Cam Cannarella – Syndication Server

Clemson baseball standout ranked No. 2 overall 2025 MLB Draft prospect

Clemson Tigers outfielder Cam Cannarella could be one of the first names chosen in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft.

Clemson Tigers outfielder Cam Cannarella has become must-see TV after bursting on to the college baseball scene as a freshman in 2023 and posting a solid follow-up campaign his sophomore season.

Cannarella batted .337 for coach Erik Bakich’s team this past season, finishing with 11 home runs, 16 doubles and 60 RBIs in 58 games. He posted an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) of .978.

On Wednesday, Cannarella was ranked the No. 2 overall prospect for the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft by veteran baseball analyst Jim Callis of MLB.com and MLB Pipeline.

Per Callis’ rankings:

“One of the best hitters and center-field defenders in the Draft, Cannarella slashed .337/.417/.561 with 11 homers as a sophomore while playing with a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder that required surgery in July. A top-of-the-order catalyst, he has a quick left-handed swing and plus speed but will need to add strength and learn to lift more balls to get to average power.”

Only Texas A&M Aggies slugger Jace LaViolette was ranked ahead of Cannarella in Callis’ rankings.

With the glove, Cannarella made the most talked about catch of the NCAA Tournament last season in the Tigers’ Super Regional against the Florida Gators on June 9. With two outs in a tie game in the bottom of the 10th inning, Florida’s Ashton Wilson hit a drive to deep centerfield that looked destined to be a game-winning home run.

Instead, Cannarella made a running, over-the-shoulder grab with his back to the field to keep the Tigers’ hopes alive. Clemson would go on to lose to Florida, 11-10, in 13 innings, but Cannarella’s play earned recognition from ESPN’s SportsCenter, while others on social media likened it to Willie Mays’ basket catch in the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians.

The Tigers ended the season 44-16 overall and ranked No. 9 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. Clemson had climbed to as high as No. 2 in the polls during the regular season after a blistering 28-3 start.

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Cam Cannarella ranks second on early list of top 2025 college baseball players

Few players in college baseball have had an impactful first two seasons as Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella.

Few people in college baseball have had as strong a start to their career as Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella.

As a freshman from Hartsville, S.C., Cannarella exploded onto the scene in 2023. As the Tigers’ leadoff hitter that season, he hit .388 with a .462 on-base percentage to go with seven home runs and 16 doubles. He also stole 24 bases in 29 attempts.

In his sophomore season, Cannarella added some power to his game, upping his home run total to 11 in 58 games and being moved down to the middle part of the order. His game-saving play against Florida in the Clemson Super Regional earned comparisons to Willie Mays’ famous catch in the 1954 World Series.

All that to say, Cannarella has a lot going for him and his ceiling is high. So high, in fact, that Cannarella was ranked the No. 2 overall college player eligible for next year’s Major League Baseball draft by the staff at Prospects Live, the popular independent baseball site that covers all levels of the sport from college to the professional ranks.

In their initial (way-too-early) list of the Top 30 collegiate players heading into 2025, the staff at Prospects Live writes:

“Cannarella stepped onto campus as an infielder, but a road block in the Clemson infield gave him an opportunity in center field that he has not relinquished. A gamer in every sense of the word, Cannarella is a dangerous hitter with some of the best contact skills in the entire country. It’s a lovely left-handed swing built more for line drives right now, but he’s shown flashes of raw power to the gaps and to his pull-side.

He did become a bit more aggressive in 2024 compared to 2023, but he has quality barrel control and shows patience, drawing walks aplenty. He’s got above-average speed, though he didn’t flash it a ton on the bases due to an injury this year. However, that speed translates to center field, where he has excellent route-running and quality defensive chops. Expect Cannarella to go high in this draft.”

Jace LaViolette, the Golden Spikes Award semifinalist who smashed 29 home runs in 2024, was rated the No. 1 overall college player entering 2025.

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Cam Cannarella, Aidan Knaak earn All-America honors

Two Clemson baseball players earned All-American honors Wednesday.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Sophomore outfielder Cam Cannarella (Hartsville, S.C.) and freshman righthander Aidan Knaak (Fort Myers, Fla.) were named third-team All-Americans by NCBWA on Wednesday. They are Clemson’s 67th and 68th All-Americans in history. It marked the second time in as many years that Clemson had multiple All-Americans in one season.

