Clemson Baseball Preseason Breakdown
One of our loyal radio listeners, Tiger Chuck, has crushed the past two season previews of Clemson baseball. Enjoy another great breakdown of Erik Bakich's 2025 squad. Take a look at his thoughts on the revamped Tiger lineup as Erik Bakich enters his third season as head coach.
Projected Lineup
- C Jacob Jarrell R .289 6HR JR
- 1B Luke Gaffney R .359 13HR *SO
- 2B Jarren Purify R .248 3HR SO
- 3B Andrew Ciufo .280 2HR GR (27 Games played) OR Josh Paino
- SS Josh Paino .296 11HR GR OR Andrew Ciufo
- LF Dominic Listi .324 3HR GR
- CF Cam Cannarella .337 11HR JR
- RF Tristan Bissetta .298 7HR GR
- DH Collin Priest .279 11HR SO
Jack Crighton, Tryston Mcladdie, Jay Dillard and catcher Hideki Prather are other key pieces that will get starts as well. Crighton and/or McCladdie could be opening-day starters.
Transfers to Know
Luke Gaffney - Purdue Transfer with 3 years of eligibility left but is draft-eligible after this season.
BIG 10 Freshman Of The Year and 2nd Team Freshman All-American in 2024. He belted 13 HR with 64 RBIs with an OBP of .449, so he has a great eye to go along with his power.
He only struck out 32 times in 209 at-bats, which is suitable for 1/6.5 ABs. That is a really good ratio for power hitters. He is a lock to be a 3-5 hole hitter for the Tigers and is expected to provide the power (67 HRs) lost from last season. He plays 1B primarily but can also play 3B and Catcher if needed.
Collin Priest - Michigan Transfer with 3 years of eligibility remaining
Like Gaffney, another BIG 10 transfer that made 2nd team Freshman All-American and is expected to provide power at the plate. Priest will play 1B and DH for the Tigers. He hit 11 HR in 147 at-bats last season with the Wolverines but also struck out 52 times (1/2.8 AB/s). He will need to cut down on that number and provide contact with two strikes.
I fully expect Coach Bakich to develop him in that area. He has great opposite-field power and gets on base at a .445 clip. He's a slugger who gets on base frequently while also striking out a lot, so it seemed to be feast or famine last year for the youngster. Look for the big left-handed hitter to provide some pop out of the 5/6/7 spot for the Tigers.
Dominic Listi - Indiana State Transfer will play 1 year for the Tigers.
Dynamic outfielder that will fit right in with the Tigers. Has a lot of experience in 5 seasons. 760 career at-bats. Career .346 hitter ( .324 last season with Indiana State)
An excellent defender who will most likely start in LF. Great contact hitter (lefty) who uses all areas of the field very well. He only strikes out 1/6 at-bats. Tough kid.
Could see him hitting in the leadoff or two spot. Possibly the 9-hole to provide an extra leadoff type of player. I think Listi and Cam would be a good 1-2 punch.
It's worth noting he made the NCAA Tourney All-Lexington Regional Team last season, so he has postseason experience and success.
Josh Paino - Cal Baptist Transfer will play 1 year for the Tigers.
Defensive Wizard at SS. WAC Defensive POTY last season. Hit .296 with 11HR last season. He could provide some power at the bottom of the order. He is definitely known for defense, and even if he doesn't earn a start on day 1, he will be a late-inning sub for defense. He has worked out at 3B as well due to Ciufo being elite at SS. The coaches will figure out which combo they trust the most.
Michael Gillen - Seton Hall Transfer will have 2 years of eligibility remaining.
Big-time RHP. In his two seasons, he posted a 1.51 ERA across 65.2 IP while striking out 70 and only walking 19. Only gave up 12 doubles, 1 triple and 2 HR's in those 65.2 IP, which shows batters have a hard time squaring him up. Could be a big-time bullpen arm but also is competing for a starting spot in the weekend rotation. He throws low to mid 90's with a slider as his out pitch.
Luke Kissenberth RHP - Citadel Transfer will play 1 year.
Will be a quality bullpen arm. Had an ERA of .597 due to control issues (28 walks in 37.2 IP) He doesn't get hit hard at all and strikes out batters at a high rate. Only gave up 25 hits in 37.2 IP ( .225 opp BA) while fanning 48 batters. He has a devastating 12/6 curveball that is his out pitch. If he can work on his command he could be a much need bost for the pitching staff
Hudson Lee LHP - transfer from Wake Forest 3 years of eligibility remaining. Born in the upstate he played for Dorman HS
Not much experience at all last season. Only threw 1 inning. Had a good summer ball outing with Harrisonburg and Wareham. Another big arm that needs to work on his command
Freshman to Know
Dane Moehler RHP (Marietta, GA)
One of the top pitchers out of high school. Was a top 150 draft prospect. Hard throwing RHP that has multiple pitches. College ready the way Aidan Knaak was last year. Scouts say his low 90's fastball will be a distant memory once he adds muscle. They project him to be throwing mid to high 90's sooner rather than later and also note he has the best arm action in the class and creates velocity easier than any other pitcher. Unfortunately, Dane just suffered an injury to his throwing arm while in practice. Until we know the extent of the injury it's hard to predict his impact in 2025. Expected him to get a weekend rotation or mid-week spot to start the year.
