Baseball Prepares for ACC Tournament

May 11, 1998

ACC Tournament History

Clemson will be looking to win two or more games in this year’s ACC Tournament for the 25th or every ACC Tournament held since 1973. The Tigers have an overall record of 77-35 (.688) in ACC Tournament play, but are only 4-6 in Durham. That is the only one of the seven tournament sites where Clemson has a losing record.

Clemson has won eight tournament championships, with the last coming in 1994 in Greenville, SC. Last season in Saint Petersburg, FL, Clemson made it to the championship game against Florida State before losing 10-0 to the Noles.

Clemson To Host NCAA East Regional

Clemson was one of eight NCAA Baseball Tournament regional sites announced Monday, May 11 by the NCAA Tournament Committee. Clemson will play host to the East Regional on May 21-24 (Thursday-Sunday). It will be the fourth time in the last five years tha Clemson has played host to an NCAA Baseball Regional and the sixth time overall. Clemson also played host to the event in 1980, 1981, 1994, 1995, and 1996. Other regional sites are Florida, Florida State, Louisiana State, Miami (FL), Stanford, Texas A&M, and Wichita State.

Tournament passes are $50.00 apiece for reserved seats and $40.00 for general admission tournament passes. Adult general admission single-session tickets are $7.00 and $4.00 for students ($28.00 for a tournament pass).

Clemson will now play in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season. It also means that Clemson is the only school in the nation to have its men’s basketball and baseball teams play in the NCAA Tournament and the football team in a bowl game each of the last three years.

Tigers Face Tar Heels In First Round

Clemson will be the #3 seed in the 25th annual ACC Tournament at the Durham Bulls Athletic Ballpark in Durham, NC on May 12-17. Clemson will face its last ACC regular season opponent in North Carolina in the first round on Wednesday, May 13 at 8:30 PM EDT. It will be the first time the two have met in the first round of the ACC Tourney since 1975. The two last met in the tournament in 1995 in the second round in Greenville, SC, when Clemson won 6-4. The Tigers hold a 13-8 advantage in the ACC Tournament, including winning four of the last five.

Clemson took two of three games in Chapel Hill on May 9-10. The two are both at a disadvantage in that a doubleheader was played last Saturday and no games were played last Friday, meaning that every starting pitcher that pitched this past weekend will have less than four days rest for the Wednesday night game. Clemson’s 7-6 come-from-behind win on Sunday gave the Tigers a #3 seed and dropped North Carolina to a #6 seed. In the series, Clemson left 40 runners on base while Tar Heels pitchers walked 29 Tiger batters.

In game one, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 12-1 only to have the Tigers claw their way back to 12-9, which was the final score. North Carolina scored all 12 runs in a three-inning stretch (4th through 6th). The big blow came on Kevin Davidson’s two-run opposite field home run in the fifth. Clemson rallied with eight runs in the seventh inning and had the bases loaded, but could not even the score. Ryan Mottl (9-3) suffered his second consecutive loss and Tar Heel starter Kyle Snyder (6-6) went 6.0 innings for the win.

Game two, which was the second game of a doubleheader, featured the pitching of lefty Matt White (4-2), who won his third consecutive decision by pitching 6.1 innings, allowing only one run and six hits as Clemson won 8-1. Brian Ellis hit his second homer of the season and Derek Borgert added three hits on the night.

In game three, Clemson rallied with three runs in the ninth to defeat North Carolina 7-6. Clemson squandered opportunities all day, as the Tigers left 16 men on base, including eight in the last three innings. Clemson hit into three inning-ending double plays with the bases loaded. After UNC jumped out to a 5-0 lead, highlighted by Tyrell Godwin’s three-run shot to center, Clemson scored four runs in the seventh, three coming on Matt Padgett’s homer to center. Down 6-4 entering the ninth, Clemson loaded the bases with two outs. Patrick Boyd’s infield single cut the Tar Heel lead in half. Then, Padgett hit a bad-hop grounder to second baseman Rob Miano. Miano fielded it, but threw wide, enabling Clemson to take a 7-6 lead. Scott Clackum (7-0) finished the ninth to give Clemson the dramatic victory.

Tigers Soar In Polls

Clemson rose to the #3 ranking in the April 6, 1998 USA Today/Baseball Weekly poll, which was Clemson’s highest ranking in one of the three polls since the May 9, 1995 poll that had Clemson ranked #3 by two of the polls. That year, Clemson was ranked in the top 10 in every poll every week. Clemson was also ranked in the top 10 most of 1996, but only reached #4 in the final polls.

