CLEMSON BASEBALL WEEKLY WRAPUP

March 28, 2011

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 13-9 ACC Regular-Season Record: 4-5

Last Week: 3-2 Tue. W, Home vs. Elon, 7-2 Wed. W, Home vs. Elon, 9-2 Fri. L, Away vs. N.C. State, 6-0 Sat. L, Away vs. N.C. State, 5-3 Sun. W, Away vs. N.C. State, 7-3

Next Week Tue. Home vs. Georgia, 7:00 PM (CSS) Fri. Away vs. North Carolina, 7:00 PM Sat. Away vs. North Carolina, 2:00 PM Sun. Away vs. North Carolina, 1:00 PM

Last Week’s Game Notes Clemson, ranked as high as #15 in the nation, went 3-2 in five games this past week. The Tigers won both games at home over a solid Elon team, then N.C. State won two of three games against the Tigers in Raleigh over the weekend.

On the week, the Tigers hit .252 with a .365 slugging percentage and .354 on-base percentage. Phil Pohl was 6-for-12 with two doubles, three runs, three walks, two hit-by-pitches, and a .647 on-base percentage in four games. Richie Shaffer was 5-for-15 with a double and five RBIs in five games, while Spencer Kieboom was 4-for-6 with three RBIs in two games. Kieboom played in only two games, both against Elon. A day after he was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, which goes to the nation’s top catcher, the sophomore suffered a concussion prior to Friday’s game and did not play in the N.C. State series.

The Tiger pitching staff had a 3.56 ERA and .248 opponents’ batting average on the week. David Haselden had a 1.42 ERA and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched over two relief appearances. The Tigers had a .971 fielding percentage on the week as well.

The Tigers swept Elon in a two-game series by a combined score of 16-4 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 22,23. The Tigers outhit Elon .349 to .232 and totaled nine walks against only five strikeouts and five stolen bases. Kieboom went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, while Will Lamb and Chris Epps both added three hits, two RBIs, and three runs. The Tiger pitching staff had a 1.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts against only four walks. It also allowed just one extra-base hit.

In game-one on March 22, Justin Sarratt tossed 6.0 scoreless innings of four-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to lead Clemson to a 7-2 win over Elon. Sarratt gave up just four singles, no runs, and one walk with 10 strikeouts to earn the win. He allowed just two baserunners past first base and one past second base. Alex Frederick pitched 2.0 perfect innings with three strikeouts to close out the game. The Tigers broke the game open with six runs in the sixth inning, keyed by Epps’ two-run double. Kieboom went 3-for-4 with a double, while Lamb and Epps both added two hits and two RBIs in Clemson’s 11-hit attack.

In game-two on March 23, Jeff Schaus, Shaffer, and Kieboom had two RBIs apiece. Lamb pitched 4.0 solid innings in a starting role to earn the win, while Haselden, Jon Surber, and Joseph Moorefield combined to pitch 5.0 scoreless innings to close out the game.

N.C. State then won two of three games over Clemson by a combined score of 14-10 at Doak Field from March 25-27. The Wolfpack outhit the Tigers .261 to .188, while Clemson totaled seven doubles and two home runs. Pohl was 5-for-10 with two doubles to lead Clemson. The Tiger pitching staff had a 5.04 ERA, while Clemson had a .980 fielding percentage, committing just two errors.

In game-one on March 25, Cory Mazzoni tossed a four-hit shutout to lead N.C. State to a 6-0 win over Clemson. Mazzoni struck out 10 batters and pitched the first individual shutout by a Tiger opponent since 2008. At one point, the righthander retired 16 batters in a row. N.C. State, who outhit the Tigers 12-4, broke a scoreless tie with five runs on five hits in the fifth inning, capped by Harold Riggins’ three-run homer. Clemson stranded eight runners on base, including six in scoring position.

In game-two on March 26, relievers Rob Chamra and Chris Overman combined to toss 6.2 scoreless innings of one-hit ball to lead N.C. State to a 5-3 win over Clemson. The Tigers scored two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-2 lead. But the Wolfpack scored a run in the bottom of the third inning and another run in the fourth to take the lead for good. Then Chamra stymied the Tiger offense in 5.0 innings pitched to earn the win, while Overman recorded the save by retiring all five batters he faced. Pohl had a team-high two hits to lead Clemson.

In game-three on March 27, Pohl went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs to lead Clemson to a 7-3 win over N.C. State. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, keyed by John Hinson started a three-run fifth inning with a long solo home run. Starter Scott Firth pitched 5.0 innings of three-hit ball to earn the win, Haselden struck out five in 3.1 innings pitched, and Frederick retired both batters he faced to record the save. The three hurlers limited N.C. State to only five hits in the contest.

2011 Season Notes Clemson has a 13-9 overall record and 4-5 ACC mark on the season. The Tigers are tied with Boston College for second place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings behind Florida State (6-3). Clemson also sports an RPI of #7 in the nation thanks in large part to playing the second-toughest schedule in the nation according to WarrenNolan.com.

The Tigers, who have cumulatively outscored their opponents in each of the nine innings this season, are hitting .316 with a .445 slugging percentage and .416 on-base percentage thanks to 118 walks and 24 hit-by-pitches in 2011. The team has also totaled 45 doubles, six triples, 13 homers, and 31 stolen bases. Clemson is fielding at a .960 clip as well.

Spencer Kieboom leads the ACC with a .455 batting average and .535 on-base percentage. Phil Pohl is second in the ACC in batting average (.439) with eight doubles, two homers, 15 RBIs, and 14 runs in only 57 at-bats. Freshman Dominic Attanasio is 12-for-24 with a homer, seven RBIs, and eight runs in 13 games (three starts) as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.57 ERA and .240 opponents’ batting average in 194.0 innings pitched this season. It has allowed 176 hits and 57 walks with 167 strikeouts, good for a 2.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Graduate righthander Justin Sarratt is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA, .203 opponents’ batting average, and 21 strikeouts against only two walks in 20.0 innings pitched over seven appearances (two starts). Jonathan Meyer is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and .171 opponents’ batting average in 20.0 innings pitched over eight relief appearances. Scott Firth, who has started each of the last two Sunday games, earned the win in both of those two outings and has a .197 opponents’ batting average in 2011.

Clemson will return home to face Georgia at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. The game will be televised live by CSS. Then over the weekend, Clemson will return to the “Research Triangle” to face North Carolina in a three-game series.