Notes (PDF)
The 2025 Tigers totaled 45 wins under third-year Head Coach Erik Bakich, the third straight year the program won 44+ games, one of only two schools that could make that claim. Clemson also hosted a regional for the third year in a row, also one of only two schools that could make that claim. After a strong start during the first half of the year, the season abruptly ended with two losses in the Clemson Regional.
Of Clemson’s 63 games, 31 (49 percent) were against teams that played in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Clemson was ranked as high as No. 20 in the final polls, as it concluded the season with an active streak of 44 weeks in a row being ranked in the top 20 of at least one poll dating to 2023.
The consistency also showed in terms of series wins, as Clemson won its first 10 weekend series (including tournaments), which included the first six ACC series. In all, Clemson won 11 of its 14 regular-season series and seven, tied for most in the ACC, of 10 ACC series.
The Tigers had an 18-12 ACC mark and finished just one game out of first place. Including ACC Tournament games, Clemson totaled 21 wins over ACC teams, tied for most in the league.
A major key to the team’s success was its ability to win close games. The Tigers were 10-1 in one-run games and 9-3 in two-run games thanks in large part to a 30-5 record and 22 saves by the bullpen.
Clemson had a .406 on-base percentage, its best mark since 2002. The Tigers had 109 hit-by-pitches, which shattered the previous school record of 80, and 359 walks that were crucial to the team’s success. Dominic Listi set an ACC and Clemson record with 30 hit-by-pitches, as his .507 on-base percentage was highest in the ACC and the highest mark by a Tiger since 2016 (Seth Beer).
Two Tigers earned All-America honors, reliever Lucas Mahlstedt and outfielder Cam Cannarella. Mahlstedt, a first-team All-American on the field and second-team Academic All-American, had 15 saves, tied for the school record, third most in the nation and most in the ACC. He became the first Tiger in history to be an All-American on and off the field in the same year. Mahlstedt was also the ACC Baseball Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year. The First-Team All-ACC selection was 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 61 strikeouts against only eight walks in 48.0 innings pitched.
Aidan Knaak was 9-1 with a 4.18 ERA and 110 strikeouts against 29 walks in 90.1 innings pitched. His 110 strikeouts were the most by a Tiger since 2017 and Clemson was 13-3 in his 16 starts. Knaak became the first Tiger pitcher in history be a First-Team All-ACC selection in each of his first two seasons. With First-Team All-ACC selections by Mahlstedt and Knaak, it marked the first time since 1995 that two Tiger pitchers were named to the first team.
Reed Garris was also a valuable member of the pitching staff, as he was 3-0 with three saves, a 1.57 ERA, .186 opponents’ batting average and 30 strikeouts against eight walks in 28.2 innings pitched.
Cannarella, a Second-Team All-ACC selection, led the way offensively by hitting .353 with five homers, 22 doubles, 52 RBIs, 62 runs and a .479 on-base percentage. He ended the season on a 44-game on-base streak and 22-game hitting streak, the longest by a Tiger since 2018.
Collin Priest totaled 12 homers and 52 RBIs while earning Third-Team All-ACC honors and Jarren Purify had 29 steals, the most by a Tiger since 2019. Jacob Jarrell, an NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American, led the team in homers (15).
Clemson opened the season in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Clemson’s first games in an MLB stadium and a dome. It was also the Tigers’ first regular-season games outside the Eastern time zone since 2005. The Tigers, who hit .324 with 27 runs in three games, defeated No. 13 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Arizona before falling to Ole Miss. In the 16-5 win over the Wildcats, Clemson scored seven runs in the first inning and eight runs in the ninth inning, while Cannarella tied a school record with three doubles.
The following weekend, the Tigers hosted the Clemson Baseball Invitational and had a 4-0 record, with two wins apiece over VCU and North Carolina A&T. The first victory of the tourney began Clemson’s 17-game winning streak, tied for fourth longest in Tiger history.
In Clemson’s first midweek game, the Tigers scored in all six innings in which they batted at the plate, the eighth time in school history they scored in every inning, and cruised to a 20-7 home win over Winthrop.
The Tigers then swept South Carolina in three games at three different sites by a combined score of 18-6, as Clemson never trailed in the series. The Tigers had a 1.69 ERA, .160 opponents’ batting average and 36 strikeouts in the series. A Doug Kingsmore Stadium record crowd of 6,891 saw the Tigers outlast the Gamecocks 5-3 in the series opener. In the second game, Ethan Darden pitched 7.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball to earn the win and Bob Bradley Award as Clemson’s series MVP.
