A Season of Promise: The Highs of Early Success
The 2025 Clemson Baseball season started with high hopes and even higher expectations. After last year’s Super Regional heartbreak against Florida, the Tigers entered this spring determined to turn their dreams of booking a trip to Omaha into a reality.
The journey began with a statement in Arlington, Texas, at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. Clemson went 2-1, knocking off eventual NCAA Tournament teams Oklahoma State and Arizona, while suffering their only loss in the Lone Star State to a strong Ole Miss squad. Even that defeat did little to dent their confidence.
That weekend ignited a fire. A 17-game win streak followed, highlighted by a statement sweep over rival South Carolina that sent a jolt of excitement through Tiger Town. Fans packed Doug Kingsmore Stadium, week in and week out as Clemson rose as high as No. 2 in the national polls. They looked every bit like a team on a mission.
The Tigers weren’t just winning—they were rolling. They ripped off six straight ACC series wins over Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Cal, Stanford, and Louisville. A 3-0 midweek shutout of then-top-five-ranked Georgia felt like the cherry on top of a team that couldn’t miss. At that point, Clemson fans could practically taste the trip to Omaha happening.
A Midseason Stumble: When the Wheels Came Off
But baseball, as it always does, had a way of humbling even the most promising teams.
After that dream start, Clemson hit a stretch that exposed their flaws. A brutal series against NC State in Raleigh ended in a sweep, the Tigers looking rattled and outmatched. That was just the beginning. A series loss to Florida State in Tallahassee followed, then another to Duke at home. Along the way, a midweek trip to Coastal Carolina turned into a 5-3 loss that stung more than the final score indicated.
In the blink of an eye, a team that looked destined for greatness stumbled to a 2-8 record over that stretch. The confidence that had carried them was suddenly gone.
Offensive Struggles: RISP—The Four-Letter Term
At the heart of Clemson’s struggles during this season was their inability to execute with runners in scoring position. The team finished with a .278 batting average—respectable but not spectacular—but only two players hit over .300 all season: Cam Cannarella (.353) and Dominic Lisiti (.310).
Time and time again, this lineup failed to come through when it mattered most. Runners stranded at third. Bases loaded with nobody out—no runs. It became a running theme, and it cost them games they should have won.
Cam Cannarella was a bright spot, and he’ll almost certainly take his talents to the MLB Draft. His departure leaves a gaping hole in the lineup that Bakich will need to fill if Clemson wants to avoid another midseason flatline in 2026.
Pitching Woes and the Injury Bug
The struggles weren’t limited to the bats. The pitching staff limped through the season with a team ERA of 5.09—a number that simply won’t cut it if you’re chasing Omaha. Injuries to key arms left Coach Erik Bakich constantly shuffling the deck, searching for someone—anyone—who could throw consistent strikes and get outs.
Starters often struggled to get deep into games, putting pressure on a bullpen that, despite flashes of brilliance, couldn’t consistently slam the door. Clemson’s staff gave up big innings at the worst times, and that inconsistency haunted them all year long.
Key pitchers for the Tigers like ace pitcher Aidan Knaak and closer Lucas Mahlstedt would face some troubles in the important games towards the end of the season. Knaak, who started the West Virginia game, would go six inning giving up eight hits with four runs with only four strikeouts. We have all seen better performances out of Aidan Knaak before. As the guy who was saved to pitch the second game of the regional, you expect an almost lights out performance from him.
Lucas Mahlstedt, who racked up 15 saves this season, was almost guaranteed to slam the door for the Tigers this season. In the regional, the tides would shift a little bit with that. In the USC Upstate game, Mahlstedt would come into pitch in the eighth and give up a home run to the first batter he faced. He would ultimately finish out the game with the Tigers winning 7-3.
In last night’s game against West Virginia, Mahlstedt would come in once again in the eighth inning with Clemson having the 5-4 lead and gave up five hits with four runs. You just can’t do that in post season time especially when your team is leading with a chance to make it to the regional final.
This Clemson pitching staff as a whole will need to have a major regroup this off-season if they want to reach new heights.
A Flicker of Hope in Durham
Despite their midseason slide, the Tigers finished strong in the regular season, sweeping Pitt in the final ACC series and clawing their way to a respectable 18-12 conference record.
Then came the ACC Tournament, where Clemson showed flashes of the team that once looked unstoppable. Wins over Virginia Tech, NC State, and Georgia Tech propelled them into the championship game against UNC—a team that seemed to have all the answers.
Unfortunately, the Tar Heels made quick work of the Tigers in the final, handing them a humbling 14-4 defeat. Still, Clemson’s run to the ACC Championship game restored some hope that this team might find its footing just in time for the NCAA Tournament.
Regional Heartbreak: Season Ends at Home
As the No. 11 overall seed, Clemson earned the right to host a regional for the third straight year. Fans packed Doug Kingsmore Stadium, ready to will their Tigers to potentially another Super Regional appearance and possibly a trip to Omaha.
Game one wasn’t perfect: a rocky 7-3 win over USC Upstate where Clemson finally got the bats going in the later innings. In that game, there was a sense then of some cracks in the boat. Then came the heartbreak. A 9-6 loss to West Virginia dropped Clemson into the loser’s bracket, and a 16-4 disappointing loss by Kentucky ended their season with a whimper, not a roar.
It was a harsh ending for a team that, just a few months earlier, looked like one of the best in the country. Season over and not how many people envision it would end for the Tigers back in February.
Reflections: A Season of Missed Opportunities
Let’s be honest—this Clemson team had the talent to go further. The early-season hype wasn’t a fantasy; it was real. But baseball is a cruel game. The inability to execute with runners in scoring position and a pitching staff that never quite found its rhythm ultimately doomed this team.
Injuries didn’t help either, but that’s baseball too. Every team faces adversity. The truly great ones find a way to overcome it. Clemson, unfortunately, fell short of that standard this year.
Looking Ahead: Omaha Still in the Distance
Cam Cannarella’s likely departure to the MLB Draft leaves a huge hole in the lineup. Coach Erik Bakich has a busy offseason ahead—recruiting more reliable arms, finding a couple position players who can deliver in big moments, and building a mental toughness that can withstand the grind of a long season.
The word “Omaha” is stitched on the back of those hats. This year, it stayed on the hat. Next year, Bakich and his staff need to make sure it’s on the ticket. It maybe wouldn’t be a bad idea either to take it off the hats until this Clemson Baseball team can reach Omaha to earn it back.
Clemson has the facilities, the fanbase, and the coaching staff to get there. But until the Tigers fix the little things—timely hitting, reliable pitching, and some improvements in team health—Omaha will remain a dream rather than a destination for the Tigers.
Here’s to hoping that 2026 and Team 129 of Clemson Baseball can bring that dream one step closer to a reality.
