Monday 06/21/1999
March 29, 1998
Tuesday, March 31 Georgia at Clemson *7:15 PM
Wednesday, April 1 Clemson at South Carolina *7:00 PM
* - to be broadcasted on Clemson radio network
Pos # Player B-T Cl. G-GS Avg. HR RBI C 41 Brian Ellis L-R *So. 23-18 .431 1 18 or 15 Derek Borgert R-R *Jr. 26-15 .242 1 8 1B 25 Jason Harris L-L Jr. 31-31 .432 7 38 2B 18 Kurt Bultmann R-R Jr. 30-30 .345 9 34 SS 4 Doug Roper S-R *So. 31-31 .333 1 25 3B 11 Justin Singleton L-R Fr. 22-12 .368 3 16 or 8 Brian Holstad R-R *So. 28-17 .233 1 8 LF 9 Peter Nystrom R-R Fr. 30-27 .381 3 29 CF 24 Patrick Boyd S-R Fr. 31-31 .355 7 35 RF 22 Matt Padgett L-R Jr. 30-30 .420 7 28 DH 1 Henri Stanley L-L So. 28-17 .333 2 10 or 20 Paul Stryhas R-R Jr. 18-5 .360 0 9
Pitching Rotation to be Announced
Tigers Take Two Of Three Against Wake Forest Clemson took two of three games against Wake Forest on Mar. 27-29 at Tiger Field. In game one, Clemson sophomore Ryan Mottl (7-0) pitched eight innings, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out eight, as the Tigers downed Wake Forest 10-2 on Mar. 27 at Tiger Field. Mottl also won his 11th consecutive decision dating back to last season. Matt Padgett led the Tiger hitters with two more hits in three at bats. The only out recorded against the junior came when centerfielder Scott Daeley reached over the fence to deny Padgett his second homer of the game. Jason Harris also added two hits in three at bats, and Kurt Bultmann and Brian Holstad had homers on the evening as well. Game two featured many lead changes as Clemson enventually downed Wake Forest 6-5 on Mar. 28. Down two runs entering the bottom of the eighth, Clemson scored two runs. Justin Singleton and Doug Roper had RBI singles to give Clemson the lead. Senior Scott Clackum (3-0) pitched two perfect innings to earn the victory. Demon Deacon pitcher Mike MacDougal (4-2) suffered the loss. Matt Padgett had two hits on the day, giving him four straight games with at least two hits. Patrick Boyd also added three hits on the evening. Wake Forest had taken the lead in the top of the eighth when Scott Clackum’s balked a run home. In game three, Demon Deacon lefthander John Hendricks (6-2) pitched a complete game to lead Wake Forest over Clemson 8-2 on Mar. 29. Hendricks allowed only six hits and two unearned runs as he was able to strand 14 Tiger baserunners on the day. Wake Forest only left two men on base. A pair of four-run innings keyed the Demon Deacon win. Skip Browning (5-1) suffered the loss as he pitched six innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs.
Tigers Triumph Over The Citadel Behind Brian Adams Sophomore lefthander Brian Adams (4-0) won in his third consecutive start as Clemson blanked The Citadel 5-0 Mar. 25 at Tiger Field. Adams pitched 7.2 shutout innings, allowing only five hits and two walks while striking out six. Adams lowered his team best ERA to 1.62. Senior closer Scott Clackum wrapped up the game by finishing the eighth and ninth innings. Right-fielder Matt Padgett added three hits and an RBI to lead the Tiger hitters. Over the Sunday game and The Citadel game, Padgett had a streak of seven straight at bats with a base-hit. Peter Nystrom added an RBI triple.
Clemson Opens ACC Play With Sweep Over Maryland Clemson opened its 1998 ACC schedule with a three-game sweep over Maryland at Tiger Field. The Tigers hit .405 for the weekend, while Tiger pitchers allowed the Terps to only hit .202 at the plate. Jason Harris was 8-for-12 with two homers and seven RBIs in the series. In game one, Clemson scored three runs in the eighth inning to overcome a 3-2 deficit and to defeat Maryland 5-3 on Friday night, Mar. 20 at Tiger Field. The game was Clemson’s ACC opener. Patrick Boyd extented his hitting streak to eight games and Ryan Mottl (6-0) won his 10th consecutive decision dating back to last season. Senior Scott Clackum also picked up his third save on the season. Game two saw Clemson break a national record as the Tigers defeated the Terrapins 19-6. Clemson’s 19-run third inning was the most in a third inning in college baseball history. The 19 runs set the Clemson record for runs in an inning and tied the ACC record regardless of inning. The double-digit inning was the fifth time Clemson has scored at least 11 runs in an inning in 1998. Mike Paradis (4-0) pitched six innings, allowing only two hits and one unearned run, while striking out eight to pick up the win. Kurt Bultmann led the Tigers at the plate with a two-run single and three-run homer in the third inning. Bultmann and Patrick Boyd also scored three times in the third frame. In game three, Clemson scored seven runs in the fourth inning and never looked back on its way to a 15-6 win on Mar. 22. Skip Browning (5-0) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. The sophomore from Fort Oglethorpe, GA allowed only one hit and three walks in six innings to pick up the win. Matt Padgett starred in the field with a Clemson season-high five hits. He also had three runs and four RBIs. With the win, Clemson improved its all-time record against Maryland at Tiger Field to 39-1.
