 (1950-16)
Freshman standout Dylan Harrison (1-0) gets the nod for Clemson, his fourth start of the season. The right-hander has been a bright spot for the Tigers, and he comes in with an impressive 1.47 ERA and a WHIP of 0.94. He’s struck out 13, while issuing just four walks in 18.1 innings pitched.
Wake counters with Rhys Bowie (1-1). The lefty has made 10 appearances this season, but this will be just his second start. Bowie has an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.68. In 16.2 innings pitched, the southpaw has struck out 27 with 13 walks.
CLEMSON OVERVIEW
• Clemson, which has a 2-1 neutral record on the season, won one of three home contests against Miami (Fla.) last weekend.
• The Tigers are averaging 6.8 runs per game and hitting .293 with a .475 slugging percentage, .397 on-base percentage and 27 steals.
• The pitching staff has a 3.70 ERA, .212 opponents’ batting average and 3.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Clemson is fielding .961.
WAKE FOREST OVERVIEW
• Wake Forest, which has a 2-1 neutral record and is averaging 8.1 runs per game, is led by 17th-year Head Coach Tom Walter.
• Heading into the Tuesday game against High Point, the Demon Deacons were hitting .295 and had a 4.84 ERA and .968 fielding percentage.
• Javar Williams is hitting .363 with 20 steals, Luke Costello has nine homers and Evan Jones has a team-high two saves.
QUICK HITS
• Clemson is scheduled to play only four home games in April, its fewest in April (with the exception of 2020) since it played three in 1964.
• Clemson is 10-0 when scoring first and 11-0 when scoring in the first inning in 2026.
VEASEY VYING FOR INNINGS
• Junior righty Ariston Veasey has been one of the team’s best relievers in his first season in the program in 2026.
• He is 0-0 with an 0.00 ERA, .114 opponents’ batting average and 16 strikeouts against four walks in 10.2 innings pitched.
• He has made seven relief appearances
• He has not allowed an extra-base hit.
• He has allowed one hit, no runs and two walks with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched over three outings in ACC regular-season games.
Clemson Athletics contributed to this story