Clemson Baseball Hosts Florida State In Tigertown This Weekend

May 3, 2000

CLEMSON, S.C. – Eighth-ranked Clemson (37-12, 12-6 ACC) plays host to #2 Florida State (41-9, 13-5 ACC) beginning Saturday at 7:00 PM. The Sunday and Monday games are also at 7:00 PM. The Monday game, Clemson’s last regular-season home game, will be broadcast on College Sports Southeast. All three games will be broadcast on the Clemson Sports Network. Clemson was off this past week for final exams. Florida State’s exams were in the last week of April.

The Seminoles took two of three game against N.C. State this past weekend. Florida State has not allowed more than seven runs for 12 straight games and in 38 of its last 39 games. Florida State is also 27-0 when it totals 11 hits or more in a game. The Seminoles are also 9-6 on opponents’ home fields in 2000. Clemson went 1-2 at #5 Georgia Tech this past weekend. Clemson’s bats have come alive of late, as the Tigers have scored 90 runs in their last nine games. The matchup will be a contest of two of the top four teams in terms of wins in the decade of the 90s.

Last season, Clemson split four games with the Seminoles. The Tigers lost two of three games in Tallahassee, but the one win ended Florida State’s school-record 21-game winning streak. Clemson also won a dramatic 8-7 decision in the ACC Tournament last season. Florida State rallied late in that game, but closer Chris Heck and the Tigers held on to eliminate the #1 seed. Two seasons ago, Clemson downed the Seminoles two times in three games played at Clemson. Both Tiger wins were one-run games. Four years ago, Clemson’s three starters (Kris Benson, Billy Koch, and Ken Vining) each pitched complete games and allowed no earned runs in Clemson’s sweep of the Seminoles. The only run allowed in the series by the Tigers was an unearned run in game two by Koch. Florida State leads the all-time series 42-36-1 dating back to 1958, but Clemson holds a 20-17 edge since Florida State joined the ACC in 1992.

The games will be a matchup of the two top teams in the ACC in terms of ERA. The Seminoles sport a 3.09 ERA while Clemson is second with a 3.61 ERA. In game one, Clemson will start freshman righty Jarrod Schmidt (7-0, 2.42 ERA) on the mound. Florida State will counter with junior righthander Mike Ziegler (8-2, 2.60 ERA). In game two, senior righthander Ryan Mottl (7-2, 3.38 ERA) will square off with sophomore righty Blair Varnes (8-2, 3.36 ERA). Game three will be a matchup between senior righthander Scott Berney (7-4, 2.95 ERA0 and junior righthander Jon McDonald (9-2, 4.11 ERA).

Florida State’s starting rotation this weekend is coming off an outstanding combined performance against N.C. State. The threesome combined to allow just three earned runs in 20.1 innings pitched for a 1.33 ERA. Chris Whidden has a team-best five saves and 1.93 ERA in 21 relief appearances. Florida State leads the ACC with a 3.09 ERA along with a .238 opponent batting average. The team also has struck out 462 batters in 454.0 innings pitched in 2000.

Jarrod Schmidt is having one of the best freshman seasons on the mound in Clemson history. He evens hits as the designated hitter when he pitches. Ryan Mottl has 30 career wins, including a 21-2 record at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Mottl ranks in the top five in Tigers history in starts, wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Berney has gone winless since March 24, but he still sports a sub-3.00 ERA. Berney also has an outstanding 1.94 walks per 9.0 innings pitched mark this season. Nick Glaser is Clemson’s top pitcher out of the bullpen, as he has an ACC-best 12 saves. The Clemson single-season record is 14 (Scott Winchester in 1995). The Tigers have a 3.61 team ERA and .253 opponent batting average.

At the plate, Jeff Baker leads Clemson with a .345 batting average. Khalil Greene is close behind with a .344 average. Clemson’s hottest hitter is Ryan Riley, who is up to .322 and is riding a 10-game hitting streak. He also has eight multi-hit games over that streak. Casey Stone has also been hot, upping his average to .324. Clemson is hitting .295 as a team and has a .970 fielding percentage.

Florida State is led by 21st-year Head Coach Mike Martin, who has 1,120 wins at Florida State. The team is hitting .331, led by John-Ford Griffin’s .438 batting average. Chris Smith and Marshall McDougal have each hit 11 homers, and Ryan Barthelemy leads the Seminoles isth 58 RBIs. On the basepaths, Brett Groves has over half of the team’s stolen bases with 27. Florida State has a .958 fielding percentage.

Seniors To Be Honored Sunday Clemson will honor its eight seniors before Sunday’s game with Florida State, which starts at 7:00 PM. The parents of the eight seniors will accompany the seniors in a pregame ceremony. Henr’ Stanley, Ryan Mottl, Matt Additon, Scott Berney, Brian Ellis, and manager Aimee Mastin will be recognized for their contributions to the Clemson Baseball Program.

Tiger Hurlers Against Seminoles in Their Careers Only four pitchers on Clemson’s staff has ever pitched against Florida State. Ryan Mottl and Matt Additon have seen most of the action against the Seminoles. Matt Additon is 2-0 with a save in his four appearances against Florida State. He also has a 4.41 ERA. Ryan Mottl has made one start against the Seminoles in each of his three seasons. He is 1-2 against the Seminoles, but in his only game against Florida State at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, he allowed just one run and four hits in 8.1 innings to earn the victory.

#28 Matt Additon, RHP

#27 Ryan Mottl, RHP

#10 Mike Proto, LHP

#43 Steve Reba, RHP

* – ACC regular-season game, + – ACC Tournament, * – start, ^ – finished game, Note: bold denotes a Clemson home game, does not include stats of transfers at previous schools

Clemson-Florida State Series…Best in the ACC Over the Years Florida State leads the all-time series 42-36-1 dating back to 1958, but since joining the ACC in 1992, Florida State trails Clemson in the series. Clemson holds a 20-17 advantage since the ’92 season. Clemson is the only ACC team to have a winning record of the Seminoles during that span. Clemson and Florida State have been two of the top programs in da country in recent years. Florida State’s 526 wins in the 1990s ranked second, whild Clemson’s 486 wins in the 1990s ranked fourth in the nation.

Clemson’s Record Against Florida State Since 1992

* – ACC Tournament

ACC Teams Against Florida State Since 1992

Tigers in Third Place in ACC Standings Clemson’s 12-6 conference record is good for third place in the conference. The Tigers are 2.5 games out of first place Georgia Tech, who is 16-5 in league play. Florida State is second at 13-5. The Tigers have finished in the top three in the standings for 27 of the last 29 seasons. Since 1958, Bill Wilhelm’s first of 36 seasons at Clemson, the Tigers have not finished worse than fifth.

Note: Standings are as of May 1

Injury Update * Michael Johnson broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning against Western Carolina on April 26. X-rays taken on May 1 confirmed the fracture. He will be out of action until mid-to-late May.

* Mike Calitri was hit on his hand by a pitch at Georgia Tech on April 30. He suffered a bruised hand. He remained in the game. His status for the Florida State series is probable.

* Henr’ Stanley left the Western Carolina game on April 26 early in the game due to a sore hand. He missed all three games at Georgia Tech. His status for the Florida State series is day-to-day.