It’s that time of year once again, as Carolina and Clemson prepare to duke it out on the baseball diamond. However, this year, Clemson appears far more vulnerable than usual.
Clemson has lost their past 4 matchups, as they were swept by UCF last weekend and were defeated by USC Upstate on Tuesday. To make matters worse for the Tigers, they will be without their ace, Ryan Ammons, at least until Sunday, but potentially for the entire series.
Needless to say, Clemson will be limping into this matchup against a Carolina team that has looked red hot. With everything considered, South Carolina fans should expect a sweep this weekend. Right? Well… not exactly.
Carolina has never had the easiest time sweeping the Tigers. South Carolina’s last sweep over Clemson came in 2014. Nearly 10 years ago. Before then, the Gamecocks hadn’t swept the Tigers since 2008. Needless to say, sweeps over Clemson aren’t all that common for the Yardcocks. Even if Carolina ends up winning the series, the Tigers have almost always managed to steal a game.
Another issue is that Clemson will more than likely be playing full throttle this weekend. The tigers have already been swept and have lost a midweek game this season. Morale is low, and many fans have already thrown in the towel on the season.
Do you now expect the Tigers to lay down and allow South Carolina to steamroll them? Absolutely not. Especially not in a rivalry of this caliber. They’ll definitely give Carolina a fight all three games.
Recall Carolina’s series win over Texas last season. Before the series, they were swept by Clemson, and embarrassed in their midweek game right after. As a result, they played with nothing to lose, and wound up beating the 1st ranked Longhorns.
Am I saying Clemson is guaranteed to come with that exact same fire? No, but it’s certainly possible.
Now, with that being said, I do not see Clemson winning the series. Carolina, looks a lot better, and the Tigers look like they’ll be in serious trouble this season. However, I do expect the Tigers to steal one game in the series.
I believe Carolina is capable, of the sweep, I believe they should get the sweep, I want them to get the sweep, but I have Clemson taking one game and Carolina taking the series 2-1. It just isn’t as clear cut as, “South Carolina looks much better than Clemson this season so they’ll win all three games.”
Would love to be wrong, and I hope the boys prove me wrong this weekend and get the broomsticks out. As always, Go Cocks!