USC Upstate Baseball Begins First-Ever Regional, Heading to Clemson to Meet No. 1 Seed Tigers

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (USC Upstate Athletics) - For the first time in program history, USC Upstate baseball will compete in the NCAA postseason, qualifying for the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship as the Big South Conference’s tournament champion and automatic qualifier. Monday afternoon, the Spartans saw their name called for the Clemson Regional, joining the No. 11 Tigers, No. 23 West Virginia, and (RV) Kentucky in the four-team regional. No. 4 seed USC Upstate opens the postseason Friday evening at 6 p.m. ET against No. 1 seed Clemson, the second meeting—and first since March 4—between the two clubs this season. In the double-elimination regional format, the Spartans return to action Saturday at either noon or 6 p.m. against the No. 2 seed Mountaineers or the No. 3 seed Wildcats.

Players to Watch

USC Upstate: Upping his batting average to .400 on the year with a 5-for-5 performance in last Saturday’s Big South Title Game, redshirt junior rightfielder Scott Campbell brought home Tournament MVP honors, headlining a six-member contingent for the Spartans. Another member of the All-Tournament Team, sophomore shortstop Vance Sheahan enters the Clemson regional sporting a Division I era (2007-pres.) record 46-game reached base streak, dating back to March 9. On the mound, redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Amp Phillips gets the call in game one, coming off the Big South’s only 9.0-inning complete game shutout of 2025 in the Spartans’ Big South Tournament opener versus Winthrop.

Clemson: One of two Tigers regulars hitting greater than .300 on the season, junior outfielder Cam Cannarella paces Clemson with a .339 batting average, leading the team with 74 hits, 15 more than his next closest teammate. Junior catcher Jacob Jarrell leads Clemson with 15 home runs with teammate, sophomore infielder Collin Priest, adding 12 long balls on the year. Leading the Tigers on the mound, senior righty Lucas Mahlstedt ranks second in the country with 15 saves, posting the total behind a 2.18 ERA and a 59:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

West Virginia: The leading run-producer for the Mountaineers, collecting 50 RBI, senior outfielder Jace Rinehart, a former Spartan, also paces the club with 28 extra-base hits, including 20 doubles. Senior infielder Kyle West leads West Virginia with a .354 batting average with junior utility player Sam White just behind, hitting at a .353 clip. On the bump, redshirt senior left-hander Griffin Kirn posts a 3.32 ERA and 5-2 record in 86.2 innings of work over 15 starts as he’s punched out a team-best 92 batters.

Kentucky: One of two Wildcat regulars hitting north of .300 on the season, freshman infielder Tyler Bell leads Kentucky with 46 RBI and 117 total bases this season. He and senior utility player Cole Hage—the team’s other .300 hitting regular—combine for 22 home runs, slugging 12 and 10, respectively. Sophomore left-hander Ben Cleaver and senior righty Nic McCay head the Wildcat rotation with 28 combined starts with Cleaver striking out a team-high 87 this season.