CLEMSON -- Cam Cannarella may be just a freshman, but you wouldn’t be able to tell with how he carries himself on the diamond.

As he puts it, Erik Bakich’s brand of mental toughness is the ability to stay neutral and in the center.

Nobody fits that mold more than his young outfielder.

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Amid a turnaround that has seen the Clemson Tigers catapult into the national discussion with seven straight series wins, the moment has not been too big for Cannarella.

Cannarella is hitting .393 on the season with 88 hits, 64 runs, and 39 RBIs.

Following Clemson’s series win against UNC, Tigerilustrated.com sat down with the soft-spoken freshman to discuss his first season as a Tiger, his mindset, and more.

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TI: Take me through what it has been like for you from your commitment to Clemson to now. Has it been everything that you envisioned?

Cannarella: “So I was in the tenth grade, and my family and I chose this place and felt it was the right place to be. It had the right culture, great fans, and had made good friends. I had to work my butt off to earn a starting spot here, and I’ve felt like I did that."

TI: A unique thing about this freshman class is coming in at the same time as Erik Bakich and coming in together. How has that been with Bakich in year one from your perspective?

Cannarella: “I talked to some of the guys who played last year under Monte Lee and they said he was a good coach. Coming in as a freshman, I heard great things about Bakich and the deep run he made at Michigan, so I decided it was best for me to stick it out and do what I needed to do here.”

TI: Bakich describes you as someone with a slow heartbeat. To you, what does that mean, and how does it factor into your game?

Cannarella: “I take everything slow and don’t think of anything in the moment. It is as simple as that for me.”

TI: Was there a moment in the fall or during the season when something clicked that’s given you the confidence to play at a high level?

Cannarella: “I started in the fall and had to work as I was behind all the fifth years in the infield, and then EB moved me to the outfield because he saw me bat. I had a hot bat in the fall and kept working in the cages with my friends, and it just kept on doing my thing.”

TI: Can you describe what it was like in that first series against Binghamton and to step on the plate for the first time?

Cannarella: “When I got out there, I had chills. I was playing in front of a lot of fans, and I’m from a small town where we don’t draw many fans like that. I was happy to play in front of a crowd like that.”

TI: From your perspective, what was this turnaround like? You start 2-8 in conference play and now have won your seventh straight ACC series. How has this team stayed the course when the noise on the outside has continued to grow?

Cannarella: “We started out pretty rough, but we trusted our training, and EB knew that we were going to be good, and we just had to ride it out. Everything is clicking: the pitching is great, the hitting is great, and I’m so happy about it.”

TI: A fun segment that’s a blast to revisit every year is hearing those “welcome to the NFL and NBA” moments that become a fun story for players. For you, was there a “welcome to college baseball” moment?

Cannarella: “When I first got here, I didn’t think it was college yet because it was the summer, but you have that moment on the first day of school of “wow, I’m in college.” The first day of practice was probably four or five hours long, and I think it was a significant change from what I was used to. I adapted to it, and here I am now."

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TI: The buzz surrounding the team is at an all-time high this season, and with fans getting into the team as the postseason approaches, they see you leading off from here on out. To someone who may not know who Cam Cannarella is, what are you like as a player and a person off the field?

Cannarella: “I’m a great friend; I love my family and my teammates. I stick by my guys when they are down, and I’m trying to be supportive to everybody.”

Grayson Mann is an intern for Tigerillustrated.com.

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