The ACC announced on Wednesday that it was going away from the pool play format used in its baseball championship and moving to a single-elimination tournament to decide its baseball champion. The change will take effect beginning this season.
Clemson head baseball coach Erik Bakich was never the biggest fan of the pool play, which has been used since 2006. Pool play tends to lead to some teams having to play meaningless games before the start of the NCAA Tournament.
Back in 2023, ahead of his first appearance in the ACC Championship, Bakich himself went on record noting that was something he could not comprehend.
"I've never done it this way so people are saying there's games that don't matter and that just doesn't resonate," Bakich said at the time. "I have no comprehension of that kind of thinking."
The Tigers would go on to win the ACC Championship in Bakich's first season before being eliminated in the pool play round last year.
While Bakich would prefer a double-elimination style tournament to determine the ACC Champion, this move is a step in the right direction.
"I've never been a fan of pool play," Bakich said on Wednesday during the Shriners Children's Classic Showdown Zoom call. "I like tournaments that mirror the postseason. I'm more of a fan of whatever mirrors closer to double-elimination World Series tournaments."
However, no matter the format, Bakich insists when the time comes, his team will be ready.
"But I don't care," Bakich added. "We'll be happy to get in there and play it."
Clemson will open the season on Feb. 14 in Arlington, Texas by playing in the Shriners Children's College Showdown. The Tigers will face off with Oklahoma State that Friday, then play Arizona on Saturday. Clemson will finish the Showdown up by playing Ole Miss on Sunday.