What Will Clemson Baseball’s Outfield Look Like in 2025?

Cam Cannarella is back and looking to make more outstanding plays such as this one. Photo by: Charles Mays - Tiger View Media

In our final installment of Clemson Baseball's 2025 preview, we focus on the outfield. The Tigers have a mix of returning players and newcomers who might fill these positions. Returning All-American Cam Cannarella is expected to secure the center field spot. However, left and right field could be uncertain at this point. With Alden Mathes graduating, the right field position is open. Will Tristan Bissetta be a regular in the field this season, perhaps Jack Crighton, or a newcomer like Dominic Listi or Josh Paino? Only time will tell, but we provide a breakdown and details on each of these players.

Dominic Listi - The 5’11" graduate transfer from Crystal Lake, Illinois, who has played at North Central College and Indiana State, needs to be a player that Erik Bakich and the Clemson Tigers can count on to get on base. Listi has had a very successful college career so far. In his 5 seasons playing college baseball, he has amassed a batting average of .346, an on-base percentage of .478, a slugging percentage of .508, and an OPS of .986. Last year at Indiana State, he tallied a .324 batting average, .464 on-base percentage, a .431 slugging, and an .895 OPS with 14 doubles and 31 RBIs. Listi’s ability to get on base at a high level earned him second-team All-MVC honors and is why the Tigers coveted him so highly in the transfer portal this offseason. Listi started his collegiate career playing center field for North Central College, but ever since the 2022 season, he has manned left field for both North Central and Indiana State. For him and the Tigers to have a good season, Listi is going to have to continue to get on base at a high clip and reach double digits in doubles.

Cam Cannarella - The 5’10" junior from Hartsville, South Carolina, is the star for Erik Bakich and the Clemson Tigers. Cannarella had never played an inning in the outfield prior to the 2023 spring practice but has now become the Tigers' everyday centerfielder. In two seasons with Clemson, Cam Cannarella has cemented himself as the star at Doug Kingsmore Stadium with a career .363 batting average, .440 on-base percentage, .560 slugging percentage, and a 1.000 OPS in 117 games. To make his career stats even more impressive, Cannarella played most of last season with a torn labrum and was still able to bat .337 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs. He was also voted third-team All-American by the NCBWA, third team All-ACC, and won the Brandon Streeter award, which is given to a Clemson athlete that overcomes injury while playing at a high level. Not only is Cannarella a terrific offensive player, but he is one of the premier defenders in college baseball. In last year’s postseason, Cannarella made one of the greatest catches ever seen in college baseball. He tracked down a fly ball in center field and made an over-the shoulder catch while crashing into the outfield wall. His catch drew comparisons to “The Catch” made by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series. If being compared to Willie Mays wasn’t good enough, he is ranked as the No.1 college prospect for the 2025 MLB draft by Baseball America and ranked No.4 by D1Baseball. If the Tigers are going to make it to Omaha this season, they are going to need Cam Cannarella at his best.

Tristan Bissetta - The 6’1", 225-pound redshirt junior from Greenville, South Carolina, is by far the strongest player on the team. In 56 games played for Clemson, Bissetta has a .286 batting average, .387 on-base percentage, .487 slugging percentage, and an .874 OPS. During the 2022-2023 season, he only tallied 13 at-bats but became a big part of the team last season. The 2023-2024 season was Bissetta’s breakout year, as he compiled a .298 batting average, .401 on-base percentage, .511 slugging percentage, and a .912 OPS. These numbers helped earn him Clemson Baseball’s Most Improved Player Award after a tough first season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Although Bissetta had a terrific season, he was only able to hit the ball out of the yard 7 times last season, which is a number that Erik Bakich and the Tigers will want to see enhanced. During last season’s Regional Opening Round, Tristan Bissetta walked off High Point University with a scorching 109 MPH hit into right-center field, showing off just how much power he has in his bat. Bissetta has played mostly left field in his Tigers career, with 27 of his 39 appearances in the outfield coming from the left field corner. He has also played some right field in his collegiate career, with 12 of his 39 appearances in the outfield coming from that corner. I have Bissetta projected to play right field this season because transfer Dominic Listi has mostly played left field during his time in college. Erik Bakich and the Tigers are hoping that Tristan Bissetta can continue to improve upon his big season last year.

Other Options: Although Dominic Listi, Cam Cannarella, and Tristan Bissetta are my favorites to be the starting outfield trio, there is a chance that other players will get some run in the outfield to start the season. Here are some of those possibilities.

Jack Crighton - The 6’3" junior from Rochester Hills, Michigan, will be a big part of this Clemson team whether he plays in the outfield or not. Last season, Crighton had a .313 batting average, a .377 on-base percentage, a .391 slugging percentage, and a .768 OPS. Crighton hits for a high average but struggles to walk or hit for power. In his career at Clemson, Crighton has yet to hit a home run and only has 10 doubles in 74 games played. During the 2023 season, Crighton played almost all of his games in the outfield, with 7 appearances coming in left field and 20 in right field. But last season, Crighton played almost exclusively at first base, with 26 appearances there and only 12 appearances in the outfield. It will be interesting to see where Erik Bakich puts Crighton to start the season.

Josh Paino - The 5’11" graduate senior from Temecula, California, is a transfer from California Baptist that has played mostly shortstop in his career but has some experience in center field and right field. In three seasons at California Baptist, Paino had a .278 batting average, a .367 on-base percentage, a .487 slugging percentage, and an .854 OPS. Although Paino will most likely be an infielder for the Tigers, his limited experience in the outfield could lead to some game time there at the start of the season.

There is no doubt that the lineup is Clemson’s strength heading into the new season, especially when it comes to the outfield. Cam Cannarella is one of the best players in all of college baseball and is a sure-fire first-round draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft should he stay healthy. Dominic Listi has the ability to be the Tigers' on-base machine; if he can continue his .478 career on-base percentage, he’ll be the perfect replacement for Alden Mathes this season. Tristan Bissetta can be the Tigers' power threat in the middle of the lineup and hit well over 15 home runs this season. His ability to hit the ball 110 MPH makes him an obvious choice to be the Tigers' deep ball threat. If Jack Crighton adds an element of power to his game, whether that’s doubles or home runs, he can add a lot to this Clemson team. Josh Paino needs to continue what he did at California Baptist last year by repeating his .912 OPS season. If all these possibilities come to fruition, Clemson should have no problem returning to Omaha for the first time since 2010.