Media Guide
The 128th edition of baseball at Clemson features two returning All-Americans from a team that totaled 44 wins for the second year in a row in 2024 and won a regional for the first time since 2010. The Tigers are looking to take the next step under Head Coach Erik Bakich, whose 88 wins the last two years are 11th most in the nation, by advancing to the College World Series. Clemson is ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation in the preseason by Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Nick Schnabel, Jimmy Belanger and Griffin Mazur are all in their third season as assistant coaches at Clemson, one of only six programs to total 44+ wins each of the last two years. Under the coaching staff, the program set a record for highest fall-semester GPA (3.30) in 2024.
Tiger players who accounted for 42 percent of the starts in the 2024 season return in 2025. The Tigers must replace All-American and fourth-round draft pick Blake Wright at third base and fifth-round draft pick Will Taylor in the outfield along with pitchers Austin Gordon and Tristan Smith, also top-five round draft picks. Offensive standouts Jacob Hinderleider, Alden Mathes and Jimmy Obertop must be replaced as well.
The 2025 schedule features 33 home games and a season-opening tournament at Arlington, Texas, which marks Clemson’s first regular-season games outside the Eastern Time Zone since 2005. The ACC Tournament returns to Durham, N.C. for the 14th time overall and first time since 2023, when the Tigers won the tourney championship.
CATCHERS
Junior Jacob Jarrell (Florence, S.C.) is the only returning Tiger with significant experience as a catcher, as he made 17 starts at catcher in 2024 and hit .289 with six homers and 24 RBIs as a team co-captain and one of the strongest and hardest workers on the team.
Sophomore Ty Marshall (Cayce, S.C.) is the only other returning Tiger with experience at catcher, as he played six games with one start behind the plate in 2024. Sophomore Brodey Conn (Clemson, S.C.), who can also play in the infield and outfield, adds depth behind the plate. The Tiger football player hit a home in his first career game in 2024.
Redshirt freshman Hideki Prather (Oakland, Calif.) and freshman Steele Burd (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) are two Tigers who will provide depth at the position. Prather was a heralded recruit who missed the 2024 season due to injury, while Burd is the nephew of former Clemson great and MLB player Shane Monahan (1993-95).
INFIELDERS
Two Tigers who saw significant time as starters in the middle of the infield in 2024 return in 2025. Senior Andrew Ciufo (Medford, N.Y.) was the starter at shortstop before he suffered a season-ending injury at midseason. He hit .280 and did not commit an error in his last 21 games. He also hit a walkoff homer to beat No. 12 South Carolina on March 2.
Sophomore Jarren Purify (Detroit, Mich.) took over as the starter at second base in 2024. The No. 50 sophomore in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game hit .248 with 28 RBIs and a team-tying-high 11 steals.
Sophomore Tryston McCladdie (Harlem, Ga.) will compete for a starting spot after showing promise late in the 2024 season, when he led the team in games off the bench (13). Sophomore Jay Dillard (Anderson, S.C.) is another returner who will compete on the infield.
Sophomore Luke Gaffney (Danville, Ky.), who transferred from Purdue and can also contribute behind the plate, is a candidate to start on the infield. He is the No. 30 transfer in the nation by Baseball America and was the Big Ten Conference Freshman-of-the-Year in 2024, when he hit .359 with 13 homers and 64 RBIs.
Another sophomore, Collin Priest (Mount Dora, Fla.), is a transfer from Michigan who showed his power potential in the fall. The No. 74 sophomore in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game was an All-Big Ten Conference Freshman selection who hit .279 with 11 homers and a .445 on-base percentage in 2024.
Senior Josh Paino (Temecula, Calif.) played three seasons at California Baptist, as he hit .278 with 89 RBIs and 23 steals in 166 games. He showed his strong defensive abilities in the fall.
Three freshmen will compete for playing time on the infield in 2025. Josh Castellani (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was a top-50 player in Florida by Perfect Game, while Austin Jacobs (Geneva, Fla.) was a top-10 shortstop in Florida by Perfect Game. Briggs Sullivan (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), who can also play in the outfield, was the No. 2 shortstop in South Carolina by Perfect Game.
OUTFIELDERS
Junior Cam Cannarella (Hartsville, S.C.) returns in center field as one of the best offensive and defensive players in the nation in 2025. The 2024 All-American is a career .363 hitter with 18 homers, 107 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 117 games. He is the No. 4 college prospect for the 2025 draft in the preseason according to D1Baseball.
Junior Tristan Bissetta (Greenville, S.C.) burst onto the scene in 2024 as a primary starter in left field. He hit .298 with seven homers and 34 RBIs in 44 games and is one of the team’s strongest players. He graduated in only three years with a degree in financial management.
Junior Jack Crighton (Rochester Hills, Mich.) is the other returning outfielder with starting experience. He is a career .286 hitter in 74 games. He hit .313 with 12 multiple-hit games in 40 contests (30 starts) in 2024.
Junior Lleyton Lackey (Evans, Ga.) will provide depth in the outfield, as he has played 16 games over two seasons in the program.
The Tigers have three newcomers in the outfield, led by senior Dominic Listi (Crystal Lake, Ill.). He hit .324 with a .464 on-base percentage in 59 games in his lone season at Indiana State in 2024.
Freshmen T.P. Wentworth (Ripon, Calif.) and Owen Anchors (Dunwoody, Ga.) will compete for playing time in the outfield. Wentworth, who will also compete for innings on the mound, was the No. 151 high school player in the nation by Perfect Game. Anchors was the No. 5 outfielder in Georgia by Perfect Game.
