Baseball Takes Five-Game Winning Streak to Tallahassee to Face #6 Seminoles

March 31, 2005

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Clemson vs. Florida State Clemson (14-9, 5-1 ACC) will travel to Tallahassee, FL to take on #6 Florida State (27-6, 5-1 ACC) this weekend in a three-game series at Dick Howser Stadium in a battle of second-place teams in the conference. Game times are 7:00 PM (Friday), 7:00 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday). All three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network and can be heard live via the internet at ClemsonTigers.com. Sunday’s game will be televised live by Sun Sports. Live stats will also be available on Clemson’s website for all three games. Prior to Saturday’s game, Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium will be dedicated.

The Series Clemson and Florida State have met 98 times on the baseball diamond, with the Seminoles holding a 55-42-1 lead in the series dating back to the first game during the 1958 season. Last year at Clemson, the Seminoles won the first two games before the Tigers won game three 18-9. Two years ago at Tallahassee, FL, the Seminoles won the final two games of the series after the Tigers won the first game 8-4. Florida State has also won 13 of the last 15 games in the series.

The Seminoles hold a 29-9-1 advantage over Clemson all-time in games played at Florida State. The Seminoles also lead 20-19 in ACC regular-season games.

Tiger Head Coach Jack Leggett is 18-28 against the Seminoles as Clemson’s head coach, including a 3-12 mark at Dick Howser Stadium. Florida State is the only ACC team Leggett has a non-winning record against while at Clemson. All 46 games Leggett has coached against Florida State have been against a Seminole team ranked in the top 25 by at least one poll, including 43 against a top-10 Seminole club.

The Starting Pitchers Florida State will start junior lefthander Barret Browning (2-0, 1.91 ERA) on the mound in game one Friday. The Jesup, GA native has made eight starts and two relief appearances for a total of 47.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 48 hits and 27 walks, but just 11 runs while striking out 40. He has also yet to allow a home run.

The Tigers will counter with junior righthander Josh Cribb (2-2, 3.22 ERA) on the mound Friday. The Lake View, SC native has made six starts for a total of 36.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 43 hits and six walks while striking out 37.

The Seminoles will send out sophomore righty Michael Hyde (6-2, 3.93 ERA) on Saturday. The Tallahassee, FL native has made nine starts for a total of 52.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 51 hits and 16 walks while striking out 39.

Clemson will counter with junior righty Kris Harvey (3-1, 3.68 ERA) on Saturday. The Catawba, NC native has made six starts for a total of 36.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 37 hits and 11 walks while striking out 31.

Florida State will start sophomore righthander Bryan Henry (1-1, 1.38 ERA) on Sunday. The Tallahassee, FL native has made one start and five relief appearances for a total of 13.0 innings pitched. He has allowed just eight hits and three walks while striking out eight. The Tigers will counter with junior lefthander Robert Rohrbaugh (2-1, 3.81 ERA) on Sunday. The Littlestown, PA native has made five starts and two relief appearances for a total of 28.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 23 hits and 12 walks while striking out 24. He is the only current Tiger to ever start on the mound against the Seminoles.

The Seminoles Florida State, ranked as high as #6 and led by 26th-year Head Coach Mike Martin, winner of 1,365 career games, enters the pivotal series with a 27-6 overall record and 5-1 ACC mark. Florida defeated the Seminoles 9-2 on Wednesday at Dick Howser Stadium after Florida State won two of three games at Duke over the weekend. Earlier this year, the Seminoles, who are 16-2 at home, played nine games in the state of Hawaii.

The Seminoles are hitting .311 as a team and are led by sophomore centerfielder Shane Robinson. The Tampa, FL native is riding a 38-game hitting streak, which is tied for the ninth-longest in NCAA history. With a hit in each of the three games against Clemson, he would tie the ACC record of 41 games held by former Tiger Rusty Adkins, who set the mark over two seasons (1965-66). Adkins’ 41-game hitting streak is tied for fifth-longest in NCAA history. Robinson is also hitting an ACC-best .492 with 16 doubles, two homers, 27 RBIs, a .558 on-base percentage, and 27 steals in 29 attempts along with his outstanding range in the outfield.

