Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina baseball's next opponent, the Clemson Tigers

Rivalry week is here. South Carolina baseball fans are used to watching their Gamecocks play against big-time opponents. No series, though, quite draws Palmetto State attention like the annual three-game set between Carolina and Clemson.

On Tuesday, USC tied a program record. Paul Mainieri tied Dick Weldon’s mark for the best undefeated start in a coach’s first year. The 9-0 start matches the one from Weldon in 1966. If the Gamecocks are to stretch that streak into double-digits and claim a new record, they will have to play well against the rival Clemson Tigers this weekend.

Win tickets to USC-Clemson baseball (Sunday game in Columbia)

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Resume Check: Clemson Tigers

Record: 7-1; 44-16 (20-10) in 2024
D1Baseball Ranking: 13
Most recent games: Mid-week victory 20-7 over Winthrop Eagles in Clemson
Previous Meeting: South Carolina lost a 2-game series during 2024 season; Gamecocks’ home game canceled due to weather

The rival Clemson Tigers are among the best teams in the country in 2025. Following a strong 2024 in which the Tigers hosted a Regional and Super Regional, Erik Bakich’s team is on course to compete for a national seed once again. This preseason, the ACC head coaches picked Clemson to finish fourth in the league, but the Tigers picked up a first-place vote, as well.

Outfielder Cam Cannarella and right-handed pitcher Aidan Knaak garnered the most preseason All-ACC consideration for the Tigers this offseason. However, others like Dominic Listi could be playing themselves into the conversation.

Like South Carolina against Gardner-Webb, Clemson beat up on a smaller program with a 20-7 win over Winthrop on Tuesday. The victory was the fifth straight for the Tigers.

So far this year, Clemson is not hitting the ball out of the yard. With just two total home runs before Tuesday’s four-homer explosion against Winthrop, the Tigers were among the nation’s worst in the category.

The pitching hasn’t been stellar in the Upstate, either. Lefty Ethan Darden has been good in two starts, but Knaak and Justin LeGuernic haven’t pitched to their capabilities yet as they’ve given up five homers in just 16.2 innings pitched. The bullpen has been hit-or-miss as four arms have logged scoreless 2025 seasons, but two others have given up at least three runs without earning an out. Sidearmer Lucas Mahlstedt and Drew Titsworth are two of the team’s top relief options.

Though the obvious box score output hasn’t been as great as expected, this Clemson baseball team is good. Some underlying statistics hint at that fact.

At the plate, Clemson isn’t consistently hitting long balls, but they are getting on base at a high level. Of the 11 Tigers who have at least three starts as hitters, seven have on-base percentages of .400 or better. When they get on, the Tigers don’t run a ton, but they do run efficiently. Clemson has not had a runner thrown out trying to steal this season in 14 attempts. Even without dingers, Erik Bakich’s team is among the NCAA’s top 50 leaders in total runs scored.

On the mound, CU pitching has fanned 74 batters in 61 innings. While Knaak and reliever Jacob McGovern have surrendered some runs this year, the duo leads the way with 26 strikeouts in just 14.2 innings. That is elite swing-and-miss stuff. Pitchers who miss bats will (eventually) see positive results.

The rivalry series will be of extra intrigue for a pair of Gamecocks. Both outfielder Nathan Hall and infielder Nolan Nawrocki spent two years as members of the Clemson Tigers program. This offseason, the duo hit the transfer portal and wound up in Columbia. Hall and Nawrocki were recruited to Clemson by now-USC associate head coach Monte Lee when Lee was the Tigers’ headman.

USC has not announced its rotation yet for the Clemson series. Friday night starter Dylan Eskew tweaked his upper back against Milwaukee last weekend. Because of that, South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri hinted that Matthew Becker and Jake McCoy could slide up from their usual Saturday and Sunday spots to Friday and Saturday, respectively. If Eskew is available, that order would allow him a couple of extra days of rest. If he isn’t, it gives Mainieri and pitching coach Terry Rooney some time to figure out how to attack Sunday.

The Gamecocks and Tigers will begin their series on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium. ACC Network Extra will stream the game on the ESPN app.

Saturday’s neutral site contest will be at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville. The 1:30 p.m. first pitch will stream on SEC Network+.

The season finale on Sunday will be at home at Founders Park. Starting at 5:00 p.m., the final game of the rivalry series also will stream on SEC Network+.

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