The No. 14 Clemson Tigers opened the 2025 campaign this weekend in Arlington, Texas, participating in the three-game Shriners Children’s College Showdown. The Tigers went 2-for-3 in the weekend series, which consisted of matchups against then-No. 17 Oklahoma State, then-No. 21 Arizona and Ole Miss.
Clemson began the season on Friday against Oklahoma State with assistant coach Nick Schnabel at the helm, as head coach Erik Bakich was on the radio call while serving the first of a two-game suspension from last season’s Clemson super regional.
Early in the game, the Tigers fell behind the Cowboys 4-1 by the middle of the fifth inning. However, the Clemson offense got hot soon after.
Kicking off the comeback was two straight bases-loaded walks, which allowed the Tigers to cut into the lead 4-3. Oklahoma State responded in the sixth with a run of its own, but the Clemson bullpen stepped up when it mattered most, pitching three scoreless innings.
The Tigers put up three unanswered runs to seal a 6-5 victory, as Clemson scored on two RBIs and a wild pitch in the sixth and seventh innings.
On Saturday, the Tigers faced off against the Arizona Wildcats for yet another ranked matchup. After a sluggish start in the opener, Clemson came out firing on all cylinders to start game two of the showdown.
In the first inning, the Tigers scored seven runs on eight hits, and the scoring only continued from there. Later in the game, Cam Cannarella tied a school record with his third double of the game as Clemson earned a dominant 16-5 victory over the Wildcats.
Defense for the Tigers was also stout, as starting pitcher Ethan Darden pitched four scoreless innings. He recorded six strikeouts, two hits and a walk in the outing.
Clemson played the third and final game of the series against Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon. Bakich was back in action for his first game of the season following the completion of his suspension.
Much like Friday’s game against the Cowboys, the Tigers got off to a slow start against the Rebels. This time, however, Clemson was unable to mount a comeback.
The Tigers allowed seven runs in the opening two innings to start the game. Clemson put up three in the fourth to cut into the lead, just for Ole Miss to respond with three more of its own soon after.
After falling to a 10-3 deficit, the Tigers could not cut into the Rebels’ lead. Clemson earned its first loss of the season, 15-5, when the game ended following the seventh inning due to a run rule.
The Tigers will look to bounce back at Doug Kingsmore Stadium when they host their home opener against VCU on Friday afternoon.
