Sunday 03/05/2000
March 5, 2000
CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior righthander Scott Berney has not allowed a run in 30.0 innings pitched this season (four starts) and has a 4-0 record. Kris Benson’s longest scoreless streak was 19.1 during his incredible 1996 season. Benson was drafted #1 overall in the Major League Draft in ’96. While Berney may not have the scouts drooling like Benson did, Berney gets the most out of every pitch with accuracy and ability to keep batters off balance. In three seasons at Connecticut, Berney had a 2.45 walks per nine innings pitched mark and he has kept that consistency with a 0.9 mark in 2000. He also threw just four wild pitches at Connecticut and has yet to throw one as a Tiger.
Berney, Mottl…Awesome One-Two Punch Clemson has a 1.46 team ERA thanks mostly to senior righthanders Scott Berney and Ryan Mottl. Mottl started the season as the #1 starter, but when Mottl was ailing and was pushed back to a Sunday start against Old Dominion on Feb. 20, Leggett started Berney in game one of the series. Since then, Berney has started game one and Mottl game two of each weekend series. The two have combined to allow just three runs, eight walks, and 28 hits along with an 8-0 record in 54.0 innings pitched (eight combined starts).
Berney, who is 4-0 and has not allowed a run and just three walks in 30.0 innings, has brought a contagious attitude of aggressiveness and competitiveness to Kevin O’Sullivan’s pitching staff. Along with Berney, Ryan Mottl has seemed to find himself again. He is also 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 24.0 innings. He now has 301 career strikeouts and became just the sixth Tiger to reach the 300-strikeout mark.
Clemson Career Strikeout Leaders Rk. Player Year(s) Strikeouts 1. Brian Barnes 1986-89 513 2. Rusty Gerhardt 1969-72 382 3. Kris Benson 1994-96 356 4. Billy Koch 1994-96 338 5. RYAN MOTTL 1997-present 301 6. Billy O'Dell 1952-54 300 7. Jason Dawsey 1993-95 276 8. Ken Vining 1994-96 258 9. Andy Taulbee 1992-94 235
Glaser Stepping Up as Tiger Closer Junior righthander Nick Glaser transferred to Clemson from Edmonds CC in Washington with the hopes of making an immediate impact. He has done just that as he already has six saves in eight appearances. He has allowed just six hits, no earned runs, one walk, and a .214 opponent batting average along with 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings. He exudes the typical closer personality with his slingshot-type delivery and fiery attitude. His six saves already places him tied for eighth in saves in a season in a Tiger history.
Clemson Single-Season Save Leaders Rk. Player Year Saves 1. Scott Winchester 1995 14 2. Scott Winchester 1993 10 Scott Winchester 1994 10 4. Scott Clackum 1998 9 5. Mike Milchin 1988 8 6. Len Bradley 1980 7 Aaron Jersild 1992 7 8. Jay Bevis 1969 6 Tommy Qualters 1975 6 Dave Woessner 1978 6 Jerome Santivasci 1989 6 NICK GLASER 2000 6
Leggett Approaching 300 Wins in Tigertown Tiger Head Coach Jack Leggett needs just one win to reach the 300-win mark at Clemson in just his seventh season. He has a 299-117 (.719) record in Tigertown and a 676-404 (.626) overall record in his 21st season. His attempt for win #300 against UNLV on Mar. 5 was thwarted on a late-inning comeback by the Rebels. Mar. 5 was also Leggett’s 46th birthday.
Pitching Vastly Improved Over 1999 The Clemson pitching staff struggled in 1999 with its team ERA of 5.82. But already this season, there is a noticeable difference in every area thanks to the leadership of veteran Tigers in Scott Berney and Ryan Mottl. In fact, Clemson has yet to allow even six runs in a single game. Other notables include throwing just three wild pitches and allowing just 14 extra base hits. Below is a comparison of the team’s stats through from 1999 and 2000.
Category 1999 2000 ERA 5.82 1.46Hits per 9 IP 10.6 5.5Homers Allowed Per Game 0.9 0.1Walks per 9 IP 4.7 3.1Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio 1.7 2.5Opp. Batting Average .299 .176
Two-Out Toughness A key to having a successful pitching staff is the ability of the pitchers to end innings with two outs. In 132 opponent at bats, Tiger pitchers have allowed just 17 hits for a .129 batting average. That has been a huge reason for the team’s 1.46 ERA. Ryan Mottl leads the way with a .040 (1-for-25) opponent batting average with two outs. Scott Berney (3-for-33 (.091)), and Steve Reba (1-for-11 (.091)) all have also performed incredibly in that situation.