Cannarella, a first-team freshman All-American and ACC Freshman-of-the-Year in 2023, hit .337 with 16 doubles, three triples, 11 homers, 60 RBIs, 58 runs and a .417 on-base percentage in 58 games in 2024 while battling injury for his last 54 games. He also led the team with 29 multiple-hit games.

In his career, Cannarella is hitting .363 with 32 doubles, six triples, 18 homers, 107 RBIs, 130 runs, a .440 on-base percentage and 24 steals in 117 games.

Knaak, the NCBWA National Freshman Pitcher-of-the-Year, was 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA, .221 opponents’ batting average and 108 strikeouts against 29 walks in 83.1 innings pitched over 15 starts in 2024. He led the team in starts on the mound, innings pitched and strikeouts. His 108 strikeouts were the most by a Tiger freshman in history and the most by any Clemson pitcher since 2017 (Charlie Barnes).

Clemson had a 13-2 record in the 15 starts by Knaak, who only allowed 14 extra-base hits. He was 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA, .208 opponents’ batting average and 75 strikeouts against 15 walks in 53.0 innings pitched in nine ACC starts as well.

Knaak became the fourth Tiger freshman in history to earn All-America honors, joining Taylor Harbin (2005), the late Reed Rohlman (2015) and Seth Beer (2016). Knaak also became the first Tiger freshman pitcher to earn All-America accolades.

Super! Tigers head to first Super Regional in 14 years after winning Clemson Regional

Clemson is headed to its first Super Regional since 2010 after downing Coastal Carolina, 12-5, Sunday evening at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Top-seeded Clemson put pressure on third-seeded Coastal Carolina early and often en route to a 12-5 victory to win the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers (44-14 overall) won all three of their games at the regional and will host the winner of the Stillwater Regional in a best-of-three Super Regional next weekend. It’s the first time Clemson has advanced to a Super Regional since 2010.

After Coastal Carolina (36-25) eliminated High Point in the Clemson Regional earlier in the day, the nightcap featured plenty of opportunities for both teams early on. But it was Clemson that took advantage at the plate and in the field the most.

The Tigers built a 6-2 lead entering the eighth inning before Coastal Carolina quieted the crowd with back-to-back home runs off Reid Garris from Caden Bodine and Derek Bender to make it a one-run game at 6-5.

Coach Erik Bakich brought in Austin Gordon, pitching for the third straight day in relief at Clemson’s regional. Gordon struck out Blake Barthol to close out the top of the eighth and preserve the lead.

After leaving the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth innings, and stranding two more runners in the seventh, Clemson wouldn’t be denied in the eighth. The Tigers batted 10 times and scored six runs to grab a 12-5 lead.

Cam Cannarella crushed a solo home run to lead off the eighth. It was Cannarella’s 10th homer and 56th RBI of the year.

Jimmy Obertop, who provided Clemson with its first home run of the regional with a one-out solo shot in the third inning, reached on a throwing error from reliever Hayden Johnson. After Andrew Bowers took over in relief, Tristan Bissetta doubled to right. Jack Crighton followed with an RBI single past a drawn-in infield to make it 8-5.

Jarren Purify was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out and force another pitching change. Afterwards, Alden Mathes split the gap in right center for a two-run double against Dominick Carbone to bring the score to 10-5.

Jacob Hinderleider capped the Tigers’ scoring with a two-run double off the third base bag to bring in Purify and Mathes for a 12-5 lead.

Gordon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close out Coastal Carolina in the final game of legendary coach Gary Gilmore’s 28-year run as Chanticleers head coach.

Hinderleider was 3-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs. He finished the Clemson Regional 9-for-15 with two doubles.

Clemson got two hits or more atop the lineup from each of its first four hitters. Mathes went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Blake Wright (2-6) and Cannarella (2-5) added two hits, as well.

The Tigers totaled 14 hits in the game as every batter reached base.

Ethan Darden gave Clemson a much-needed 4 2/3 innings of solid work in his 11th start of the year. The left-hander ran into trouble early by allowing five of the first seven batters to reach base, but he rebounded to retire eight straight hitters before allowing a leadoff double to Zack Beach to open the fifth.

Darden left after holding Coastal Carolina to two runs on five hits.

One of the biggest plays in the game came with the Chanticleers threatening in the second inning. That’s when Clemson reached into its bag of tricks.

