It has taken a few weeks, but Clemson fans are now starting to see the Cam Cannarella they have become accustomed to seeing the past two years.

Entering the season, Cannarella was a .363 career hitter and the argument can be made he’s been the best pure clutch hitter in the country during his first two years with the Tigers.

However, after having offseason shoulder surgery, Cannarella was still recovering during fall ball. He wasn’t fully back until the preseason, meaning he had about three weeks to get ready for the start of the 2025 campaign.

With that came an uncharacteristic slow start, but over the past several games, Cannarella has started to round into form. In Tuesday’s midweek win over The Citadel, the junior outfielder was 5-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. He added another hit in the run-rule win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday. He has raised his batting average by about 40 points and is now hitting .346 on the season.

“It felt great,” Cannarella said. “I was just trying to get on base for my teammates so we could win the game.”

This is the Cannarella most expected when Clemson opened the season more than a month ago in Arlington, Texas. While it has taken a little longer than some envisioned for Cannarella to ramp things up, head coach Erik Bakich always knew it was coming.

“He is our superhero,” Bakich said. “He has really been a catalyst for our team the last two years now. This is his third year. His superpower is, he’s got the clutch gene. Whenever we need a big hit, he seems to get it. He is in the middle of all the action, he is in the middle of all the scoring.”

Cannarella now has the second-highest batting average on the team. His 27 hits are tied for most among his teammates, and his five doubles are tied for second-highest.

“He has that ability, that when we need the highest level of compete and the highest level of execution, in the most high-leverage situation, that is when he shines,” Bakich added. “He’s got a very special gift in that regard.”

Some of the early season struggles were due to how teams were pitching him, according to Bakich. Over the past couple of weeks, that has slowly started to change and Cannarella is making opposing pitchers pay.

What’s most scary is the fact that Clemson has gotten off to a 21-2 start, and their superhero is just now starting to heat up.

“He was getting pitched really hard in the beginning of the year,” Bakich said. “People were pitching him more outside of the strike zone than inside of the strike zone. Now that he is willing to take his walks and spray the ball all around the field, it makes him a very dangerous offensive player.”