Talan Bell LHP (Oviedo, FL)
Gatorade POTY in Florida. One of the top freshman arms in the country. Hard thrower with great command of offspeed pitches. He was a top 150-200 draft prospect until Tommy John surgery. Will be expected to have a big impact when back healthy which the coaches hope will be around ACC play. Future weekend starter for certain.
Josh Castellani 3B (St.Petersburg, FL)
Tall 6'4" left-handed hitting 3B, who will get some opportunities this year. Has a huge upside.
TP Wentworth OF (Ripon, CA)
6'5", 230 Ib outfielder who has gotten a lot of attention due to his bat in the preseason. Was a top 400 draft prospect out of high school. He will definitely get opportunities to showcase his abilities.
Anthony Wilkie RHP/1B (Gainesville, FL)
6'6", 225 lb 2-way player who has flashed at the plate in the preseason. Like Castellani and Wentworth, he's another towering freshman that will get opportunities, especially in midweek games.
Pitching
Possible Starters
- Aidan Knaak RHP SO
- Michael Gillen RHP JR
- Ethan Darden LHP JR
- Jacob Mcgovern LHP SO
- Chance Fitzgerald RHP SO
- Dane Moehler RHP FR
- Talan Bell LHP FR
Relievers
- Drew Titsworth RHP SO
- Joe Allen RHP JR
- Casey Tallent RHP *JR
- Lucas Mahlstedt RHP GR
- Luke Kissenberth RHP GR
- Justin Leguernic LHP SO
- B.J. Bailey LHP GR
- Hudson Lee LHP *SO
Closers
- Reed Garris RHP GR
- Noah Samol LHP *SO
Freshman Arms
- Dane Moehler RHP
- Anthony Wilkie RHP
- Cannon Feazell RHP
- Chayce Kiek RHP
- Dion Brown RHP
- Talan Bell LHP
- Brendon Bennett LHP
The Tigers have a loaded pitching staff for the first time in the Bakich ERA. From returners to transfers to true freshmen, there are more viable options than in recent years. Aidan Knaak returns as one of the best in the country and is a lock to start on the weekend. Outside of him, there is a huge competition with around 6/7 guys who could get the other two spots.
The bullpen will be very deep this year with a good mix of lefty/righty. One name to know is Noah Samol, who transferred over from GT last season but sat out due to injury. He throws very hard and has a high ceiling if he can control his stuff. He could be an extra closer to go with Garris or he could end up a starter because his stuff is that good.
The development of Fitzgerald, Titsworth, Allen and Leguernic will be key for us. This was probably one of the best freshman pitching classes we've had in years so the veterans will be pushed to be better. When Bell and Moehler are healthy they will make a big impact.
Offensively, the biggest challenge is replacing 4 veterans that gave you 234 starts, 67 HR's, 224 RBI's, and a combined .322 batting average in 936 at-bats. Blake Wright, Jacob Hinderleider, Alden Mathes and Jimmy Obertop are gone. So is Will Taylor. That's a ton of production to replace and I think it will be done again. The lineup has a great mix of power/ contact and lefty/righty. I don't predict this team to be super aggressive on the bases. Cam, Ciufo and Purify are about the best options to steal. Listi is quick but has never been a base stealer in his career. This team will rely on slugging. We will see a lot of extra base hits this season along with good on base percentages. Every transfer coming in has an elite on base percentage as well.
Gaffney and Priest will provide big-time power, while Listi will be a spark plug. The team has valuable depth and a good backup freshman catcher, Hideki Prather, who will see time behind the plate when Jarrell needs a day off. Gaffney could also see time at Catcher, which could move Priest to 1B and open up the DH spot for Crighton/McCladdie or any of the freshman bats. Bissetta could see time at DH if Crighton is a better defensive option in RF. There are multiple lineups that we will see in the first couple of weeks of the season. Bakich likes the 12-14 players that he has competing for eight spots, and he's going to give all of them opportunities.
This team has the components of an Omaha team. I fully expect the success of this team in the postseason to come down to the improvement of the pitching staff. The next step is Omaha!
Additional Notes
- Beer will be sold in DKS this year.
- The opponents' bullpen will now be a "beer garden" where fans can sit and enjoy their beverage of choice while watching the Tigers play.
- Turf has been installed in foul territory, and we have a new Clemson Script logo behind home plate that looks very sharp.
- The team will open in Arlington, TX, in the Shriners Children's College Showdown Tournament and will face Oklahoma State, Arizon,a and Ole Miss Fri-Sun.