Reba Remarkable on the Mound Sophomore righty Steve Reba has allowed one hit and no runs in 10.0 innings this season. That equates to a 0.00 ERA and .031 opponent batting average. In his first start of the season against Coastal Carolina on Mar. 1, he allowed no hits and no runs in 5.0 innings. Reba, who has shown more consistency with his sharp-breaking slider in 2000, is expected to be a weekday starter during the season.
Stone Breaks Into Everyday Lineup, Breaks Sacrifice Bunt Record Every team should have a Casey Stone on its team. The junior outfielder stands only 5-6 and weighs 155 pounds, but no one is more aggressive on the field and more polite off the field than Stone. Stone hit his way into the everyday lineup in the postseason, where he hit .367 with nine RBIs in eight NCAA Tournament games. This season, he has started all 13 games and is hitting .317 with a team-best 13 runs scored along with three doubles and a triple. He is also one of the fastest players around from home plate to first base.
Stone entered the season with 11 sacrifice bunts in two seasons and laid down his fifth of 2000 against UNLV on Mar. 5, breaking the Clemson career record (held by Kurt Bultmann) with his 16th sacrifice. Ironically, teammate Brian Holstad is not far behind with 14. Stone has five of the team’s eight sacrifice bunts this season.
Clemson Takes Two of Three From UNLV Clemson won two of three games over UNLV from Mar. 3-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers allowed just three earned runs and held the Rebels, who came into the series hitting over .300, to 17 hits in the three games. Clemson won the first two games by scores of 8-0 and 5-3, respectively, while UNLV battled back to take game three 4-3.
In game one, Scott Berney extended his scoreless inning streak to 30.0 with 8.0 shutout innings in Clemson’s 8-0 win. Berney worked out of the trouble in each of the first four innings, allowing six hits, but did not allow a hit in innings five through eight to pick up his fourth win of the season. Patrick Boyd and Mike Calitri hit solo homers, and Casey Stone went 3-for-4 with a double and triple. Both teams left nine runners on base.
Game two saw the Rebels commit five errors that led to three runs in the Tigers’ 5-3 win. Ryan Mottl notched his 300th career strikeout as he pitched 8.0 innings, allowing four hits, two runs, and no runs while striking out seven to get the win. Nick Glaser picked up his sixth save as well. Brian Ellis and Jeff Baker combined for four of the Tigers’ six hits.
Game three saw Clemson, who had been stellar defensively, commit four errors, including a costly two-run throwing error in the eighth inning by pitcher Mike Proto that brought home the winning run as UNLV downed the Tigers 4-3. Clemson scored three runs in the seventh, the last coming on a Khalil Greene RBI single, but two two-out walks and the throwing error by Proto proved to be the difference. Jack Leggett was gunning for win #300 at Clemson on his 46th birthday. Jarrod Schmidt allowed just three hits and one earned run in 7.0 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Matt Additon suffered the loss.
Tigers Escape Late Inning Chanticleer Comeback with 4-3 Win Khalil Greene sacrifice fly in the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie as #8 Clemson downed Coastal Carolina 4-3 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Mar. 1. Tiger starter Steve Reba pitched 5.0 hitless and scoreless innings, but did not factor in the decision. Matt Additon picked up the win and Nick Glaser notched his fifth save of the year by pitching a perfect ninth inning. Coastal Carolina tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and walk along with an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Tony Stokes. Patrick Boyd had the game’s only two-hit performance, going 2-for-2.
Clemson Offers Promotional Ticket Discounts to Fans This year, Clemson offers special promotional considerations to select fans. Clemson offers a Businessperson Special on all weekday day games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, where any fan who presents his/her business card will receive free admission. All Sunday home games are Senior Citizens’ Day, where any fan who presents his/her AARP card will receive free admission. Also on Sundays, all youngsters are invited on the field during the national anthem to stand next to their favorite Clemson player. Ticket prices for home games are $5 for adults and $2 for students. Clemson students who present their student ID will receive free admission.
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