Baseball Hosts Elon For Two-Game Set

March 22, 2004

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Clemson vs. Elon Clemson (8-9) will play host to Elon (10-13) Tuesday and Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Game times are 7:15 PM (Tuesday) and 4:00 PM (Wednesday). Tuesday’s game will be broadcast live on the radio by WCCP, 104.9 FM out of Clemson. There will be no radio for Wednesday’s game. Live stats will be available on Clemson’s website for both games.

The Series Clemson and Elon have met four times (all at Clemson) on the diamond, with Elon winning three of the four games. In 1920, Elon defeated the Tigers 6-3. The two teams did not meet again until 80 years later, as Clemson came away with a 17-5 victory in 2000. In 2002, Elon upset the top-ranked Tigers 8-6. Then on May 7, 2003, Elon came away with an 11-2 victory.

Head Coach Jack Leggett is 1-2 against Elon while at Clemson and was 1-3 while at Western Carolina, therefore is 2-5 all-time against the Phoenix.

The Starting Pitchers In game one Tuesday, Elon will start freshman righthander Matt McSwain (1-2, 4.15 ERA). The Sophia, NC native has started three games and appeared in four others. In 21.1 innings pitched, he has allowed 26 hits and 13 walks while striking out 23. He has yet to allow a homer as well.

Clemson will counter with sophomore righthander Kris Harvey (4-0, 2.11 ERA) Tuesday. The Catawba, NC native has a team-best 2.11 ERA and half of the team’s wins. In 21.1 innings pitched, he has allowed just 15 hits and nine walks while striking out 22. He has a .197 opponents’ batting average and has allowed just two extra base hits.

In game two Wednesday, the Phoenix will start senior lefthander Brian Hensen (1-0, 4.19 ERA). The Clemson, SC native and product of nearby Daniel High School has started a team-high seven games. He has allowed 39 hits and 12 walks in 34.1 innings pitched, while striking out 19. Last season, he earned the win against his hometown team by pitching 7.0 innings and allowing just seven hits, no walks, and two unearned runs.

The Tigers will counter with freshman righty Stephen Faris (0-1, 5.79 ERA) Wednesday. The Richmond, VA native will be making his first career start on the mound. He has walked just two batters in 9.1 innings pitched during six relief appearances this year.

Elon Overview Elon, led by eighth-year Head Coach Mike Kennedy, enters this week’s games with a 10-13 record, including a 6-3 record in Southern Conference games. The Phoenix took two of three games at Davidson over the weekend and have won four of its last six games after suffering a six-game losing streak. Elon has played stiff competition this year, including games at Duke (1), #22 N.C. State (3), Coastal Carolina (1), and Miami (FL) (3). Despite falling in all three games at Miami (FL), currently a top-five team, Elon lost two of the games by narrow scores of 6-3 and 6-5.

Elon, which has a 4-8 record on the road, is hitting .289 as a team, led by Drew Davis’ .379 average. Grant Rembert leads the Phoenix with eight doubles and 19 RBIs. Like in years past, Elon likes to run the bases, stealing 42 in 56 attempts, led by Evan Tartaglia’s 10.

The pitching staff has a 5.70 ERA and .294 opponents’ batting average. Four different Elon pitchers have accounted for its four saves. Elon is also fielding at a .957 clip.

Clemson Overview Clemson enters the two-game series against Elon with an 8-9 record after losing two of three games at Texas Tech over the weekend. Despite the below .500 record, Clemson has outscored its opponents 114-84, a margin of 30 runs. Clemson has also outhit its opponents .289 to .252. After playing 10 of its first 17 games away from home, Clemson will play 10 of its next 11 games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers are hitting .289 as a team, led by Brad McCann’s .438 batting average. John Ingram has also stepped up, hitting .412 with three homers and seven RBIs in just 17 at-bats.

Clemson has been unable to win close games, as it is 0-6 in games decided by two runs or less. In fact, the Tigers have not lost a game by more than three runs all season. Clemson sports a 4.43 ERA and .963 fielding percentage as well.

Red Raiders Win Two of Three Over Clemson After Clemson downed Texas Tech 7-3 on March 19, the Red Raiders won the next two games to take the series in Lubbock, TX. Despite losing two games, the Tigers outhit Texas Tech 37-28 (.336-.289) and committed just two errors during the series. Brad McCann’s (7-for-12), John Ingram (4-for-6) all had outstanding series at the plate.

In game one, Jason Berken pitched 6.0 innings of four-hit ball to earn his third win of the season. He allowed just one unearned run and one walk while striking out five Red Raiders. Texas Tech entered the game hitting .329 as a team. Clemson scored four runs in the fifth inning and three in the seventh to pull away. McCann led the Tigers with three hits, while Clemson outhit Texas Tech 13-6. Jeff Hahn pitched the final 3.0 innings to earn his first save of the year.

In game two, Clemson made a furious comeback only to fall short 13-10. The Tigers scored eight runs in the eighth inning to take a 9-7 lead, only to have Texas Tech score six in the bottom of the eighth. The Tigers outhit Texas Tech 18-13 and got homers from Kris Harvey and Lou Santangelo. Four different Tigers had at least three hits.

In game three, Michael McGowan stifled the Tiger bats in a 5-3 Red Raider victory. Clemson was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and was unable to break through with a clutch hit in several situations. The Tigers were held to just six hits. Travis Storrer’s 12-game hitting streak also came to an end in the game.

Tickets Available Online Tiger baseball fans can purchase tickets online for upcoming Tiger home games at Clemson’s official athletic website, ClemsonTigers.com. Tickets for each weekend series will go on sale each Monday and fans can purchase reserved bleacher seats for a single game or an entire series. Tiger fans can also purchase advanced seats for the South Carolina home game on April 7 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

All But One Clemson has an 8-9 overall record, but has outscored the opposition in all but one inning in 2004. Clemson has scored more runs in every inning except the fourth, where it has been outscored 14-5. The Tigers have also been outscored 2-0 in extra innings.

In a Pinch Head Coach John Ingram (3-for-4) have come up big in as a pinch hitter. Two of Ingram’s homers have also come as a pinch hitter.

Bottom’s Up The #9 spot in the batting order has been one of the Tigers’ bright spots in 2004. The batter occupying that spot is hitting .357 with a .446 on-base percentage. The .357 batting average is second only to the .438 batting average of the #3 spot.