With the Tigers leading 2-1 and Coastal Carolina having already plated a run that inning, Darden and Wright executed a hidden ball trick when Wright casually left the mound and strode back to the bag at third. Wright then tagged out an unsuspecting Dean Mihos when Mihos left the bag and took his lead off third.

Darden ended the inning by getting Sebastian Alexander on a tapper back to the mound to swing the momentum in Clemson’s favor. The Tigers never surrendered the lead after going ahead 2-0 in the first inning courtesy of an RBI single from Wright and an RBI fielder’s choice from Obertop.

Garris (2-1) earned the win in relief. He threw three scoreless frames before allowing the back-to-back home runs in the eighth to Bodine and Bender.

Trevor Hinkel (1-3) started and suffered the loss for Coastal Carolina, one of seven pitchers used in the game after the Chanticleers used seven pitchers in their 6-5 win over High Point earlier in the day.

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Watch Clemson coach Erik Bakich, players talk win over Coastal Carolina

Here’s everything Clemson coach Erik Bakich, Cam Cannarella and Jacob Hinderleider had to say after the Tigers’ 4-3 victory over Coastal Carolina Saturday.

For the second straight day, top-seeded Clemson earned a 4-3 victory at the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers (43-14 overall) got a go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly from Cam Cannarella in the top of the ninth inning to defeat third-seeded Coastal Carolina (35-24). Cannarella finished with three RBIs, and Jacob Hinderleider had five hits in a perfect 5-for-5 day at the plate.

Coastal Carolina and fourth-seeded High Point will play an elimination game at noon EDT Sunday. The Tigers are scheduled to face the winner of that game at 6 p.m. High Point eliminated second-seeded Vanderbilt at the Clemson Regional on Saturday.

After Saturday’s victory, Cannarella and Hinderleider joined head coach Erik Bakich to meet with reporters. Here’s what Bakich, Cannarella and Hinderleider had to say.

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Tigers rally past Coastal Carolina in Clemson Regional

Another day, another ninth-inning rally by Clemson.

Another day, another ninth-inning rally for top-seeded Regional host Clemson.

Cam Cannarella hit a go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth inning off Cameron Flukey to give Clemson a 4-3 win over third-seeded Coastal Carolina at the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers (43-14 overall) improved to 2-0 in Regional play for the first time since 2011. They’ll face the winner of Sunday’s elimination game between Coastal Carolina (35-24) and fourth-seeded High Point.

Clemson got five hits Saturday from shortstop Jacob Hinderleider (5-for-5), including a ninth-inning single that moved the eventual winning run (Alden Mathes) from first to third.

Cannarella’s sac fly just missed a three-run home run, but it was his third RBI of the day and gave the Tigers the win after Austin Gordon pitched a scoreless 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. Gordon earned his 10th save with Jacob McGovern (3-0) getting the win in relief.

For the second straight day, the theme of the day was runners left on base. The Tigers stranded 10 while the Chanticleers stranded six and went 0-for-4 with men in scoring position.

Clemson took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Blake Wright sacrifice fly after the first two batters reached off Coastal Carolina starter Henry Weycker.

The Tigers stranded single runners in the first and second innings before loading the bases with no one out in the third. Dean Mihos robbed Cannarella of a bases-clearing hit with a diving catch in right-center that allowed only one run to score on a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 Clemson lead.

A half-inning later, Sam Antonacci hit a solo home run off Tigers starter Aidan Knaak to put Coastal Carolina on the board.

The Tigers left two on in both the fourth and fifth innings before Coastal Carolina tied it in the sixth. Graham Brown and Caden Bodine singled leading off to put runners at the corners with no one out. Blake Barthol laid down a squeeze that Knaak tried to underhand to get the lead runner at the plate, but Brown scored to tie the game.

Clemson briefly went back ahead in the seventh, thanks to both Hinderleider and Cannarella. Hinderleider doubled to the base of the wall in left with one out. With two away, Cannarella lined an RBI single up the middle for a 3-2 Tigers lead.

Zack Beach crushed the first pitch he saw from Clemson reliever Lucas Mahlstedt for a solo home run to tie the game. Mahlstedt bounced back to retire the next three batters to close out the seventh.

Mahlstedt, Drew Titsworth and McGovern combined for a scoreless eighth inning. With two on and two away. McGovern fell behind 2-0 in the count before rallying to strike out Mihos on an off-speed pitch low and away to end the inning and set the stage for Clemson’s latest ninth-inning rally.

