Thursday's tournament roundup

ACC
* I've been jumping on and off Clemson's NCAA Tournament bandwagon an almost game-by-game basis for the last couple of weeks. I think the Tigers' 3-2 victory over ACC regular-season champ Miami clinches a spot in the field of 64.

Where do they go and where will they be seeded? Who knows, and if you're a Clemson fan, who cares?

Daniel Gossett had another outstanding performance. With Gossett and Matthew Crownover pitching so well, Clemson will be a factor in any regional.

Right now, Clemson is two wins from an ACC Tournament championship. If the Tigers beat Georgia Tech on Friday, they're in Sunday's final. If they lose, Tech would get the head-to-head-edge. I don't know what the tiebreaker would be if Tech beats Clemson on Friday and Duke beats Miami on Saturday. If Clemson wins, there's no need to find out the tiebreaker. We also know Miami, already 0-2, cannot qualify to play in the championship game.

If you haven't seen it yet, click on the link below to see Jay Baum's superb defensive play to get an out. It's the type of play young baseball players dream of making when they grow up.
Defense

* Also, Maryland, making its first ACC Tournament appearance since 2005, beat nationally third-ranked Virginia, 7-6.  The Terrapins set a school single-season record for victories (35) and likely clinched an a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Also Duke upended Georgia Tech to stay in contention for the pool title.

SEC
* South Carolina had another wretched outing in the Southeastern Conference, losing Florida, 7-2, go 2-and-out in a span of about 17 hours.

The Gamecocks went to Hoover confident they could do enough to earn one of the top eight national seeds.  Instead, they looked deficient at the plate, on the mound, in the field and on the base paths. I think the Gamecocks are going to have to settle for a regional host spot, then hope the national seed they are paired against loses its regional in order for USC to be a super regional host. The operative word is think. Would the abysmal outing in Hoover knock the Gamecocks out of hosting at all?

Coach Chad Holbrook said afterward he wasn't sure what to expect on the national seed front, because he said selection committees seemed to  put more emphasis on conference tournament results some years than others.

The Gamecocks then headed back to Columbia where Holbrook planned two-a-day workouts over the weekend to try to get the team's focus back in time for the NCAAs.

* Also, Mississippi enhanced its host/national seed chances by eliminating Vanderbilt, LSU moved into the tournament semifinals by beating Arkansas and Kentucky came from behind four times before beating Mississippi State, 7-6, in 12 innings.

SoCon
* Furman won its third straight thriller, getting a walk-off homer from Greg Harrison to beat Appalachian State, 3-1, and move into Saturday's conference semifinals.

The Paladins gave up a 1-0 lead in the top of the  ninth before Harrison capped the ninth inning. After a loss in the regular-season finale knocked the Paladins from fifth to eighth in the standings, the Paladins are two wins away from a tournament championship and automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

* Wofford stayed alive at the expense of the host Citadel Bulldogs, 4-2, and set a school single-season record with its 31st victory. The Terriers, in the tournament for the first time since 2008, advanced to a Friday game against Davidson. Wofford must win that game and beat Samford twice on Saturday just tor each the championship game.

* The Citadel got the tying runs on base in the ninth, but Terriers closer Eric Eck struck out the side to get his 29th career save.

* Also, regular-season champ Western Carolina was ousted by Georgia Southern and No. 2 seed Davidson fell into the losers bracket with a loss to Samford.  Most NCAA Tournament projections had the Catamounts in the field, but only because they were the regular-season game. I think the SoCon is destined to be a one-bid league this year.

Big South
* The host Winthrop Eagles turned back Coastal Carolina, 3-2, to move into the semifinal round of the tournament. Coach Tom Riginos' club is a Saturday victory away from playing for the league title and an NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday.

* Coastal Carolina fell into the losers bracket and must beat Campbell to have a chance to beat Winthrop twice on Saturday.

* Charleston Southern's first winning season since 1996 ended when the Buccaneers (30-26) lost to Campbell, 6-2. Three CSU errors led to four unearned runs for Campbell.

* Also, High Point topped regular-season champion Liberty, 9-0, and Radford eliminated Gardner-Webb.

CAA
* College of Charleston had a successful start to its first Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a 7-4 win over host UNC Wilmington. The Cougars rallied from a 4-1 deficit after 4 1/2 innings.

Next up is regular-season champion William & Mary, which beat Delaware. The CofC/W&M winner moves into Saturday's championship round, which could consist of two games. Delaware came back later Thursday to eliminate Northeastern.