CLEMSON — Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich came to his postgame press conference on April 16 ready to say he was sorry.
But not for anything that occurred on the field.
Bakich offered his apologies to a pair of women who were struck by a foul ball at Doug Kingsmore Stadium that night — along with an apology, by name, to a woman who was taken away on a gurney with a head injury.
He also apologized to a girl who was hit in the face by a foul ball days earlier.
"That's the third person who has been hit with a foul ball where that netting doesn't go far enough," Bakich said. "I just want to let Tiger Nation know, come hell or high water, there will be extended netting by this Friday for Pitt.
"We will make sure this is a fun and awesome place to watch a game."
Bakich wouldn't go as far to say Clemson's stadium is unsafe, calling recent incidents "fluky." But it's become apparent the venue's netting, which shields the seats behind home plate but stops several feet short of each dugout, leaves alleyways for line drives to zip into the stands.
The most recent foul ball buzzed over the visitor's dugout, appearing to strike one woman's torso and another's forehead. Clemson and Charlotte paused play for several minutes as both women received medical attention in their seats.
All indications are both women are OK, as well as the girl who was hit days earlier. But it's jarring to watch fans getting hit.
"It makes you realize your blind spots," Bakich said. "Not even a blind spot, it's a problem spot that needs to be addressed, and that should have been done already, and now we need to do it."
A spokesperson for Clemson told The Post and Courier on Wednesday that the athletic department is working to add more netting before this weekend's series with Pittsburgh but it's unclear how much can be added on a quick turnaround.
Regardless, the danger of foul balls has increasingly become a topic of conversation in baseball, especially at the professional level.
An investigation by NBC News found 800-plus fans reported being injured by foul balls at Major League Baseball stadiums between 2012-19. That included the death of a grandmother who was hit in the head while celebrating her 79th birthday and 59th wedding anniversary at Dodgers Stadium in 2018.
Ahead of the 2020 season, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced its stadiums would extend their netting to the far end of each dugout. Some have been extended all the way to each foul pole.
A year and a half ago, the MLB announced it would require all of its minor league stadiums to have netting down to each foul pole by 2025.
"Pitchers are throwing harder, hitters are hitting it harder," Bakich said. "They've extended the netting all the way down in a lot of stadiums. All the way down to the Little League World Series, there's netting all the way down."
There aren't the same netting requirements at the college level, but Bakich was forceful in promising — "come hell or high water" — Clemson's nets will be improved before the Tigers play Pitt this weekend.
"We just need to extend it to where the backstop netting goes to the dugout and all the way to the rail where the coaches stand. That would do the job, until we can do a bigger project next year where we can go all the way down," Bakich said, noting there's a field in foul territory on the third-base side where kids play.
A spokesperson also confirmed Clemson is evaluating options for a more substantial reworking of the baseball stadium's netting this offseason, but it will require construction that can't be completed midseason.
In the meantime, Bakich wants to see something done. As soon as possible.
"You don't want to have an environment where people are getting hurt," Bakich added. "We've had three people get hurt now in the last week.
"Our antenna's up. It's time to fix it."
Ciufo has ACL tear
Bakich announced Tuesday that grad transfer shortstop Andrew Ciufo will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Ciufo was scheduled to have surgery Wednesday. Bakich said the fifth-year senior, who has one year of eligibility remaining, if he wants to use it, will return to Clemson for his rehab.
"Love him and what he's meant to our team and what he's brought in half a season," Bakich said, referring back to Ciufo's pivotal defense and game-winning home run in a victory over South Carolina at Segra Park.
"He'll forever be known for that South Carolina game," Bakich said. "He'll always be a big part of Team 127."