Knaak pitched well over six strong innings in his 14th start. He scattered six hits but yielded only two runs in a no-decision. The freshman right-hander struck out six without allowing a walk in a 90-pitch effort.

Weycker went six innings and scattered six hits for Coastal Carolina, allowing two unearned runs.

Clemson will face the Coastal Carolina-High Point winner at 6 p.m. Sunday. The Panthers eliminated No. 2 seed Vanderbilt at the Clemson Regional earlier Saturday.

Aidan Knaak, Blake Wright, Cam Cannarella earn ACC honors

Aidan Knaak, Blake Wright, and Cam Cannarella were recognized by the ACC Monday.

Three Clemson Tigers baseball players received All-Conference Team recognition by the ACC Monday.

Right-hander Aidan Knaak was named a First Team All-ACC selection, as well as being named to the All-ACC Freshman Team for his performance during the regular season. Knaak wrapped up a stellar freshman season by going 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA in a team-best 13 starts.

Second baseman Blake Wright received Second Team All-ACC honors. Wright led the Tigers in batting average (.341), home runs (21) and RBIs (70) during the regular season. He was the only Tigers player to play in all 53 games. Wright was recently named a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.

Centerfielder Cam Cannarella was received Third Team All-ACC recognition. After a sensational freshman season in 2023, Cannarella followed it up with a strong 2024 campaign in which he batted .332 with nine home runs, 16 doubles, 51 RBIs, and a .411 on-base percentage in 51 games. Cannarella’s .332 average was second-best on the team.

Of the major individual awards announced by the ACC Monday, Florida State’s James Tibbs III took home Player of the Year honors. Wake Forest’s Chase Burns, the NCAA Division I strikeout leader (169 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched), was named Pitcher of the Year.

Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress was named Freshman of the Year, and North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt earned Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

North Carolina’s Scott Forbes was named Coach of the Year. The Tar Heels won the ACC regular-season championship and are the No. 1 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament. Clemson is the No. 2 seed and will face Miami in the Tigers’ tournament opener Thursday in Charlotte.

Blake Wright, Jimmy Obertop lead Clemson to series win, ACC Atlantic Division title

The Clemson Tigers clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title Saturday and assured themselves of no worse than a No. 2 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

Blake Wright went 4-for-5 at the plate and hit his 20th home run of the season, Jimmy Obertop drove in four runs, and No. 4 Clemson defeated Boston College, 11-6, Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The win clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title for Clemson (39-13 overall, 19-10 ACC) and a series victory in the Tigers’ final regular-season set ahead of next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

After Boston College (22-30, 8-21) jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a second-inning home run from John Collins off Tristan Smith, Clemson responded for nine unanswered runs over the next three innings.

The Tigers manufactured a run in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Jacob Jarrell, and in the third, Wright’s 20th home run off Boston College starter A.J. Colarusso tied the game.

Cam Cannarella and Jimmy Obertop followed with back-to-back doubles to put Clemson ahead, and Tristan Bissetta added a run-scoring single as part of a three-run inning that made it 4-2.

The Tigers erupted for five runs in the fourth, beginning with Wright’s second run-scoring hit of the afternoon — an opposite-field RBI single that made it 5-2. Later that inning, Obertop cleared the bases with a three-run homer, his 18th of the season to up the score to 9-2.

Clemson tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning. Bissetta picked up his second RBI of the day with a double down the right field line, and Jack Crighton followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to cap the Tigers’ scoring and make it 11-3.

The Eagles got an RBI double from Kyle Wolff and a two-run single from Adam Magpoc off reliever Chance Fitzgerald in the eighth for the game’s final runs.

Billy Barlow (6-1) earned the win in relief with three solid innings after Smith started and received a no-decision. Smith pitched four innings and gave up two runs on four hits to go with four walks and two strikeouts.

Drew Titsworth recorded the final six outs in relief, retiring all but one of the seven batters he faced without allowing a hit. He struck out four and walked one. Fitzgerald allowed all three Boston College runs in the eighth without recording an out.

In addition to Wright’s four hits, Clemson got three-hit games from Obertop (3-for-5) and Bissetta (3-5). Cannarella (2-3) stayed hot by notching two hits and scoring three runs. Jarren Purify (2-5) also had two hits.