Tiger Tidbits

* Clemson is 28-0 this season when it holds opponents under six runs.* Clemson is 8-2 against ranked teams.* All 15 Tigers with at least 29 at bats have an on base percentage of .396 or better* The Tigers are 32-4 in home games this season.  Of the four losses, one came   in the season home opener, and one in the season home finale.* Justin Singleton is 4-for-5 with the bases loaded and is hitting .514 with   runners in scoring position.* Kurt Bultmann committed only one error in 94 chances in 23 ACC games in '98.* The Tigers are 16-2 in night games this season.* Derek Borgert is leading the team hitting .426 (23-for-54) in ACC games.* Matt Padgett has hit six of the last 10 Tiger home runs* Red-shirt freshman Mike Proto has not allowed a run in 10.0 innings pitched   at Tiger Field.* Clemson has outscored its opponents 81-18 in third innings of games this season.* The Tigers have won 40 or more games for 13 straight seasons.* Brian Ellis has an on base percentage of .584 in 104 at bats.    He also ahead of the Tiger single-season record as he is walking once   every 2.54 at bats.  He also has successfully reached base 25 of the 37 (68%)   times he has led off an inning in '98.* Tiger pitchers have held top 25 teams to a .252 batting average (10 games)

Clemson Running More in ’98

The Tigers have stolen 81 bases and been thrown out only 20 times this season. Four Tigers have already reached double figures in stolen bases. Doug Roper (15-17), Brian Holstad (15-19) Jason Harris (14-15), and Patrick Boyd (11-14) have all stolen 11-plus bases and have combined to steal 55 bases in 65 attempts. In ACC play, Clemson is 31-37 on the basepaths as well, while its opponents have only stolen 12 bases in 20 attempts through 23 ACC games. The Tigers stole only 51 bases in all of 1997. The Tiger and ACC record for steals in a season is 188 set by the 1988 Clemson team.

Consistency A Key To Tigers’ Success

Clemson is averaging 9.3 runs per game in 1998 and doing so without great individual game performances, but rather a group effort. Clemson currently has a team batting average of .337, which is near the single-season record of .341 held by the 1991 team that finished 60-10 and went to the College World Series. This mark should only get better in the upcoming seasons, as there are no senior players in the field in ’98. Also, only seven times this season has a player had four or more hits in a game, which is amazing considering the team .337 batting average. On the mound, all 11 pitchers with a minimum of seven innings pitched have a 5.37 ERA or better and have at least seven appearances. Clemson’s team ERA is 4.30 in ’98, compared to last year’s 6.35 ERA.

Youth Is Served

The four true freshmen in the field for the Tigers have showed why Baseball America listed Clemson’s recruiting class #3 in the nation. Patrick Boyd, Peter Nystrom, Justin Singleton, and Casey Stone have combined to hit .338 (179-for-530). Boyd and Nystrom have been everyday starters at center and left field, respectively. Singleton has platooned at third with Brian Holstad and Stone has seen limited action as a pinch hitter and has seen an occasional start at designated hitter and in left field.

Big Innings

Clemson has scored at least 11 runs in an inning five times in 1998. The Tigers scored 12 runs in the third inning against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 28 in the 19-6 win. Clemson scored 11 runs in the fifth inning against Stetson on Mar. 6 in the 22-4 victory. Clemson then had double-digit scoring innings twice in the same day. In game one of a doubleheader against Maine on Mar. 14, Clemson scored 12 in the fifth inning en route to the 18-2 win. Then in game two, Clemson scored 14 runs in the sixth inning to overcome a 11-4 deficit to win 19-11. Clemson topped the 14-run inning with a Clemson record 19-run third inning against Maryland on Mar. 21. The run total was also the most runs in a third inning in NCAA history.

Clemson also also nearly reached the 10-run mark in an inning many other times. Clemson has scored five runs in an inning seven times, six runs in an inning once, seven runs in an inning three times, eight runs in an inning three times, and nine runs in an inning three times. Therefore, the Tigers have scored five or more runs in an inning 22 times in 1998.

In the third, fifth, and sixth innings, Clemson has outscored its opponents 228-71 (81-18 in third, 64-23 in fifth, and 83-30 in sixth).

The offense has also been scoring runs near a record pace. The Tigers have scored 504 runs in 54 games, or 9.3 runs per game. The team record for runs in a season is 698 by the 1991 team. That team averaged 9.97 runs per game.

