What went wrong with Clemson?

CLEMSON — The initial reaction in Clemson's clubhouse was anger.

The Tigers came up with a host of reasons why it was an injustice for them to be excluded from the 64-team NCAA baseball field. But once the initial jolt wore off, it was hard to deny that Clemson deserved the blame for failing to extend its streak of NCAA appearances to 22 years.

As the Tigers watch the tournament unfold without them over the next month, they'll undoubtedly flash back to all the things that went wrong this season.

Here are five of the most prominent deficiencies during their 31-27-1 disappointment:

1. Drought conditions

The coaching staff was worried about the offense but had no idea things would be this bad. The Tigers hit .285, their worst average since 1989, and were unable to plate more than six runs in a game over an agonizing 19-game stretch.

Two veterans the staff was counting on, senior catcher Doug Hogan and junior shortstop Stan Widmann, just didn't produce. They combined to hit .254 and had 107 strikeouts between them.

Sophomore first baseman Ben Paulsen was good but not great. Had newcomers Mike Freeman and Kyle Parker not stepped up at the plate, the season could have been a lot worse.

2. Pitching pratfalls

It's never good when your top starter ends up getting demoted and eventually replaced in the weekend rotation by a newcomer. That's what happened to junior lefty Ryan Hinson, who was jettisoned for Trey Delk late in the season.

Pitching wasn't the main problem, but certainly more of a problem than anticipated.

Hinson drew criticism for being too tentative and unable to fight through adverse situations. Redshirt freshman Graham Stoneburner had his moments but fell short of the billing he drew coming into the season.

D.J. Mitchell's numbers were solid, and he could go in the first five rounds of next week's major league draft. But he was still slapped around more than he should've been.

Closer Matt Vaughn totaled 11 saves but struggled late in some losses that ended up costing the Tigers. The middle relievers were inconsistent.

3. Missing sparkplug

It seemed an innocuous development when sophomore outfielder Addison Johnson was held out of the season opener because of a hamstring injury. But that ailment contributed to a hand injury that ultimately forced Johnson to undergo surgery and sit out the entire year.

Coach Jack Leggett believed Johnson was his team's best offensive player. He could have made a big difference at the leadoff spot, which was a pronounced weakness for most of the season. Johnson also could have helped a ton on defense in the outfield.

4. Marquee meltdowns

The Tigers had plenty of opportunities to prove themselves against top-flight competition and couldn't come through.

Taking two of three over North Carolina State probably ranks as this team's most impressive feat. But Clemson was winless against Miami (0-4), Florida State (0-3), North Carolina (0-3), South Carolina (0-4) and Georgia (0-2).

Of course, beating those teams isn't easy; the Hurricanes, Seminoles and Tar Heels are ranked 1-2-3 nationally, and the Bulldogs are No. 10. But had the Tigers found a way to win one or two of those games, they'd probably still be dreaming about Omaha right now.

5. Bad start

Clemson did a good job of avoiding many costly losses to inferior non-conference opponents, going 19-1 against teams not named South Carolina or Georgia.

Yet losing their first two ACC series to Wake Forest and Boston College definitely hurt. The Demon Deacons finished ahead of Clemson in the standings, but the Tigers should have done better than losing two of three in Winston-Salem, N.C.

And Boston College, which finished 11th in the standings, had no business taking two of three in Clemson a week later.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com and check out the new Clemson blog at charleston.net/blogs/tiger_tracks/