Clemson Climbs in Two Polls

April 16, 2001

CLEMSON, S.C. –

The Clemson baseball team moved up in two of the three college baseball polls on Monday after going 4-1 in five games last week against Coastal Carolina and Duke.

The Tigers are ranked 12th by Baseball America and 13th by Collegiate Baseball, but did not move up in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN coaches poll and are ranked 18th for the second straight week.

The Tigers split two games with Coastal Carolina to start the week. The Chanticleers claimed a 10-5 victory on Tuesday and then gave up five Clemson runs in the bottom of the ninth inning before the Tigers went on to claim an 8-7 win in 11 innings on Wednesday. Clemson then swept the three-game series against Duke over the weekend by scores of 10-1, 10-2 and 6-4.

Clemson plays nine of its next 10 games at home and is facing one of its more challenging weeks of the season beginning Tuesday with a 7:15 PM meeting with Georgia, which is ranked 29th by Collegiate Baseball and 30th by Baseball Weekly/ESPN. Wednesday, the Tigers then travel to Columbia for the third game of the season versus South Carolina. The Gamecocks are ranked 16th by Baseball America, 19th by Collegiate Baseball and 12th by Baseball Weekly/ESPN.

Georgia Tech will be in Clemson this weekend for a three-game ACC series. The Yellow Jackets dropped two of three games this past weekend to Wake Forest and are now fourth in the ACC standings. With Clemson’s sweep of Duke over the weekend, the Tigers are second in the conference. Georgia Tech, the preseason number one in all three polls, is now ranked ninth by Baseball America, 11th by Collegiate Baseball and seventh by Baseball Weekly/ESPN.

Tuesday’s game against Georgia will be broadcast on the Clemson Tiger Network and will be televised by College Sports Southeast. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:15 PM. Right-handed pitcher Kevin Lynn (1-1, 5.74 ERA) is expected to start for the Tigers, while the Bulldogs will counter with right-handed pitcher Shaun Helmey (1-0, 2.04 ERA).