Clemson Baseball Weekly Recap

March 20, 2005

Clemson went 3-1 this past week, which included two wins in three games over #9 North Carolina. Clemson outscored North Carolina and Furman by a combined score of 28-7. The Tigers’ only loss came against North Carolina on Friday, a heartbreaking 2-1 loss that saw the Tigers squander several scoring chances late in the game. The Tigers are now 5-3 against top-25 ranked teams in 2005. Clemson, who evened its season record at 8-8 and is 2-1 in ACC play, hit .275 on the week, compared to its opponents’ .220 average. Kris Harvey was 6-for-13 (.462) with three homers and 10 RBIs at the plate, and pitched 7.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball on Saturday to get the win. That same game, he hit two solo homers in one of the best all-around games in school history. In fact, Harvey single-handedly drove in more runs (10) than the opponents scored runs (7) on the Tigers during the four-game week. The pitching staff allowed just seven runs, 28 hits, and 12 walks while striking out 34 in 36.0 innings pitched and had a 1.75 ERA to lower its season ERA to 3.92.

On the season, Clemson is hitting .280, led by Taylor Harbin’s .373 average. The freshman has hit 10 doubles, a tripe, and two homers along with 12 RBIs in his first 16 games. He has also struck out just twice in 67 at-bats and has not committed an error in 74 chances in the field at second base. Harvey leads the team in homers (5) and RBIs (23). Andy D’Alessio has made the most of his eight hits, as he has four homers and 16 RBIs. The team committed just two errors during the week, and has raised its season fielding percentage to .978.

On Friday, Josh Cribb suffered the tough loss despite striking out a career-high 10 batters without allowing a walk and allowed just two runs in a career-high 7.2 innings pitched. Cribb has struck out 30 against only five walks in 2005. Stephen Faris has emerged as a reliable midweek starter and long relief pitcher. In two appearances this past week, he pitched 6.1 innings, and allowed just four hits, no runs, and no walks while striking out seven, including a win in a starting role against Furman on Wednesday. Faris, a righthander, has allowed just one run on 11 hits in 15.1 innings pitched this year, good for an 0.59 ERA.

The Tigers will play five games in the upcoming week on the road during Clemson’s Spring Break. The Tigers will play two games at Old Dominion on Tuesday and Wednesday, then will play at Maryland over the weekend. Head Coach Jack Leggett needs three wins to reach the 900-career win mark. Currently, 34 coaches have 900 or more career wins as a Division I head coach.