Tigers Reach 40-Win Mark For The 13th Straight Season

By defeating Florida State on April 25, Clemson reached the 40-win plateau for the 13th consecutive year. The Tigers have won at least 40 games every season since the 1985 season, when the Tigers went 36-30-1.

In the last 11 seasons, Clemson has an impressive record of 547-185, a .747 winning percentage. Clemson will play in the NCAA Tourament for the 12th straight season after receiving a bid on May 11.

Defense Strong In ’98

Despite losing five of the eight position starters from a year ago, Clemson’s team fielding percentage has been outstanding this season. The Tigers’ .966 team fielding percentage leads the ACC and is just behind the Clemson single-season record of .9671 figure that the 1976 team had. The defense has only committed 73 errors through 54 games, including five errors of which were credited to Clemson catchers because of catcher’s interference. When the Tiger defense has not committed an error in a game, the Tigers are 11-1 this season. First baseman Jason Harris has also only committed two errors in 526 chances in ’98.

Tigers Finding A Way To Get On Base

Clemson has an impressive team on base percentage of .446 this season. The key to this stat is that Clemson has walked 365 times and hit by pitch 35 times. That means that 7.4 times per game a batter reaches base via a walk and hit-by-pitch in addition to Clemson’s 12.0 hits per game. In only 104 at bats, Ellis has an outstanding on base percentage of .584, which is aided by 41 walks and two hit by pitches.

Clemson Shining Under The Lights

Clemson is 16-2 in night games in 1998. This is a vast improvement from the ’97 team that finished the season 13-14 under the lights.

Leggett Reaches 600-Win Mark

Head Coach Jack Leggett is only in his 19th season as a head coach and has already reached the 600-win mark in his coaching career when Clemson defeated his alma mater Maine in the second game of a doubleheader on Mar. 14. He has a career record of 622-371 (.626) in five seasons at Vermont, nine at Western Carolina, and more than four seasons at Clemson.

Leggett has also amassed a 245-84 (.745) record while at Clemson, including each of the first three seasons that saw him win 50 or more games. The 203 wins after four seasons at Clemson ranks second in the nation only to fellow ACC member Florida State as the most wins during that time period. Also, as Clemson’s head coach he has 61 wins against ranked teams, including being 8-2 against ranked foes in 1998.

Tigers 4-0 Against SEC In ’98

Clemson is 4-0 versus the Southeastern Conference this season. The four wins came against #10 Auburn (9-4 score) in the Olive Garden Classic in Kissimmee, FL on Feb. 8; Georgia (5-4 score in 10 innings) at Tiger Field on Mar. 31; at #8 South Carolina (6-4 score) on Apr. 1; and at Georgia (9-2 score) on Apr. 22.

Under Head Coach Jack Leggett, Clemson has also been successful against the SEC. Leggett’s record against the SEC as the Tigers’ skipper is 33-13, including 14 of which are against ranked teams. Leggett also has at least a .500 record against all six SEC schools he has faced while at Clemson.

Four Tigers Have Earned ACC Weekly Honor

Four different players have earned a total of five ACC Player or Pitcher-of-the-Week honors in 1998 after only two players earned Player-of-the-Week honors in 1997. Ryan Mottl is the only Tiger to earn honors twice in ’98. Below is a list of the four Tigers who have made the list:

Player-of-the-Week  Pos.  DatePatrick Boyd        OF    3-9Matt Padgett        OF    4-6Brian Ellis         C     4-20

Pitcher-of-the-Week Pos. Date Ryan Mottl RHP 3-2 Ryan Mottl (tri-winner) RHP 4-27

Padgett Tearing Through ACC

Junior Matt Padgett has steadily raised his batting average from his freshman season as he is hitting .389 in 1998. He entered the ’98 season hitting a career .278 in 109 games. The Lexington, SC native has 82 hits in 211 at bats, and has 14 homers, 13 doubles, a triple, and 56 RBIs in 53 games. He has also hit six of the last 10 team home runs.

Padgett had a streak against Maryland (3/22) and The Citadel (3/25) where he had a hit in seven consecutive at bats, just two short of the Clemson record. In the Maryland game on Mar. 22, he had a five hits in six at bats. The five hits was a team-high for the season. Padgett has also been strong against lefthanders, batting .376 against southpaws. Going to opponents’ ballparks has not kept right-fielder down either, as he is hitting .379 with six homers and 19 RBIs in just 15 away games this season. Padgett also recently had a 16-game hitting streak.