After midweek wins over USC Upstate (7-0) and Presbyterian (11-2), with the latter resulting in Bakich’s 100th win as Clemson’s head coach, the Tigers swept Davidson in three home games by a combined score of 32-12. The second win was Bakich’s 500th career victory as a head coach.
The Tigers continued their winning streak with two midweek wins over Liberty by scores of 6-4 and 8-2, then they opened ACC play by winning the first two home games against Notre Dame before falling in the series finale to end their 17-game winning streak. Knaak allowed just one hit with 12 strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched to earn the win in the series opener.
Clemson swept The Citadel in two midweek home games. Cannarella went 5-for-5 and Josh Paino broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning with a two-run homer in the Tigers’ 6-4 win in the first game.
The Tigers then defeated No. 11 Wake Forest twice in three home games. Knaak earned the win in the series opener by allowing just one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched. In the second game, Wake Forest jumped out to a 10-0 lead and withstood a furious Tiger comeback, holding on for a 12-10 victory. In the series finale, Clemson rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win 7-6 when Tryston McCladdie scored on a wild pitch for the walkoff victory.
Clemson ended its 16-game homestand with two midweek home games, falling to No. 21 Coastal Carolina 8-2 before downing Presbyterian 9-1, then the Tigers concluded their fourth five-game week in a row with a series win at No. 19 Georgia Tech. In the series opener, the Tigers broke a 6-6 tie with two runs in the eighth inning in their 9-7 win. In the series finale, Andrew Ciufo’s two-out single in the ninth inning scored the go-ahead run in Clemson’s 4-3 victory.
After Clemson outlasted Georgia Southern 10-8 at North Augusta, S.C. on April 1, the Tigers traveled to the state of California for the first since 2015 to play the Golden Bears, as the Tigers swept the series. Listi hit a homer in the sixth inning and the go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning in the series opener, then Clemson exploded for six runs in the first inning, highlighted by Priest’s grand slam, and seven runs in the second inning in the second game.
Jarrell hit two homers in Clemson’s 4-2 home win over Gardner-Webb, then the Tigers won two of three home games against Stanford in the first meetings between the two programs away from Omaha, Neb.
The Tigers won another series by winning two home games against No. 17 Louisville, as Clemson improved to 35-6 on the season after its win in the second game. In the first game, Jack Crighton’s three-run homer, the first long ball of his career, with two outs in the seventh inning propelled the Tigers to a 7-6 victory. Drew Titsworth tossed 6.0 scoreless innings in his first career start in the second game in Clemson’s 2-1 win. The Tigers responded to a loss in the series finale with a 3-0 home win over No. 5 Georgia.
The Tigers then suffered a three-game sweep at No. 25 NC State. Following final exams, No. 5 Florida State won two of three games over the Tigers at Tallahassee, Fla. In Clemson’s lone win, Cannarella’s two-out triple in the eighth inning resulted in three runs scoring in the Tigers’ 6-3 win.
Clemson’s struggles continued with a 5-3 loss at No. 8 Coastal Carolina, which ended a streak of 11 straight games against top-25 teams, and two losses in three home games against Duke.
The Tigers concluded the regular season on a high note with a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh. In the first game, Knaak, Joe Allen and Mahlstedt combined on a no-hitter in a 6-1 win on May 15. It was Clemson’s 15th no-hitter in history (first since 2009), third in an ACC game (first since 1976) and first in an ACC road game. The Tigers completed the sweep with wins by scores of 11-2 and 13-6. In the series finale, Crighton hit three doubles to tie a school record and added a triple, as he reached base in 10 consecutive plate appearances and had a hit in eight straight at-bats during the series.
Clemson had a 3-1 record in the ACC Tournament at Durham, N.C., advanced to the championship game and finished in second place. The Tigers trailed in all three wins. In the second game, Clemson scored three runs in the eighth inning to rally for a 7-6 win over No. 20 NC State, then Jarrell hit a grand slam in the 9-4 victory over No. 16 Georgia Tech. Clemson hit .309 in the tournament and was led by Listi and Cannarella, who both earned All-ACC Tournament honors.
The Tigers were the No. 11 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted a regional. They defeated USC Upstate 7-3 in their opener before falling to No. 23 West Virginia and Kentucky to end the season. Cannarella was 8-for-14 (.571) with two homers, two doubles, seven RBIs and five runs in three games to earn All-Tournament honors.
Clemson averaged 5,028 fans per home date (36), the 13th-highest figure in the nation and second in the ACC. It was Clemson’s second-highest average home attendance in history.
Two Tigers were selected in the MLB draft after the season. Cannarella was picked in the Competitive Balance A round (No. 43 overall) by the Miami Marlins and Mahlstedt was chosen in the seventh round (No. 199 overall) by the Los Angeles Angels.
