* It was a forgone conclusion Clemson was going to qualify for the ACC Tournament, but the Tigers officially did so with Thursday night's 8-4 victory over Boston College.
Clemson's probably was going to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but had the Tigers lost three to the Eagles, the selection committee might have had second thoughts.
Sophomore Matthew Crownover continued his brilliant pitching, going seven innings and allowing one unearned run. With the way Crownover and Daniel Gossett are pitching right now, Clemson could make some noise in an NCAA regional.
Thursday's big lead allowed coach Jack Leggett to get for work for some his less-used relief pitchers. Come tournament time, the more effective relievers, the better.
The insertion of Jay Baum into the lineup at shortstop appears to have strengthened the Tigers' defense. Tyler Krieger, moved from shortstop to designated hitter, continues to produce offensively.
* South Carolina got a huge 10-inning 4-3 victory over Vanderbilt in the opener of their SEC series. The way it was accomplished and the stakes made it even bigger.
The winner of the series likely will have a leg up for a third national seed for the SEC - if one is awarded. In addition, the winner almost certainly will have one of the top four conference records, earning a first-round bye and avoiding the single-elimination first day involving the fifth through 12th qualifiers.
The Gamecocks continued to struggle during opportunities to produce big innings, but got enought timely hits to wipe out 1-0 and 3-2 deficits.
Max Schrock, still obviously hobbled by back issues, had two hits Thursday, including a two-strike, two-out single to score the tying run in the ninth.
Joey Pankake delivered the go-ahead run with a 10th-inning home run and Joel Seddon made that run stand up.
The Gamecocks wouldn't have won without their defense, though. A 2-4-3 double play denied Vanderbilt a run in the eighth. First baseman Kyle Martin's putout came at home plate. The Commodores runner beat the throw home, but TV replays indicate he never touched home Teammates directed Martin to chase down the runner before he could get back to touch the plate.
After USC had tied the score in the ninth, center fielder Tanner English gunned down the potential winning on a single to center. It was one of a double handful of outstanding defensive plays by both teams.
The Gamecocks are now one win away from winning the series and, perhaps, making their path to a national seed and the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament easier.
Schrock, who served as the designated hitter, appeared to be running gingerly several times. and he was lifted for a pinch-runner after his ninth-inning hit. I haven't seen a report on his status for the remainder of the week.
One positive for the Gamecocks was that Connor Bright, out for several weeks with a hyper-extended elbow, was healthy enough to pinch-run for Schrock.
* Rain plagued the opening day of the NCAA Division II Southeast regional in Greenwood, but host Lander sent the long-suffering fans home happy with a 4-1 victory over Catawba.
The Bearcats move on to a second-round game today against USC Aiken, which lost to Columbus State, 3-2. Because it's a six-team tournament, one second-round pairing matches a first-round winner and a first-round loser. That makes the matchup an elimination game for the Pacers.
USC Aiken lost a Columbus State home run to lead off the ninth inning. The Cougars' other runs came on leadoff homers in the first and second innings.
* Coastal Carolina didn't get to play Campbell on Thursday because of rain, and it will be interesting to see if that hurts the Chanticleers' chances of winning the Big South Conference South Division title.
Coastal is playing its games at Myrtle Beach while its Conway facility is being rebuilt. The Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans also use the stadium and are at home this weekend, too. Because of that. there was no time available to make up the Thursday rainout and it was canceled. That reduces the series to two games.
The Chanticleers entered the weekend tied first the South Division lead with Winthrop at 12-12 and Charleston Southern is a half-game back at 11-12. Winthrop was rained out against Longwood and CSU was washed out at VMI, but both of those games will be made up, weather permitting.
So, Coastal could win its two games against Campbell and finish second in the division if Winthrop goes 3-0. The Chants could even drop into a tie for second if CSU were to go 3-0 against VMI.
I wonder if starting a second game on Friday, playing to a designated curfew time before the Pelicans game and then resuming it prior to Saturday's game was an option.
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