Padgett was named the ACC Player-of-the-Week for his efforts on Mar. 31 through Apr. 5. In single games against Georgia and South Carolina and three games at Virginia, Padgett hit .450 with nine hits, six RBIs, and four runs scored, including a home run against Georgia. He also had four doubles in five games, including one against #8-South Carolina in Columbia. As of April 6, Padgett led the ACC in batting average at .424.

Ellis Has Incredible .584 On Base Percentage

Red-shirt sophomore catcher Brian Ellis missed 10 games in late March and early May due to a hand injury, but still has proved his prowess. Ellis is hitting .423 in 104 at bats, including an astonishing on base percentage of .584. Ellis has been platooning behind the plate with Derek Borgert, but is still hitting .462 (18-for-39) against left-handers. He also is only one of two players (Padgett) to have two four-hit or more games. He went 4-for-5 versus UNC Charlotte on Feb. 26 and was a perfect 4-for-4 against UNC Asheville on Apr. 15.

Ellis hit .320 in 25 at bats his freshman season of 1997. Therefore, the Columbia, SC native has a career batting average of .403 (52-for-129), placing him second on the all-time Clemson batting average list with a minumum of 100 at bats. He has also stepped in as Clemson’s leadoff hitter of late, a rare occurrance for a catcher. He is also hitting .487 (19-for-39) in 15 night games.

His 41 walks in 104 at bats gives him a walk every 2.54 at bats, which is the best single-season mark in Clemson history. Second place is held by Doug Hoffman, who in 1959 walked once every 3.18 at bats.

Ellis had one of his best weeks in a game against UNC Asheville (Apr. 17) and two versus N.C. State as he garnered ACC Player-of-the-Week honors. In the three games, he was 7-for-9 with nine RBIs and eight walks, therefore giving him a .833 on base percentage in 18 plate appearances. Since that week, he has batted in the leadoff spot in the Tiger lineup.

Singleton Making His Own Tracks

True-freshman third baseman Justin Singleton has been one of Clemson’s hottest hitters recently, upping his batting average to .368 in 41 games and 25 starts. The .368 average ranks third best on the Clemson team. In only 95 at bats, he has three homers, two triples, four doubles, and 32 RBIs to go along with a .492 on base percentage.

Singleton has been platooning at third base with right-handed hitting Brian Holstad, but has made the most of his opportunities, going 13-for-28 (.464) in his last seven starts, with eight runs and 11 RBIs. Against N.C. State on April 17, he tied the game at 10-10 on a bases loaded double. The Tigers went on to win the game 11-10 in 12 innings. He also is hitting .440 (11-for-25) with 11 RBIs against top 25 teams.

Justin is the son of former Major Leaguer Ken Singleton, who played 15 seasons in the show with the Mets, Expos, and Orioles. Ken currently does broadcasts for the Yankees’ MSG Network.

Clackum Near Perfect In Every Area

Senior submariner Scott Clackum has been closing games for Clemson since the 1997 season. This season, he has topped his ’97 ERA of 1.93 with an 1.10 ERA in 22 relief appearances, finishing all 22 games he has appeared in. He has nine saves and a perfect 7-0 record in 32.2 innings pitched. Clackum entered the South Carolina game on Apr. 1 and Virginia game on Apr. 3 and picked up wins. He also has 32 strikeouts against only six walks, two of which were intentional. He has only allowed four runs, two coming on a Tony Gsell (Old Dominion, Feb. 21) home run, one on a Jeremiah Klosterman (Florida State, Apr. 25) long ball, and a manufactured run against North Carolina on May 10. The two homers and a double he gave up against the Tar Heels are also the only three extra base hits he has allowed in 32.2 innings. Opposing batters are also only hitting .165, including righthanded hitters batting only .103 against the righthander. Clackum also had a streak of 23.2 consecutive innings without allowing a run from Feb. 21 to Apr. 25. He has given up one or more runs only three times in his 22 appearances this season.

Clackum has 13 career saves, which puts him in fourth place in the Clemson record chart. He needs two more saves to move into third place in the record book.

