#11 Baseball Wins Season Opener At ACC Disney Blast Over #7 Rice, 3-1

Jan. 28, 2000

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.-Senior righthander Ryan Mottl had his best outing since his sophomore season to lead #11 Clemson over #7 Rice 3-1 in the teams season opener at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Mottl struck out six and allowed just one walk and one run on three hits. The Tigers outhit the Owls 10-4.

Khalil Greene’s 0-2, two-out opposite-field double in the first inning plated all the runs Clemson would need in the game, which lasted only one hour and 51 minutes. Greene, a Key West, Fla. native, had two hits in three at bats. Freshman Jeff Baker (Woodbridge, Va.) had three hits in four at bats in his first collegiate game. Rice’s lone run came on an RBI single by John Lukin in the second inning.

Junior college transfer Nick Glaser picked up the save retiring three of four batters in the ninth. Senior All-American Jef Nichols suffered the loss for the Owls.

Clemson will face #4 and defending national champion Miami (Fla.) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net.