ACC Tournament: Semifinals Recap

Photo Courtesy of Carolina Athletics

Jarrell’s Grand Slam Propels No. 5 Clemson Past Top-Seeded Georgia Tech and Into ACC Championship Final

Clemson, the No. 5 seed, surged past No. 1 seed Georgia Tech with a five-run third inning — capped by a grand slam from Jacob Jarrell — to claim a 9-4 victory in the semifinals of the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship.

Jarrell’s go-ahead grand slam — his only hit of the day — sparked the Tigers offensively. 

Clemson totaled nine runs on eight hits, with Andrew Ciufo leading the way by going 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and two runs scored. 

Six other Tigers each recorded a hit.

Georgia Tech was paced by Kent Schmidt and Kyle Lodise, both collecting two hits. The Jackets’ RBIs came from Drew Rogers, who homered, along with Vahn Lackey and Will Baker, each of whom drove in a run.

Joe Allen (5-0) picked up the win in relief for Clemson, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings with two hits, two walks, and a strikeout. 

Jacob McGovern shut the door with a four-inning save — his second of the season — striking out three and allowing no runs.

Brady Jones (7-3) took the loss for the Yellow Jackets, giving up five runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five in three innings of work.

Georgia Tech opened the scoring with a two-run first, capitalizing on a Clemson error and Lackey’s two-out RBI single. 

Rogers made it 3-0 in the second with a solo shot to center field.

Clemson answered in the top of the third. 

A leadoff double by Ciufo and a Jarren Purify RBI single cut the deficit to 3-1. After a walk and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with two outs, Jarrell stepped up and crushed a 1-0 pitch deep to left-center, launching it off the Tobacco Road restaurant sign for a momentum-shifting grand slam and a 5-3 Clemson lead.

Georgia Tech got one run back in the fourth when Baker delivered a two-out RBI double. In the fifth, the Jackets threatened again, but a diving catch in right field by TP Wentworth led to a double play that ended the inning and preserved Clemson’s 5-4 lead.

McGovern shut down the Jackets the rest of the way, while the Tigers added two runs in the seventh, one in the eighth, and a solo homer in the ninth to pull away and seal the victory.

Erik Bakich, Clemson’s head coach, reflected on the Tigers’ statement win, crediting both the fans and key contributors for their roles in the victory.

“It’s great to be back in the championship game. I really appreciate our fans showing up today — it was loud over by our dugout with all the Clemson and Tiger fans cheering. The atmosphere was awesome. These two guys, (Jared Jarrell) JJ and (Jared) McGovern, were the storylines of the day. We got outstanding relief pitching from McGovern. What he did against a very dangerous Georgia Tech offense — which can score in bunches and do it quickly — was impressive. He had all three pitches working, and used the changeup effectively when he needed to. Offensively, we came through with six two-out RBIs, and none were bigger than JJ’s two-out grand slam. That flipped the scoreboard and gave us a huge momentum swing. JJ’s had a lot of big hits, but I’m not sure any were bigger than that one today.”

North Carolina Rallies in the Ninth to Defeat Florida State, Advance to ACC Title Game

No. 3 seed North Carolina scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to edge No. 2 seed Florida State, 7-5, in the second semifinal of the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship.

Kane Kepley (1-for-4, 2 RBI, run, 3 SB) and Luke Stevenson (1-for-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, run) led a balanced offensive attack for UNC, as eight different Tar Heels tallied hits. 

Five of the team’s nine hits went for extra bases, including four doubles and Stevenson’s sixth-inning home run.

Florida State collected six hits from five players, with Myles Bailey (1-for-3, HR, 2 BB, RBI, 2 runs) pacing the offense.

Lodise and Fisher also chipped in with an RBI apiece in the loss.

Aidan Haugh (5-4) earned the win for North Carolina out of the bullpen, surrendering just one run on one hit while walking three and striking out one over 3.2 innings. Walker McDuffie entered in the ninth to lock down his sixth save of the season.

Seminole reliever Joey Volini (8-5) was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits over 3.1 innings, striking out four.

Both teams remained scoreless through three innings before trading runs in the fourth. UNC struck first on Gallaher’s two-out RBI single, but Bailey tied things up for FSU with a solo homer to right field.

The Tar Heels reclaimed the lead in the fifth with an RBI double from Madera and a clutch two-out single by French to make it 3-1. 

However, Florida State responded in the bottom half, tying the game 3-3 on a bases-loaded walk and a throwing error on a potential double play.

Stevenson put UNC back in front in the sixth with a two-run homer to right, only to see the Seminoles tie it again in the bottom of the inning on Lodise’s RBI double.

The deciding moment came in the ninth. 

After a Florida State fielding error, a bunt single, and a sac bunt put runners in scoring position, 

Kepley delivered the go-ahead two-run single to center field, giving the Tar Heels a 7-5 lead.

McDuffie worked around a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory and send North Carolina back to the ACC Championship stage.

In his postgame remarks, Head coach Scott Forbes reflected on the matchup and credited his team’s focus and preparation, saying:

"Obviously, we felt like we were really close to winning the regular season title. But our philosophy has always been to play as hard as we can every single game and leave it all on the field. These guys know what’s at stake—they’re locked in on trying to win the ACC Tournament tomorrow. I’m excited for them. I told them on the bus, ‘You’re going to get a lot more sleep tonight than me, Coach Jackson, or Coach Gaines.’ Coach Gaines was our volunteer assistant back in 2013, when we left Durham after an 18-inning game against NC State. We got home around 4 a.m., turned around and rolled back in here by about 11:20—and still found a way to win. So yeah, I’m excited for this group. They’ll probably have trouble sleeping—not because they’re tired, but because they’re eager to get back out there and play. Honestly, nothing changes for us. At the end of the day, it’s still just a game. We’re sticking to our process and focusing on doing what we do best."