"Would I incite the crowd again? Hell yes": Clemson baseball HC Erik Bakich refuses to budge while breaking the silence on his removal during the game
It wasn't meant to be for the Clemson Tigers on Sunday, but Erik Bakich has no regrets for putting all on the line for his team. The Tigers fell 10-9 to the Florida Gators in Game 2 of the Clemson Super Regional.
During the last and crucial 13th inning, coach Erik Bakich and his assistant Jack Leggett called on the home crowd to support the team. For their daring act, they will serve a two-game suspension at the start of the 2025 season.
At a Wednesday press conference, Bakich was unapologetic about his behavior and said:
"I am always going to interact with our crowd. Sorry, not sorry, I'm going to keep doing that, so I guess I'm going to keep getting ejected because that was the explanation I got — because I incited the crowd when Coach Leggett was walking out."
The coach of the Clemson Tigers was warned three times by officials but refused to return to the dugout during the heated inning, leading to his expulsion. However, in the same press conference on Wednesday, he also told Clemson fans not to worry, as they will be back:
"We tasted that energy in that atmosphere, and we're instantly addicted, we'll never get it out of our system. We want that every single year now, want that type of postseason energy (and) postseason crowd."
Clemson entered the postseason as the No. 3 nationally ranked school and the No. 6 national seed. The Tigers reached the Super Regional phase this year for the first time since 2010.
Erik Bakich on Cam Cannarella's efforts vs. the Florida Gators: The catch that almost saved Clemson
If anyone deserves praise for their performance during the game versus Florida, it's outfielder Cam Cannarella.
The outfielder saved the Tigers not once but twice, first in the nine-inning when he provided a three-run homer that tied the game and gave Clemson new life. Then in the bottom of the 10th, he made a catch between the warning track and the wall, which prevented Florida from getting their walk-off three-run homer.
On Wednesday's press conference, he said about the play:
"I've heard from quite a few people, so this is not just my opinion, but the greatest catch they've seen in baseball ever, given the stakes given everything, he's a human-highlight reel."
Sadly for Clemson fans, Cannarella's efforts eventually went to waste, as Florida's Michael Robertson hit a two-run walk-off double to close the game in the 13th inning.