Brian Adams Among ACC ERA Leaders

Entering the 1998 season, lefthanded sophomore pitcher Brian Adams had not started a game on the mound as a Tiger. But he has been a regular in the rotation this season as he leads the starters with a 3.64 ERA and has a perfect 6-0 record. Adams has been near the ACC ERA list most of the season. Also, opponents are only hitting .236 against him, including lefthanded batters only hitting only .167. Adams picked up the win in his first career ACC start by pitching 8.0 innings against Florida State on Apr. 25. In that game, he allowed only five hits, three runs, and no walks while striking out eight. Adams has a twin brother on the Tiger pitching staff. Unlike Brian, Darren throws from the right side and red-shirted the 1997 season. Darren has pitched 7.2 innings in ’98 in seven relief appearances.

Mottl Repeating All-ACC Campaign Of 1997

Sophomore pitcher Ryan Mottl earned Clemson’s first ACC Player-of-the-Week award in 1998 when he pitched seven innings and picked up his third win against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 27. In the game against the Seahawks, he allowed just six hits and one walk, while striking out six. Mottl earned his second ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week honor on Apr. 27 by earning his ninth victory of the season against first place and 10th ranked Florida State 2-1 on Apr. 24 at Tiger Field. He pitched eight innings, allowing only four hits and one run. The award was shared with two other ACC hurlers that week (Kyle Snyder of North Carolina and Nick Stocks of Florida State).

For the season, Mottl is 9-3 with a 4.62 ERA in 14 starts. He won his last four decisions of ’97 and won his first seven decisions of ’98, therefore he won 11 decisions in a row. Mottl also has 89 strikeouts against only 25 walks for a 3.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He pitched the first complete game by a Tiger in ’98 when he allowed only five hits, two runs, and a walk in a complete game 8-2 victory over Duke on Apr. 11. He also held first-place Florida State to one run and four hits, as he picked up his ninth victory, in Clemson’s 2-1 victory over the Noles on Apr. 26. Mottl was a First-Team All-ACC starting pitcher as a freshman, and was the first freshman Tiger pitcher to ever accomplish that feat. Baseball America listed Mottl as one of the five best midseason sophomore pitchers in the country in its May 11 issue.

Mottl Named One Of 12 Semi-Finalists For Smith Award

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Mottl was named one of 12 semi-finalists for the Rotary Smith Award going to the premier college baseball player in the country as released on Apr. 16, 1998 in Houston, TX. Mottl is one of only five pitchers, the only sophomore, and the only ACC player on the 12-player list.

The 12 semi-finalists will be narrowed to three finalists within the coming weeks. The Smith Award recipient will be announced on the final day of this year’s College World Series on June 6.

Kris Benson, the former Tiger great and number-one overall pick in the Major League draft, won the same award in 1996.

Boyd Stellar As True Freshman

After starting the season 3-for-25 (.120), freshman Patrick Boyd has risen his batting average to .342 and has an outstanding on base percentage of .439. He is also hitting 73-for-197 (.371) over the last 47 games, or after the 3-for-25 slump. As the everyday centerfielder, Boyd has started all 54 games, while scoring a team best 61 runs. He has hit eight home runs, a triple, and 13 doubles as well. Boyd also has a team best 57 RBIs.

Baseball America tabbed Boyd in the preseason as the ACC’s Newcomer-of-the-Year and as one of the top-10 prospects overall in the ACC regardless of class. Baseball America also named Boyd as its Midseason National Freshman-of-the-Year in its May 11 issue.

Boyd was tabbed as the ACC Player-of-the-Week on March 9. He led Clemson to a 4-1 record for the week and hit .474 (9-for-19). The Palm Harbor native also was responsible for 14 runs in the five games, scoring nine runs and batting in five runs.

Freshman Nystrom Solid In Left Field

Peter Nystrom has made an instant impact on the Tiger offense as the starting left-fielder. The freshman from Dunedin, FL is hitting .322 with 11 doubles, two triples, six home runs, and 42 RBIs in only 146 at bats. He has also walked 29 times and has an on base percentage of .446. Nystrom has played in 46 of the Tigers’ 51 games, starting 41 games in left-field. He missed all three games against Georgia Tech and North Carolina due to a stress fracture in his leg. His two-run scoring double in the first inning at Georgia led Clemson to a 9-2 win over the Bulldogs on Apr. 24.

Borgert, Holstad Performing At Best In Unusual Ways

Red-shirt junior catcher Derek Borgert and red-shirt sophomore third baseman Brian Holstad have not been among the team leaders in batting or run production this season, and in fact have been near the bottom of many charts. Both have also had to make the most of their opportunities with the emergence of third baseman Justin Singleton at third base and Brian Ellis at catcher. But both have performed at their best in some ways that one might not expect. Borgert and Holstad have the two best batting averages on the team in ACC play.

