The idea that tensions would rise to that extreme between himself and current Clemson coach Erik Bakich seems impossible to Mainieri. Though the first-year USC coach admitted he didn’t know Bakich much, they have a great mutual friend in East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin, who has always said great things about Bakich, his former college teammate.

Clemson baseball is off to a 10-1 start, including a weekend sweep of South Carolina. The first three games of the season set the tone.

Clemson head coach Erik Bakich didn’t hesitate when asked about the upcoming rivalry series against South Carolina.“It’s the best rivalry in college baseball, bar-none,” Bakich said Tuesday after the Tigers’ win over Winthrop.

A three-run homer from Collin Priest in the eighth inning helped Clemson (10-1) break the game open, while Jarren Purify added an RBI single in the fifth. However, the biggest story of the day was the Tigers' pitching.

South Carolina and Clemson finished their three-game baseball series at Founders Park on Sunday night. The Gamecocks were swept for the 2nd time in 3 years.

Clemson moved to 10-1 on the 2025 college baseball season after sweeping rival South Carolina. Here's where the Tigers rank in the new Coaches Poll.

Collin Priest hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning Sunday night to pad a lead and Clemson baseball beat South Carolina, 8-2, at Founders Park to sweep the three-game series. Priest's towering blast to right field put the Tigers up,