PITCHERS
The leader of Clemson’s pitching staff is sophomore righthander Aidan Knaak (Fort Myers, Fla.), who had one of the best seasons by a Tiger freshman pitcher in history in 2024. The No. 22 sophomore in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game was 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA and 108 strikeouts against 29 walks in 2024, when he was named National Freshman Pitcher-of-the-Year by NCBWA along with earning All-America and First-Team All-ACC honors.
Junior lefty Ethan Darden (Rock Hill, S.C.) is Clemson’s most-experienced pitcher. He has pitched 122.0 innings in his first two seasons as both a starter and reliever.
Another experienced pitcher, senior righthander Lucas Mahlstedt (Ormond Beach, Fla.), had a 4-1 record, one save and a 4.72 ERA in a team-high 28 relief appearances in 2024.
One of the staff’s leaders is senior righthander Reed Garris (Mount Pleasant, S.C.). In his two seasons as a pitcher, he is 6-1 with a 3.67 ERA, .201 opponents’ batting average and 64 strikeouts against 19 walks in 54.0 innings pitched over 47 relief appearances.
Junior righty Joe Allen (Hampton Falls, N.H.) is 4-0 with one save and a 4.99 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched over 29 appearances (four starts) in his career. Another junior righthander, Casey Tallent (Hartwell, Ga.), will compete for innings in 2025. Tallent saw significant action in his first two years, but missed the 2024 season due to injury.
Sophomore lefthander Jacob McGovern (Seneca, S.C.) came on late in the 2024 season to become one of the team’s best relievers. He was 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA and .194 opponents’ batting average in 18.1 innings pitched over 11 relief appearances.
Junior righthander Nathan Dvorsky (Suwanee, Ga.) also had a successful season on the mound in limited action in 2024. He did not allow a hit or run in 3.2 innings pitched. Senior lefty B.J. Bailey (Woodruff, S.C.) provided valuable innings in 2023 before missing all of 2024 due to injury.
Two more lefthanders, sophomores Justin LeGuernic (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Noah Samol (Mason, Ohio), showed promise in the fall and will factor in the bullpen in 2025. LeGuernic was the No. 68 sophomore in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game, while Samol missed the 2024 season due to injury.
Three sophomore righthanders will be counted on in 2025. Drew Titsworth (Frankenmuth, Mich.) was 4-0 with a 3.15 ERA and .133 opponents’ batting average in 19 relief appearances in 2024.
Chance Fitzgerald (Sanford, Fla.) made most of his 2024 appearances in the second half of the season, while Luke Brown (Apex, N.C.) made only one appearance in 2024. Redshirt freshman lefthander Jackson Cole (Boiling Springs, S.C.) will compete for innings as well.
Three transfers joined the pitching staff in 2025, including righthanders Michael Gillen (Rochelle Park, N.J.), a junior, and Luke Kissenberth (Greenville, S.C.), a senior. Gillen, a candidate to start on the mound and the No. 68 transfer in the nation by D1Baseball, pitched two seasons at Seton Hall, where he was 5-1 with four saves, a 1.51 ERA, .225 opponents’ batting average and 70 strikeouts against 19 walks in 65.2 innings pitched over 37 relief outings. Kissenberth pitched three seasons at The Citadel, where he made 31 appearances.
Sophomore lefthander Hudson Lee (Roebuck, S.C.) is another transfer who will compete for innings on the mound. He saw limited action at Wake Forest.
Seven freshmen, two lefthanders and five righthanders, will add depth to the pitching staff in 2025. Lefties Talan Bell (Oviedo, Fla.), who can also play in the outfield, and Brendon Bennett (Novi, Mich.) were both national prospects. Bell was named the No. 15 freshman in the nation in the preseason by Baseball America. Bennett was the No. 5 player in Michigan by Perfect Game.
Dion Brown (York, S.C.), Cannon Feazell (Windermere, Fla.), Chayce Kieck (Jacksonville, Fla.), Dane Moehler (Marietta, Ga.) and Anthony Wilkie (Gainesville, Fla.), who can also play at first base, are freshman righthanders who showed strong arms in the fall.
Kieck, Moehler and Wilkie were all top-500 high school players in the nation by Perfect Game. Brown was the No. 16 high school player in South Carolina by Perfect Game, while Feazell was the No. 87 righty in Florida by Perfect Game.
Head coach Monte Lee has been hard at work putting together a competitive team that will be ready to compete at the highest level. With a mix of veteran leadership and promising young talent, the Tigers are shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
On the mound, Clemson will be anchored by a deep pitching staff that boasts both power arms and crafty veterans. Look for the Tigers to have a strong bullpen that can shut down opposing hitters late in games, as well as a rotation that can keep the team in contention in every series.
At the plate, the Tigers will have a lineup that can produce runs in a variety of ways. With power hitters, speedsters, and contact specialists throughout the order, Clemson will be a tough matchup for any pitching staff they face. Look for the Tigers to be aggressive on the basepaths and to put pressure on defenses with their speed and athleticism.
Overall, the 2025 baseball season is shaping up to be an exciting one for the Clemson Tigers. With a talented roster, experienced coaching staff, and a tradition of success, the Tigers are ready to make their mark on the college baseball landscape once again. Stay tuned for updates, game schedules, and player profiles on the official Clemson Tigers Athletics website as we look forward to a successful season ahead. Go Tigers!
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