Jack Leggett on Hosting a Regional |
CLEMSON, SC -- On Monday it was announced that Clemson will be a first round host for this year’s NCAA Baseball Tournament, with play beginning on May 26 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
So what else is new? “We’ve kind of gotten used to this,” said Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett. “What is it, five times in the last seven years?” Yes, Coach, that’s five times in the last seven years. With a strong late-season push, the Tigers (42-14, 17-7 ACC) capped off their 15th consecutive 40-win season and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 14th straight year. While Clemson has struggled on the road throughout 2000, the Tigers have been solid on their home turf, amassing a 32-5 record. As a result, Monday’s news of being chosen as a regional site was particularly gratifying for Leggett and his players. “It’s very important to be at home,” Leggett said. “We have a comfort zone there and we like to play in front of our fans. We’ve had great attendance and we expect great attendance for the regional.” Leggett credited a strong out of conference schedule and a second-place regular season finish in the ACC as the key factors in the NCAA Baseball Committee decision. “The two things that kept popping up in the teleconference (announcing the host sites) were non-conference RPI and non-conference scheduling and ours has been good. We’ve been successful with that and we’ve played against some good teams. The second thing that kept popping up is how you finish in your conference. We’ve been telling our kids how important every conference game is to how you finish,” he said. l
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