Clemsonbaseball’s disappointing 2026 season officially came to a close Tuesday as Notre Dame held off the Tigers for a 5-4 win in the opening round of the ACC Tournament at Truist Field in Charlotte.
The loss ended any remaining NCAA Tournament hopes for the 15th-seeded Tigers, who needed an ACC title run to reach the postseason after a rough regular season. Instead, Clemson wrapped up the year at 31-26 overall and dropped six of its final eight games.
For the first time since Erik Bakich arrived in Clemson, the Tigers will not be headed to a regional. Clemson’s 10-20 ACC record was the worst conference finish in school history, continuing a dramatic slide after the team opened the season 15-1.
Notre Dame jumped ahead almost immediately when leadoff hitter Drew Berkland sent the second pitch of the afternoon over the wall in right field for a solo homer.
Clemson answered in the third inning. Tyler Lichtenberger tied the game with a leadoff blast to right before Tryston McCladdie delivered an RBI triple later in the frame to briefly move the Tigers in front 2-1.
That momentum disappeared quickly.
The Irish responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, including a game-tying homer from Bino Watters and an RBI double off the bat of Jayce Lee to reclaim the lead.
Notre Dame starter Jake Radel once again frustrated Clemson’s lineup. After shutting the Tigers out earlier this season, the left-hander delivered another strong performance by allowing only two runs while striking out eight over 6.1 innings.
Clemson starter Michael Sharman struck out eight as well, matching a career-high, but Notre Dame’s power at the plate proved to be the difference. Lee added another insurance run in the sixth with a solo homer that pushed the Irish lead to 4-2.
The Tigers tried to claw back late behind solo home runs from Bryce Clavon in the seventh and Jacob Jarrell in the ninth.
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Jarrell’s blast cut the deficit to one and gave Clemson life with two outs in the final inning. Lichtenberger followed with a single to bring the tying run aboard, but the comeback ended there as Clavon struck out to finish the game.
The season-ending loss felt fitting for a Clemson team that struggled all year in comeback situations. The Tigers finished 0-20 when trailing after eight innings and managed only three wins all season when behind after six.
Notre Dame, now 31-21, advanced to face Virginia Tech Hokies in the next round while Clemson heads into an offseason filled with questions after one of the most disappointing seasons the program has had in decades.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson’s season over, drop ACC Tournament heartbreaker to Notre Dame