Borgert (Greenwood, SC) leads the team in batting average in ACC games with a .426 average (23-for-54). In his last 23 games, he is also 28-for-71 (.394) and has raised is average to a respectable .311. Borgert entered the season hitting a career .365 (35-for-96) in two seasons. He is also hitting .400 (18-for-45) in away games and .395 (15-for-38) in night games this season. He has been the Tigers’ best hitter against the best competition, hitting .600 (12-for-20) against top 25 teams.

Holstad (Cameron, SC) has also seen his average rise steadily in the past two months. He is hitting .380 (19-for-50) in his last 25 games. He is also tied for the team lead with 15 stolen bases. Like Borgert, he is also hitting well in away games as he leads Clemson with a .545 average (12-for-22) in away games. In night games, he is hitting .357 (10-for-28). Holstad also is second on the team as he hit .400 (14-for-35) in ACC games.

Calitri Homers In First Career At Bat

Red-shirt freshman Mike Calitri waited a whole year to do what few have ever done. The Canton, MA native hit an opposite field two-run homer in his first career at bat in the Tigers 16-4 win over East Carolina on Feb. 14. Calitri is 9-for-29 (.310) on the season, including two doubles, a triple, and nine RBIs at first and third base. Calitri had an outstanding game in the second game of a doubleheader against Maine on Mar. 14 when he had a double, triple, and four RBIs.

Roper Comes Back Strong

After missing all but one game of the 1997 season, redshirt sophomore shortstop Doug Roper has had a fine 1998. The Vidalia, GA native has 55 hits in 172 at bats for a .320 batting average. Ironically, the slick-fielding shortstop bats in the ninth-spot in the lineup. He also has a team best 15 stolen bases. Roper was a career 5-for-47 (.106) entering the ’98 season.

Roper had one of his best moments as a Tiger when he homered down the right field line in the top of the ninth inning to defeat South Carolina 6-4 in Columbia on Apr. 1, 1998. He also hit the homer off star closer Jason Pomar, who had only given up one earned run in over 20 innings pitched up to that point. The homer was only the second of his career.

Roper leads the team in sacrifice bunts with eight. The Tiger single-season record for sacrifice bunts in nine held by Doug Livingston, the second baseman on Clemson’s 1995 and 1996 CWS teams. Below is a look at the single-season leaders for sacrifices:

Harris Coming Through In The Clutch

Junior Jason Harris is hitting .356 as the Tigers’ everyday first baseman. He has eight homers in his first season wearing the orange and white. He also has 53 RBIs, 60 runs scored, and a team best 19 doubles. The Brevard College transfer also has 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts. And he has committed only two errors in 526 chances.

Harris’ production is magnified by the fact that the left-handed hitter is hitting .337 against lefties. He also has 22 multi-hit games, and has 17 multi-RBI games. Harris’ 25 two-out RBIs is also best on the team. Three of the two-out RBIs came in perhaps his greatest moment as a Tiger when his three-run, two-out homer against #10 Florida State on Apr. 25 lifted Clemson to a 5-4 win and give Clemson its 40th win of the season. Harris also hit the game winning home run against Central Florida in the second game of the season. It came in the ninth innning with Clemson down 6-5 with two outs in the top of the ninth inning on Feb. 7 in the Olive Garden Classic in Kissimmee, FL.

Bultmann Doubling His Game

Kurt Bultmann is coming of the 1997 season that saw him set the Clemson single-season record for doubles with 31. The junior from Seminole, FL hit two doubles in the three-game Olive Garden Classic. He also had six hits in 14 at bats and was named the tournament MVP. The second baseman has moved over from the shortstop position now that Doug Roper is back from a season-ending injury in 1997.

Bultmann is currently hitting .318 with 18 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, and 53 RBIs in starting 53 of the 54 games at second base. His fielding percentage has also been a bright spot this season. He has committed only five errors in 223 chances for a .978 fielding percentage. He also has gone 19 consecutive games without committing an error, while having 88 chances during the 19 games. He also committed only one error in the 23 ACC games. Bultmann had one of his best games in his career against Stetson on Mar. 6, where he was 2-for-2 with two home runs, a two-run shot and a grand slam.

Bultmann now has 59 career doubles, which puts puts him in fifth place all time in the Clemson record books.