Tigers Split Home-And-Home Series With Catamounts Clemson had its eight game winning streak snapped in a home-and-home series with Western Carolina on Mar. 17 and 19. Brian Adams pitched 7.1 strong innings to lead Clemson over Western Carolina 5-1 on a chilly Tuesday night (Mar. 17) at Tiger Field. Adams won his second consecutive game, and also pitched seven or more innings and allowed only one run for the second straight game. The Bishopville, SC native allowed only five hits and one walk, while striking out six batters. Patrick Boyd hit his fifth home run in the first inning and ended with two hits and two RBIs. Jason Harris upped his RBI total with three RBIs on two doubles. Scott Clackum pitched the final 1.2 innings to earn his fifth save of the season. In the second game (at Western Carolina) on Mar. 19, Clemson jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on Kurt Bultmann’s seventh home run and Peter Nystrom’s RBI double. But the Catamounts responded with five runs, all unearned, in the bottom of the second off starter Matt White (1-2). All five runs scored with two outs. Western Carolina upped its lead to 8-4 in the second, but Clemson chipped away and cut the Catamount lead to 8-7 on homers by Patrick Boyd and Matt Padgett. Boyd added an RBI double and three more RBIs in the game, giving him 17 RBIs in his last seven games. But Clemson could get no closer as reliever Erik Turnrose did not allow a hit in Clemson’s final four innings. The Catamounts added two insurance runs in the eighth to provide the final margin of 10-7. All five of Clemson’s hits went for extra bases.
Leggett Reaches 600-Win Mark Head Coach Jack Leggett is only in his 19th season as a head coach and has already reached the 600-win mark in his coaching career when Clemson defeated his alma mater Maine in the second game of a doubleheader on Mar. 14. He has a career record of 607-363 (.626) in five seasons at Vermont, nine at Western Carolina, and more than four seasons at Clemson. Leggett has also amassed a 230-76 (.752) record while at Clemson, including each of the first three seasons that saw him win 50 or more games.
Odds And Ends
* Clemson’s team batting average of .349 is higher than its opponent’s slugging percentage of .348.
* Freshman Justin Singleton has 16 RBIs, 14 runs, three homers, and two triples in only 38 at bats.
* 13 different players have homered this season.
* Of Justin Hyde’s 13 hits, he has six doubles, a triple, and a homer.
* First baseman Jason Harris has not committed error in 287 chances.
* Only three times this season has a Tiger had four or more hits in a game, despite the team .349 batting average.
* Scott Clackum has given up one or more runs only once in his 13 appearances this season.
* Clemson has outscored its opponents 60-10 in third innings of games this season.
* Lefthander Brian Adams has allowed only two runs in the last 22.2 innings pitched.
Newcomers Provide Instant Offense The one question mark entering the 1998 season for Clemson was its ability to put runs on the board. That question has been answered emphatically thanks to many Tiger newcomers who have replaced the five graduating position starters from 1997. Clemson’s 10 newcomers in the field have combined to hit .373 (178-for-477). Those players have also stolen 22 bases in 23 attempts, and scored 150 of the 314 runs (47.8%).
Consistency A Key To Tigers’ Success Clemson is averaging 10.1 runs per game in 1998 and doing so without great individual game performances, but rather a group effort. Through 28 games, 14 players have at least nine hits, 11 players have scored at least 11 runs, and 14 players have at least eight RBIs. Also, 10 of the 12 Tigers with at least 30 at bats are batting .333 or better. Also, only three times this season has a player had four or more hits in a game. On the mound, all 12 pitchers have under a 7.00 ERA and have at least four appearances.
Finding A Way To Get On Base Clemson has an amazing on base percentage of .463 this season. The key to this stat is that Clemson has 221 walks and 22 hit by pitches. That means that 7.8 times per game a batter reaches bases in addition to Clemson’s 12.1 hits per game. Jason Harris, Matt Pagdett, Peter Nystrom, Brian Ellis, Justin Singleton, and Paul Stryhas all have on base percentages of .500 or better.
