NCAA Baseball Tournament Clemson Regional Preview & Predictions
Last updated May 29, 2025
Friday, May 30 marks the first day of the Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, and bettors have an intriguing quartet to analyze. Host Clemson, regular-season Big 12 winner West Virginia, an up-and-down Kentucky club, and Big South champion USC Upstate. With the double-elimination format cramming as many as seven games into four days, depth on the mound and offensive firepower will decide who advances to the Super Regional.
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Clemson Regional Preview
Clemson Team Preview
The Tigers arrive at 44-16 overall, 26-7 at home, and 18-12 against ACC opponents. They just reached the ACC title game, beating Virginia Tech, NC State, and Georgia Tech before running out of pitching depth in a 14-4 defeat to North Carolina. That loss snapped a six-game winning streak, but Clemson enters the tournament in a strong position.
Cam Cannarella sets the table with a .339 average and 20 doubles, while catcher Jacob Jarrell brings the thunder with 15 home runs and a .532 slugging percentage. Collin Priest leads the club with 49 runs driven home, and speedster Jarren Purify has 27 steals in 31 attempts, pressuring batteries that dare to be careless. The lineup walks at a healthy clip, Dominic Listi’s 55 free passes lead a group whose collective on-base percentage sits at .408. That plate discipline forces elevated pitch counts and exposes opposing bullpens.
On the hill, Aidan Knaak shoulders the Friday load. He owns nine wins and 106 strikeouts in 84.1 innings, limiting hitters with a lively fastball that touched 96 in the ACC semifinals. Reed Garis supplies a 1.33 ERA in a multi-inning relief role, and Lucas Mahlstedt slams doors with 15 saves. Erik Bakich’s issue is depth beyond Knaak. The probable Game 2 starter, Drew Titsworth, has shown solid stuff but sometimes battles command issues. Still, Clemson is a deserved favorite at home.
Kentucky Team Preview
The Wildcats limp in at 29-24 after a brutal May. They went 4-7 in May and lost 5-1 to Oklahoma in their only game of SEC tournament play. They own a 10-13 road mark and will need to go through Clemson in a true road game at some point if they want to win this region, barring Clemson going winless and the Wildcats managing to avoid them. Offensively, they lean on senior center fielder Cole Hage, whose .317 average, 12 homers, 14 steals, and 28 walks make him the most balanced bat in the lineup. Tyler Bell drives in runs in bunches, with 46 and counting, and already sits on 17 doubles. Those two must produce early, because the bottom third of the order bats under .240 combined.
Pitching is the path if Kentucky intends to shock the bracket. James McCoy sports a sparkling 1.84 ERA and works comfortably into the 90s. The staff leans on him as a late-inning reliever. Ben Cleaver leads the club with six wins and 87 punch-outs and will need to deliver in one of these games. SEC play exposed thin middle relief for Kentucky, so any early trip to the losers’ bracket would test arms coach Nick Mingione would rather hide.
West Virginia Team Preview
The West Virginia Mountaineers carry the best record in the pod at 41-14 and claimed the top spot in the Big 12 standings at 19-9. A 23-5 road record signals comfort outside of Morgantown. The club stumbled slightly down the stretch, dropping seven of the last ten, yet that skid came as the regular season title was already clinched and their tournament spot was more or less secured. Kyle West headlines a patient order with a .354 average, .500 on-base clip, 10 homers, and 43 walks. Jace Rinehart supplies gap power with 20 doubles and 50 RBI. Armani Guzman adds 15 steals and first-to-third aggression that pressures defenses.
Griffin Kirn has racked up 92 strikeouts in 86.2 frames to lead the WVU pitching staff. Importantly, the Mountaineers rarely beat themselves; their staff walk rate sits at 4.3 walks per nine innings. If West Virginia fires strikes early and extends counts against opposition aces, they profile as the most viable threat to Clemson. But the gave up seven runs or more in three of their last four games and will need to turn things around on the mound to advance.
USC Upstate Team Preview
USC Upstate rolls into Clemson on a six-game heater after blitzing the Big South tournament, capped by a 14-2 rout of Charleston Southern. Their ledger shows a 36-23 overall record, going 19-5 in league play and 14-9 away from Spartanburg. Scott Campbell owns a gaudy .400 average, while Johnny Sweeney is the alpha run producer with 17 home runs and 81 RBI. Henry Zenor adds gap power with 21 doubles, and Vance Sheahan has turned 25 steals into additional scoring chances. Upstate’s offense hits .319 and scores 9.7 runs per game, the top production rate in this group.
Run prevention remains the question for Upstate. Braden Consaul paces qualifying arms with a 3.41 ERA but often works for short stints. Chris Torres, with eight wins and 75 strikeouts, headlines an otherwise inexperienced rotation. Max Bianchini leads the team with 23 outings and will be vital in high-leverage situations. Upstate’s path to a Cinderella run likely requires out-slugging an opponent early, then hoping for favorable bullpen breaks.
Betting Insights
Current odds to win the regional:
- Clemson -125
- West Virginia +220
- Kentucky +340
- USC Upstate +750
Oddsmakers lean on three factors: Clemson’s home dominance, its proven ability to beat power-conference opponents, and a bullpen anchored by Mahlstedt that shortens games. West Virginia’s road wins and elite strike-throwing earn respect, while Kentucky’s price has drifted due to their recent form. Upstate remains a long shot, yet those with an appetite for variance may note that the Spartans already own wins over Boston College, NC State, and Stetson, the latter two you will find in this tournament in other regions.
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2025 Clemson Regional Prediction
Clemson’s lineup depth, late-inning trust in Mahlstedt, and familiarity with the venue give the host a meaningful advantage. Still, the price of -125 leaves modest value. West Virginia at +220 draws interest. A disciplined offense could exploit Clemson’s minor control lapses beyond Knaak. Kentucky relies heavily on McCoy and Cleaver, but a single stumble likely proves fatal. USC Upstate must land haymakers early, yet their staff projects as the least equipped to strangle ACC and Big 12 caliber bats.
The call here is Clemson to advance, beating West Virginia in the Sunday night game. Investors looking for an edge could split a stake, putting two-thirds on Clemson to win the regional and one-third on West Virginia as hedge, creating a blended break-even of roughly +20% if either side cashes.
