Baseball Looks to Extend Winning Streak Tonight at Western Carolina

March 25, 2003

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Clemson to Play at Western Carolina Tuesday Night Clemson (17-3), winners of 14 games in a row, will take on Western Carolina (17-8) Tuesday at 7:00 PM at Cullowhee, NC. The game will be broadcast by WCCP (104.9 FM) out of Clemson and can be heard on the internet at www.clemsontigers.com. Live stats will be available on Clemson’s website.

The Series Clemson and Western Carolina have met 51 times, with the Tigers holding a 43-8 advantage in the series dating back to 1974. The two teams most recently met twice in 2002, with the Tigers coming away with two victories. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1978. Clemson has won seven straight in the series dating back to a 9-8 Catamount win at Cullowhee ’99. In that game, freshman Kyle Frank was 4-for-4. Michael Johnson also has three homers in four career games.

Clemson is 11-7 all-time at Cullowhee, NC. Jack Leggett, who was the Catamount head coach from 1983-91, is 17-3 against his former team as the Tiger skipper, including 3-3 at Cullowhee.

The Starting Pitchers Western Carolina will start sophomore lefthander Brandon McDowell (2-1, 5.32 ERA) on the mound. McDowell has made four starts and one relief appearance in 2003. Clemson will counter with sophomore righthander Jeff Hahn (3-2, 3.80 ERA). Hahn will be making his first midweek start, as he has made five weekend starts in 2003. He has allowed just five walks in 23.2 innings pitched.

Western Carolina Overview Western Carolina is coming off a three-game sweep of East Tennessee State in its last action. The Catamounts are also 16-3 after starting the season 1-5. They sport a .299 batting average, led by Wayne Kilmer’s .389 mark. He also has a team-high 12 stolen bases. Todd Buchanan has seven homers and 33 RBIs in just 25 games to go along with a .360 batting average. The team also has a .967 fielding percentage and 3.61 ERA.

Clemson Overview Clemson has won 14 games in a row, its most since winning 15 in a row in 1996. Clemson’s team batting average rose to .317 after a 21-7 win that saw the Tigers pound out 24 hits. Zane Green leads the team with a .368 batting average, while Brad McCann has a team-high 23 RBIs. Ryan Hub is also riding a 10-game hitting streak, tied for the longest by a Tiger this year. Clemson has a 3.22 team RBI to go along with a .973 fielding percentage. The Tigers also sport a 2-3 away record in 2003.

N.C. State Series to Be Played at Kinston, NC The Clemson at N.C. State series from March 28-30 will be played at Kinston, NC, announced Monday by N.C. State University. Renovations at Doak Field in Raleigh have yet to be completed. The Wolfpack have played all of their “home” games at several locations, including Grainger Stadium in Kinston. Grainger Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,800 and is the home of the Kinston (A) Indians, is located 80 miles east of Raleigh on U.S. Highway 70. The games, which will still be played at 7:00 Friday, 1:30 Saturday, and 1:30 Sunday, will be considered home games for N.C. State and away games for Clemson due to NCAA rules.

Tigers Trounce Terriers Monday Behind a season-high 24 hits, Clemson trounced Wofford 21-7 March 24 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson did not even play some of its regular starters, including Kyle Frank, Zane Green. Five Tigers had three hits and three more had two hits. The Tigers jumped out to an 11-3 lead after three innings. Freshmen Ryan Hub extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Freshman starter Jason Berken picked up the win, his third of the season.

Winning Streak Hits 14 After starting the season 3-3, Clemson has won 14 games in a row to improve to 17-3. The streak ties for the seventh longest in school history. In 2002, Clemson started the season 13-0, lost, then won 13 more games in a row. The current 14-game winning streak is its longest streak since 1996, when the Tigers won 15 games in a row.

Clemson's Longest Winning Streaks        Rk.     Games   Year    Ended By        Date    Score        1.      26      1977    South Carolina  3/28    2-1        2.      25      1995    at South Carolina       3/28    4-2        3.      21      1988    South Carolina  4/23    11-7        4.      17      1992    Maryland        3/15    10-9        5.      15      1988    vs. Brigham Young       3/15    9-2                15      1996    at Duke *3/16   7-4        7.      14      1989    at Maryland     *4/16   5-4                14      2003        9.      13      1991    vs. Creighton   6/1     8-4                13      2002    South Alabama   3/16    6-4                13      2002    N.C. State      4/6     3-0* - game one of a doubleheader