Brian Adams Providing Strong Outings As Starter Entering the 1998 season, lefthanded sophomore pitcher Brian Adams had not started a game on the mound as a Tiger. But if his last three starts are any indication, Adams will see a lot more time opening games for Clemson. In his last three outings, Adams has pitched 22.0 innings, allowing only 12 hits, two runs, and five walks while picking up three wins. He has lowered his ERA to a team best 1.62 figure. Opponents are only hitting .193 against him, including lefthanded batters only hitting only .121. Adams has a twin brother on the Tiger pitching staff. Unlike Brian, Darren throws from the right side and red-shirted the 1997 season. Darren has pitched 4.0 innings in ’98 in four relief appearances.
Eleven In A Row For Mottl Sophomore pitcher Ryan Mottl earned Clemson’s first ACC Player-of-the-Week award in 1998 when he pitched seven innings and picked up his third win against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 27. In the game against the Seahawks, he allowed just six hits and one walk, while striking out six.
For the season, Mottl is 7-0 with a 3.51 ERA in eight starts. He won his last four decisions of ’97, therefore he has won 11 decisions in a row. Mottl also has 55 strikeouts against only 13 walks for a 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Mottl was a First-Team All-ACC starting pitcher as a freshman, and was the first freshman Tiger pitcher to ever accomplish that feat.
Clackum Closing The Deal Senior submariner Scott Clackum has been closing games for Clemson since the 1997 season. This season, he has topped his ’97 ERA of 1.93 with a 1.08 ERA in 13 relief appearances. He has six saves and a 3-0 record in 16.2 innings pitched. He also has 15 strikeouts against only two walks, and has only allowed two runs, both coming on a Tony Gsell (Old Dominion) home run. The homer is also the only extra base hit he has allowed in 16.2 innings. Opposing batters are only hitting .148. Clackum has 10 career saves, which puts him in fifth place in the Clemson record chart. He needs five more saves to move into third place in the record book.
Boyd Garners ACC Honor March 9 Freshman Patrick Boyd was tabbed as the ACC Player-of-the-Week on March 9. He led Clemson to a 4-1 record for the week and hit .474 (9-for-19). The Palm Harbor native also was responsible for 14 runs in the five games, scoring nine runs and batting in five.
Boyd On 11-Game Hitting Streak After starting the season 3-for-25 (.120), freshman Patrick Boyd has risen his batting average to .355. He is also hitting 40-for-96 (.417) over the last 24 games. As the everyday centerfielder, Boyd has started all 31 games, while scoring 41 runs. He has hit seven home runs, a triple, and five doubles as well. Boyd has hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games. He now has 35 RBIs on the season. Therefore, he leads the 1998 team in runs scored (41), walks (25), and sacrifice flies (5).
Baseball America tabbed Boyd in the preseason as the ACC’s Newcomer-of-the-Year and as one of the top-10 prospects overall in the ACC regardless of class.
Padgett Quietly Making His Mark Junior Matt Padgett has steadily raised his batting average from his freshman season as he is hitting .420 in 1998. The Lexington, SC native has 47 hits in 112 at bats, and has seven homers and 28 RBIs in 30 games. Padgett has also hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games. During the 15 games, he is hitting .474 (27-for-57), including 23 runs scored and 21 RBIs. He also had a streak against Maryland (3/22) and The Citadel (3/25) where he had a hit in seven consecutive at bats, just two short of the Clemson record. In the Maryland game on Mar. 22, he had a five hits in six at bats. The five hits was a team-high for the season. And in the last six games Padgett is 14-for-24 (.583) with 10 runs scored and eight RBIs.
Starting Four Is 20-1 Clemson’s four-man rotation of Ryan Mottl, Mike Paradis, Skip Browning, and Brian Adams has been on a roll this season. All four starters are also in their sophomore seasons. Mottl is 7-0, Paradis is 4-0, Browning is 5-1, and Adams is 4-0. The four have combined for a 20-1 record in 26 starts. The four have also pitched 165.0 of the 277.0 innings and have a combined 3.60 ERA.
Big Innings Clemson has scored at least 11 runs in an inning an amazing five times in 1998. The Tigers scored 12 runs in the third inning against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 28 in the 19-6 win. Clemson scored 11 runs in the fifth inning against Stetson on Mar. 6 in the 22-4 victory. Clemson then had double-digit scoring innings twice in the same day. In game one of a doubleheader against Maine on Mar. 14, Clemson scored 12 in the fifth inning en route to the 18-2 win. Then in game two, Clemson scored 14 runs in the sixth inning to overcome a 11-4 deficit to win 19-11. Clemson topped the 14-run inning with a Clemson record 19-run third inning against Maryland on Mar. 21. The run total was also the most runs in a third inning in NCAA history. In the fifth and sixth innings, Clemson has outscored its opponents 106-21 (48-10 in 5th and 58-11 in 6th). Also, in the third inning, Clemson has outscored the opponents by a 60-10 count.