Colarusso (3-8) suffered the loss for Boston College, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

The series concludes Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon EDT. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

Cam Cannarella’s late-inning homer lifts Clemson to 12-10 win in series opener

Clemson defeated Boston College in the series opener, 12-10, on Thursday night.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Cam Cannarella’s three-run homer in the eighth inning lifted No. 4 Clemson to a 12-10 victory over Boston College at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Thursday night. The Tigers, who took a 1-0 lead in the series, improved to 38-13 overall and 18-10 in the ACC. The Eagles dropped to 22-29 overall and 8-20 in ACC play.

The Eagles took advantage of two errors in the first inning to score five runs, capped by Parker Landwehr’s three-run homer. After the Tigers plated a run in the second inning, Cameron Leary belted a leadoff homer in the top of the third inning to build a 6-1 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Jimmy Obertop hit a three-run homer, his 17th of the year.

John Collins led off the top of the fourth inning with a homer, then the Eagles added a run later in the frame to take an 8-4 lead. Jacob Jarrell flared a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fourth inning, then Jacob Hinderleider lined a two-out, run-scoring single later in the frame. Three two-out errors allowed Clemson to plate two runs in the fifth inning to tie the score 8-8.

Alden Mathes led off the sixth inning with a homer, his ninth of the year, to give Clemson its first lead, then Barry Walsh’s two-out double scored the tying run in the seventh inning. Leary hit his second homer of the game in the top of the eighth inning to give Boston College a 10-9 lead.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Cannarella laced a 3-2 pitch, the ninth pitch of his plate appearance, over the fence in left field for his ninth long ball of the season.

Reed Garris (1-1) earned the win in relief, while Austin Gordon pitched the ninth inning to record his ninth save of the year. Tyler Mudd (2-3) suffered the loss.

The series continues Friday at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

–via Clemson Athletic Communications

No. 4 Clemson downs Georgia Tech for another ACC series win

Clemson Baseball: Billy Barlow was outstanding in relief, Cam Cannarella stayed hot at the plate, and Jacob Hinderleider hit a three-run home run to lift the fourth-ranked Tigers past Georgia Tech, 9-3, Sunday.

Jacob Hinderleider hit a three-run home run, and Clemson pitching held a hot-hitting Georgia Tech team to just five hits in a 9-3 Tigers victory over the Yellow Jackets Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

It was another series victory for the fourth-ranked Tigers (36-10 overall, 17-7 conference), who won their seventh of eight weekend series in ACC play.

After a solo home run from Payton Green gave Georgia Tech a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Clemson answered in the bottom of the inning. Cam Cannarella drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Jimmy Obertop and Tristan Bissetta then followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

Cannarella stepped back to the plate in the third inning and brought in Clemson’s third run with a two-out triple down the right field line to score Blake Wright.

The Tigers then erupted for four runs in the fourth inning. They started with three straight singles off Georgia Tech starter Tate McKee, with Nolan Nawrocki singling home a run to make it 4-1. Two outs later, Hinderleider cleared the bases with a three-run bomb to left that brought the score to 7-1. It was Hinderleider’s 10th home run of the season.

Clemson never looked back, tacking on single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Cannarella doubled and scored on an RBI sacrifice fly from Jack Crighton in the fifth before Wright tacked on to the lead with a sac fly that scored Jarren Purify in the sixth for a 9-1 lead.

Clemson pitching held Georgia Tech to just five hits Sunday. Aidan Knaak looked a bit rusty in spots in his first start in two weeks after being held out of the rotation a week earlier at Louisville. He allowed a run on two hits and three walks in four innings of a no-decision. Knaak struck out seven and left after throwing 78 pitches, 48 for strikes.

Billy Barlow, Clemson’s regular midweek starter, took over for Knaak in the fifth and pitched four scoreless innings before allowing a bloop single to Green, followed by a Parker Brosius two-run home run.

Barlow (5-1) surrendered just those two runs on three hits to 17 batters faced to earn the win. He struck out three and walked one. Freshman left-hander Jacob McGovern retired all three batters he faced on 11 pitches in his fifth relief appearance of the season.

McKee (4-4) suffered the loss for Georgia Tech (28-17, 12-12). His final line was six runs allowed in 3 1/3 innings.

Clemson tallied eight hits with Cannarella and Bissetta each finishing 2-for-3.

NEXT UP

The Tigers will travel to Truist Field, the site of this year’s ACC Baseball Tournament, to face Charlotte in midweek play Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. The game can be seen on ESPN+. Clemson will then head to Winston-Salem for its next weekend series at No. 15 Wake Forest beginning Friday.