Live Looks From The Clemson Vs. South Carolina Series

I spent the weekend checking out the top stars from the South Carolina versus Clemson series. Clemson wound up taking the sweep over South Carolina, but there were plenty of players to discuss and break down.

Let’s start with the stars who will be at the top of draft boards

Clemson Tigers Standouts

Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson

Cannarella finds himself as a potential top 10 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft for good reason. He has all the intangibles you want to see from a centerfielder. At the plate, Cannarella came up clutch in every big situation it seemed. He collected two hits on Friday night and reached base a third time via walk. On Saturday, he broke a tied game open in the sixth by smoking a line drive in the left-center gap for a double that drove in a run. He scored a few pitches later on a heads up play on a swinging bunt. In Sunday’s game, Cannarella reached base four times with two singles and two walks.

Known for his defense in centerfield, Cannarella usually makes tough plays look easy. He dropped an easy ball in center late in Saturday’s game, which led to South Carolina having two runners on. Fortunately, Clemson rolled a double play and it didn’t hurt them.

At the plate, Cannarella stands slightly open from the left side. He uses a small leg kick and his lower half flies open before he explodes through the zone with strong hands. He does a great job keeping his hands inside the ball and lets it get deep on him.

While speed is the name of the game with Cannarella, he also has shown impressive contact skills and respectable power. He has some of the best contact skills of all hitters in the upcoming draft, having a 91 percent in-zone contact rate in 2024 over the full season. The approach is closer to average, but Cannarella also has shown some pop, having a 102.5 mph 90th percentile. The power is presently gap-to-gap line drive power.

Having plus speed and being a plus centerfielder, Cannarella is an attractive top of the draft prospect for teams this summer.

Jarren Purify, 2B, Clemson

Purify played inconsistently as a true freshman at Clemson in 2024, but worked into more playing time as the year went on. He played summer ball in the Northwoods League and returned to Clemson stronger and the early returns have been impressive.

Hitting a moonshot of a home run on Friday night that wound up being the deciding factor in the game, Purify reached base three times on Saturday, which included a double smoked off the wall. He got right back to it on Sunday, collecting two singles and stealing a base.

Purify is an impressive athlete who is a plus runner with a strong, 5’10” frame. The bat-to-ball skills are impressive and the swing mechanics are sound. Purify barely lifts his leg off the ground before creating a wide-base and strong hand-to-hip separation. He creates good bat lag and a great swing plane.

The combination of bat-to-ball, athleticism, and emerging power make Purify one of the better sophomores in the country. He could work his way into the first couple of rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft.

Aidan Knaak, RHP, Clemson

Clemson’s ace, Aidan Knaak had an interesting start on Friday. There was a lot of good, but some bad. He tossed 101 pitches across 4.2 innings of work and punched out nine batters. He unfortunately threw just 55 percent strikes and walked four batters. Additionally, Knaak allowed three earned runs.

Knaak throws a high-riding four-seam fastball that sits 93-94 mph and tops out around 96 mph. He spins it well and averages over 18 inches of IVB and gets 10-12 inches of horizontal movement with it.

At times, Knaak mixes in a slower two-seam fastball that has good carry and 15 inches of fading action, while sitting 86-88 mph. The changeup plays exceptionally well off the pitch, sitting in the upper-70s with slightly more depth than the sinker, but 15-18 inches of fade.

The curveball is a hammer of a pitch, sitting 80-82 mph with heavy depth in a near 12-6 shape at times.

The deep arsenal and lively fastball make Knaak one of the more attractive pitchers in the 2026 draft.

Luke Gaffney, 1B, Clemson

Gaffney is one of the sneakier hitters in Clemson’s lineup. The 6’2”/215 pound first baseman has a good feel for contact and plenty of power to go with it. He put together a strong series this weekend against South Carolina, collecting five hits and reaching base seven times in the three-game series.

The redshirt sophomore is draft-eligible this summer, and could be someone who continues to work his way up boards throughout the season.

South Carolina Gamecock Standouts

Ethan Petry, 1B, South Carolina

Petry did everything he could to spark the Gamecock offense. On Friday night he walked and was hit by a pitch but had a deep fly out to the opposite field. Petry reached base three times on Saturday, including smoking a 112 mph home run over the green monster at Flour Field. He also added two singles on Sunday.

Having a massive 6’4" frame, Petry is a first baseman despite seeing reps in the outfield on occasion. It is one of the better power bats in the 2025 draft and the early returns have been good regarding contact and approach improvements.

After topping out at 114 mph with a 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in the 2024 spring season, Petry went to the Cape Cod League where he boasted an impressive 117.6 mph max exit velocity with a wood bat. The power is plus with 70-grade raw power.

Petry has cleaned up his busy operation in the box a bit and will need to show that the improved contact skills can stick into SEC play. If they do, he could work himself in the first round given the power upside.

Jake McCoy, LHP, South Carolina

McCoy put together one of the more dominant pitching performances I have seen in a while as he struck out 12 batters across six innings on Saturday. After only making one start as a freshman in 2024, McCoy took a big jump and has been dominant this year, upping his total to 29 strikeouts in 15 innings through his first three starts.

Sitting 92-94 mph on his fastball, McCoy leaned heavily on it, throwing it 68 percent of the time. Eleven of his impressive 22 swinging strikes came on the fastball, which has good traits from a tough arm angle to pick up.

McCoy missed eight bats with his slider and three with this changeup. Both pitches worked in the mid-80s, with solid pitch characteristics. The strike-throwing and pure stuff were both very impressive and McCoy is a name you want to know for 2026 drafts.

Nathan Hall, OF, South Carolina

A transfer from Clemson to South Carolina in 2024, Hall felt the pressure in returning to Clemson as he struck out three times on Friday night. He looked much more comfortable on Saturday and Sunday though as he collected two hits a piece in both games, and hit the ball hard all four times on Saturday.

A 6’3” athletic centerfielder, Hall has excelled in the leadoff role for the Gamecocks and is hitting .405 after Sunday’s game. The contact skills are good and Hall has struck out in seven of his 52 trips to the plate, but three came in one game against Clemson. He has some juice as well, registering a 113 mph laser of a home run earlier this season.

Hall utilizes a big leg kick and wraps the bat a bit, but he creates a strong swing with good on-plane efficiency. The frame looks like he could still add more weight to it and tap into more power. But Hall is a player that more people should be paying attention to.