Following Clemson baseball’s loss to Florida in the Super Regionals on Sunday, many rumors swirled around center fielder Cam Cannarella.
The sophomore standout had the sports world in his grasp in the Tigers’ season finale, hitting a game-tying 3-run home run in the ninth inning and then making a nearly impossible catch off a Florida line drive to keep Clemson in the game in the tenth.
With the transfer portal being such a rising factor in college sports, many were worried about whether Cannarella would leave the Tigers in the offseason. On Wednesday, however, the rising junior would shut the rumors down.
“I like the coaches here, the facilities, everybody here, I mean, it’s just a great place to be,” the center fielder said about Clemson. “I’m not going anywhere.”
While speaking to the media, the Hartsville native would also retell his story about his “Willy Mays-esque” grab he made to save Clemson’s season at that point in time.
“I knew where the ball was, he said. “I thought it was gone at first, but I tried to help the team out and just try to catch [it].”
Making an over-the-shoulder snag that was similar to football, which Cannarella played in high school, the sophomore said it was the first time he made a catch like that in a ballpark instead of a football field.
“I didn’t know what to think,” he said. “I was just glad I made the catch so we could go hit and try to win the game.”
The transfer portal has been quite generous to the Tigers since the hiring of head coach Erik Bakich, who have used it to their advantage in bringing in experienced players to attempt to get back to Omaha for the first time since 2010. What concerns many fans is the departures of key players following another missed trip.
However, over the last few days, Cannarella is not the only one who has assured Clemson fans that he will return to Doug Kingsmore Stadium next season. Aidan Knaak and Andrew Ciufo have also doubled down on their commitment to the Tigers, announcing their returns as well.
With these key returns, Cannarella likes the team’s odds of getting to the College World Series in 2025.
“We got a lot of guys coming back and coming in the portal and I think we are going to make a good run,” he said. “Last year, we went to the regionals, this year we went to the super regionals. Hopefully we can get to Omaha, but we just have to work hard.”
Cam Cannarella
