After a promising 7-3 victory over USC Upstate to open regional play on Friday night, No. 11-seeded Clemson dropped its next two games to West Virginia and Kentucky, cutting its road to Omaha short.
The Tigers finished the 2025 season with a 45-18 record, climbing as high as No. 2 in the national rankings.
Things looked bright early in the weekend, as Clemson used a four-run eighth inning to take down USC Upstate in a come-from-behind victory and advance to the winner’s bracket.
USC Upstate got the jump on starter Drew Titsworth, tagging him for a solo shot in the second and another run in the fourth. Jacob McGovern entered in the fifth to a bases-loaded, no-out jam but escaped without allowing a run.
Cam Cannarella responded in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run RBI double to tie the game. After USC Upstate tied the game again with a solo shot in the eighth, TP Wentworth and Collin Priest helped Clemson regain the lead with a single and a sacrifice bunt.
Cannarella capped the rally with a two-run homer, finishing the night 3-for-5 with four RBIs.
The next night, Cannarella nearly repeated his previous performance, recording four hits — including another two-run homer — but the Tigers were unable to take advantage, falling to No. 23 West Virginia, 9-6.
An unusually rocky start from Aidan Knaak put the Tigers in an early 3-0 hole before they picked up a bat. Down 4-0 heading into the sixth, Cannarella’s homer sparked a rally, followed by a Jack Crighton RBI double and a Jacob Jarrell sacrifice fly to tie it at 4-4.
Cannarella struck again in the seventh with an RBI double to give Clemson a 5-4 lead, sending Doug Kingsmore Stadium into a frenzy.
But the momentum didn’t last. Entering the game attempting a four-out save, star closer Lucas Mahlstedt gave up a game-tying double to his first batter.
The game slipped out of Clemson’s hands as West Virginia tagged Mahlstedt for four runs and his first loss of the season.
With their season on the line Sunday, Clemson’s defense fell apart. The Tigers committed a season-high seven errors in a 16-4 blowout loss to Kentucky.
Clemson jumped ahead early with a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Kentucky responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half.
The game unraveled in the third inning when Kentucky plated five runs on three hits, aided by two Clemson errors. Scoring six runs in the fourth inning, Kentucky’s lead catapulted to 13-3 as Clemson slowly watched its season slip away.
Clemson’s pitching depth — strained after using seven arms in the first two games — was exposed, and the Tigers had little left to counter Kentucky’s offense.
Cannarella, a projected first-round pick in the upcoming MLB draft, went 1-for-4 in what will most likely be his final game in a Clemson uniform.
Clemson head coach Erik Bakich will now go back to the drawing board this offseason, hoping to use the transfer portal to his advantage as the Tigers’ drought for a College World Series appearance rolls on.