The offense has also been scoring runs at a record pace. The Tigers have scored 314 runs in 31 games, or 10.1 runs per game. The team record for runs in a season is 698 by the 1991 team. That team averaged 9.97 runs per game.
Freshman Nystrom An Instant Hit Peter Nystrom has made an instant impact on the Tiger offense as the starting left-fielder. The freshman from Dunedin, FL is hitting .381 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 29 RBIs in only 84 at bats. He has also walked 23 times and has an on base percentage of .526, which means he is reaching base over half the time he makes a trip to the plate. During his current six game hitting streak, Nystrom is 8-for-17 (.471) with seven runs and six RBIs. Nystrom has played in 30 of the 31 games, starting 27 in left-field.
Calitri Homers In First Career At Bat Red-shirt freshman Mike Calitri waited a whole year to do what few have ever done. The Canton, MA native hit an opposite field two-run homer in his first career at bat in the Tigers 16-4 win over East Carolina on Feb. 14. Calitri is 9-for-28 (.321) on the season, including two doubles, a triple, and nine RBIs at first and third base. Calitri had an outstanding game in the second game of a doubleheader against Maine on Mar. 14 when he had a double, triple, and four RBIs.
Roper Comes Back Strong After missing all but one game of the 1997 season, redshirt sophomore shortstop Doug Roper has started 1998 in fine fashion. The Vidalia, GA native has 32 hits in 96 at bats for a .333 batting average. Ironically, the slick-fielding shortstop bats in the ninth-spot in the lineup. He also has 10 stolen bases, which is tied for the team lead. Roper was a career 5-for-47 (.106) entering the ’98 season.
Harris Impressive As Tigers’ First Baseman Junior Jason Harris is hitting .432, which leads the ACC, and has seven homers in his first season wearing the orange and white. He also leads the squad with 38 RBIs and is tied with Patrick Boyd for the team lead in runs with 41 as the Tigers’ new first baseman in 1998. The Brevard College transfer also has nine stolen bases in nine attempts. And he has not committed an error in 287 chances. Harris’ production is magnified by the fact that the left-handed hitter is hitting .396 against lefties. Harris has also hit safely in 17 of the last 18 games. In the last 16 games, he his hitting .458 (27-for-59) with 25 RBIs. He also has a team-best 16 multi-hit games, and has a team-best 12 multi-RBI games.
Bultmann Picks Up Where He Left Off Kurt Bultmann has started 1998 on a roll after setting the Clemson single-season record for doubles with 31. The junior from Seminole, FL hit two doubles in the three-game Olive Garden Classic. He also had six hits in 14 at bats and was named the tournament MVP. The second baseman has moved over from the shortstop position now that Doug Roper is back from a season-ending injury in 1997. Bultmann is currently hitting .345 with nine doubles, a triple, nine home runs, and 34 RBIs in starting 30 of the 31 games at second base. His fielding percentage has also been a bright spot this season. He has committed only three errors in 118 chances for a .975 fielding percentage. Bultmann had one of his best games in his career against Stetson on Mar. 6, where he was 2-for-2 with two home runs, a two-run shot and a grand slam. Bultmann now has 50 career doubles, which puts him in 12th place all time in Clemson history. Below is a look at the Clemson career doubles leaders:
Rk. Name (Years) Doubles1. Gary Burnham (1994-97) 772. Bert Heffernan (1985-88) 633. Chuck Baldwin (1984-87) 624. Shane Monahan (1993-95) 605. Jim Crowley (1988-91) 576. Jim McCollom (1982-85) 567. Kevin Northrup (1989-92) 55 Billy McMillon (1991-93) 559. Brian Kowitz (1988-90) 5310. Mike Milchin (1987-89) 51 Robert Bonnette (1976-79) 5112. Kurt Bultmann (1996-present) 5013. Steve Baucom (1984-87) 49 Jeff Miller (1990-93) 4915. Matthew LeCroy (1995-97) 48
Leggett Has 41-7 Record in Februarys Under Head Coach Jack Leggett, Clemson has gotten off to some fast starts, mainly in the month of February. In his five February’s at Clemson, Leggett has amassed a 41-7 (.854) record in the month of February. Leggett was 8-2 in 1994, 6-1 in 1995, 7-2 in 1996, 9-1 in 1997, and 11-1 in 1998.
ACC Coaches Pick Clemson To Finish Second1. Florida State (3) 732. Clemson (2) 70 Georgia Tech (3) 704. N.C. State 455. Wake Forest (1) 446. Duke 387. North Carolina 318. Virginia 239. Maryland 11
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