Remember when Clemson baseball was 15-1 and sitting comfortably in the top 10? It feels like a different season, but it’s only been a month.
In that short span, everything has flipped. The Tigers have dropped out of the top 25, stumbling through a 4-14 stretch and only just picked up their first ACC series win against a 14-15 Stanford team.
On paper, 22-12 doesn’t raise alarms. But then you see the 4-8 record in ACC play, and the question becomes unavoidable: what’s actually going on with Clemson baseball?
Clemson has never missed the postseason tournament under head coach Erik Bakich, and he’s been quick to take responsibility.
“Believe me, the coaches are doing everything we can,” Bakich said after the Tigers’ 15-4 loss to Wake Forest last week. “The players are doing everything they can. Right now, it’s just not good enough. It’s on me to find the solution … I need to be better.”
But the issues run deeper than just one person.
Pitching struggles
Clemson’s problems start on the mound. Ace Aidan Knaak is in the middle of the toughest stretch of his Clemson career.
Knaak sits at 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA, and outings such as his six-run performance against Georgia Tech have raised concerns. Opponents are hitting .238 against him, and his walk rate has climbed to 10.1% — both career highs.
He’s not alone. Sophomore lefty Talan Bell has struggled to find consistency, posting a 9.53 ERA across eight appearances while allowing a team-high five home runs.
Errors in the field
The struggles also continue behind the mound.
The Tigers rank No. 3 in the ACC with 41 errors, many of them coming in pivotal moments. They’ve committed at least one error in 10 straight games and have gone 4-6 in that stretch.
Injuries
Bad luck hasn’t helped either.
Jarren Purify, who was in the midst of a breakout stretch, has been out since March 21 with a fractured finger. The junior infielder was hitting .333 with six doubles, 13 RBIs and 10 steals before going down.
Pitcher Jacob McGovern never even got his season started, sidelined by internal brace surgery after posting a 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA last year.
Collin Priest, one of Clemson’s key bats from a season ago, remains out with a hamstring injury after hitting 12 home runs and posting a .407 on-base percentage in 2025.
Missing star power
More than anything, this team seems like it’s missing the presence that used to steady it. Last year’s group had stars who could take over games. That’s harder to find now.
Perhaps the most noticeable absence is All-American Cam Cannarella, who is now part of the Miami Marlins organization.
Defense has been a major issue for Clemson, and Cannarella was the best of the best in the field while also leading the team in batting average.
And with Clemson struggling to produce runs in key situations, the Tigers are also feeling the loss of Dominic Listi, who hit .310 with 47 RBIs last season and was one of the most consistent hitters in the lineup.
Listi failed to hit below .300 at any point in his career. That’s a level of consistency Clemson simply doesn’t have right now, with only four active players hitting above that mark.
The bright side
There have been a few players stepping up and at least trying to become that star the team needs, starting with McCladdie.
McCladdie is hitting .339 with eight homers and 35 RBIs, by far the best season of his career. After not having a secure spot in the starting lineup last season, he’s quickly made himself a lineup lock.
Nate Savoie is another breakout name, leading the Tigers with 10 homers while hitting .331. The sophomore transfer has become one of Clemson’s most important power threats.
And when Clemson finally put together its first ACC series win out West, it did so convincingly. On Sunday, the Tigers racked up a season-high 18 hits in a 12-5 win against Stanford, an encouraging sight after such a rough stretch. They continued the momentum against Santa Clara on Monday, winning 6-4.
Despite the recent struggles, there’s plenty of season left to see if Clemson can pull it together and make Omaha a real possibility.
