While it is still extremely early in the season, Dominic Listi’s addition to the Clemson lineup is paying off big time.
The transfer, who spent last season at Indiana State, was a spark plug over the first weekend of the season as the Tigers went 2-1 in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, Texas.
Listi’s transfer to Clemson over the offseason wasn’t his first. He spent his first four seasons at North Central College, where he once had a 72-game on-base streak, which is still tied for third all-time in Division III history.
He then transferred to Indiana State ahead of the 2024 season, where he hit .324 with a .464 on-base percentage in helping lead the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament.
However, despite having already gone through the transfer process once before, Listi was anxious about the move to Clemson.
“Didn’t really know what to expect,” Listi said. “But since the moment I got here, everyone just accepted me with welcoming arms. The culture here is truly special. I just love playing with everybody here and love the fan base as well. It’s been amazing.”
In Friday’s win over Oklahoma State, Listi hit in the five-hole before moving to the leadoff spot for the Saturday and Sunday games. Over those three games, he went 5-for-9 and drove in seven runs. He also walked twice and was twice hit by a pitch. He had at least one hit in all three games. His on-base percentage is currently .643.
Being a .349 career hitter, Listi’s presence should be felt, no matter where his name is penciled in the batter order on any given day. His ability to get on base will set the table for those behind him and the outfielder fully believes this Clemson lineup has the chance to be special.
“We feel like we’re absolutely stacked as a team,” Listi added. “Like Coach Bakich said, there’s like 14 guys on our team that deserve to be playing every single day. So we just all go out there and give everything we can as a team every single time, and all the individual effort that we put in comes together great as a team.”