CLEMSON — Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich has long lived by the philosophy of “Good.”
“Good,” in the vocabulary of retired Navy Seal Jocko Willink, is something you say whenever something “bad” happens.
Stranded in enemy territory? Good, you’ve trained to fight your way out.
Short on supplies? Good, you’re smart enough to survive with what you have.
Get swept by N.C. State and tumble to fifth in the ACC standings? Good, because it’s better No. 3 Clemson have its rough patch in April than May or June.
The Tigers (36-10, 13-8 ACC) will hope the latter was, truly, just a bump in their road to Omaha. Bakich, of all people, isn’t losing faith in a team that scrapped its way to 36 wins in its first 43 games, taking its first six conference series.
There’s nothing more in line with Clemson’s “Good” mantra than following a sweep in Raleigh with a trip to Tallahassee to face No. 5 Florida State. But some things need to flip for the Tigers to get back in the win column sooner than later.
Knaak’s command
It’s not that Aidan Knaak didn’t throw strikes in his last outing in Raleigh, N.C., but the Tigers’ sophomore ace was just a tad off.
After the Wolfpack opened with a one-out single, and then another single, and then a double to score a run, Knaak got behind 3-1 and 2-0 to his next two hitters. The latter ripped a single to turn a one-run inning into three.
He walked the leadoff batter in the second frame and sent him to second on a wild pitch. A bunt and a sacrifice fly brought in a fourth run.
N.C. State, which finished with 11 hits and eight runs off of Knaak in four innings, is definitely scorching hot. At the same time, Knaak can miss more bats.