Brant Peacher is hitting .405, while Gibbs Chapman leads the team in homers (4) and RBIs (31). Chapman has also stolen 15 bases in 16 attempts, as the teams has 68 steals in 85 attempts. One reason for the high number of steals is the club’s ability to get on base, as it has a .415 on-base percentage thanks to 183 walks and 33 hit-by-pitches, meaning the team is drawing over 6.2 “free passes” per game.

The Seminoles sport a 3.03 ERA and .244 opponents’ batting average. The staff has also allowed just nine homers, no triples, and 32 doubles in 33 games. Sophomore righthander and closer Tyler Chambliss has seven saves in 17 relief appearances. In 20.1 innings pitched, he has yielded only 12 hits and nine walks while striking out 32, and has yet to allow an extra base hit. Kevin Lynch has also made 21 relief appearances in the team’s 33 games. Catcher Aaron Cheesman is the key reason opponents have stolen just 27 bases in 49 attempts against the Seminoles this season. The team is fielding at a .962 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters the series at Florida State with a 14-9 overall record and 5-1 mark after winning both midweek games against #25 Coastal Carolina by a combined score of 22-6. The Tigers are tied for second place in the ACC standings with Florida State and have won five consecutive conference games. The Tigers, who are 7-3 against top-25 teams in 2005, are in the midst of a five-game week, all games against teams ranked in the top 25.

Clemson, who is 5-5 on opponents’ home fields, is hitting .290 overall thanks to totaling 74 hits in the last five games, as the team has raised its batting average by 22 points during its five-game winning streak. Kris Harvey (.337) have all had hot bats of late. Clemson is also fielding at a .973 clip.

The pitching staff has been spectacular of late, as its ERA has fallen to 3.19 (thanks to allowing just 23 runs in the last 11 games) and opponents’ batting average to .258. The staff also has a 2.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio, currently the second-best figure in school history. Stephen Faris has been a stopper out of the bullpen, as he leads the ACC with an 0.39 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched. He has allowed just 13 hits and eight walks while striking out 20 in 23.1 innings pitched.

Worth Noting Clemson is hitting .352 during its five-game winning streak, while its opponents are hitting .236.

Clemson 7-3 Against Top-25 Teams in 2005 Thanks to the three-game sweep of #18 UC Irvine from February 25-27, two wins in three games against #9 North Carolina, and a two-game sweep of #25 Coastal Carolina, Clemson is 7-3 against top-25 ranked teams in 2005. In over 11 seasons at Clemson, Head Coach Jack Leggett has 135 wins over teams ranked in the top 25. Only three times in his first 11 seasons has he had a losing record against teams in the top 25.

Tigers in Second Place in ACC Clemson has a 5-1 ACC record after winning two of three games over #9 North Carolina and sweeping Maryland. The Tigers are tied for second place wth Florida State, three games behind first-place Georgia Tech (11-1). Clemson has won five ACC games in a row since dropping its ACC opener against the Tar Heels on March 18.

Clemson leads the ACC in ERA in conference games at 1.86. In fact, the pitching staff has allowed just 13 runs while scoring 49 in six ACC games. The staff has also struck out 60 against only 15 walks, good for a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Josh Cribb (2.45 ERA * 9th), and Kris Harvey (2.57 ERA * 10th).

Demmink Delivering Junior third-baseman Herman Demmink (Midlothian, VA) provided game-winning heroics in the first game of a doubleheader at Maryland on March 26, as he hit a two-run double in the 13th inning to plate the winning runs. Since that game, he has been on fire, as he is 10-for-15 with seven runs scored, four doubles, a homer, three walks, and five RBIs in the last four games. Thanks to his recent streak of at least two hits in each of the last four games, he has raised his season average to .346. He also has nine doubles and a .411 on-base percentage in 23 games.

Chalk’s Bat a Plus Freshman centerfielder Brad Chalk (Greer, SC) has been in the starting lineup mainly because of his defensive abilities and range in the outfield. But in recent weeks, he has raised his batting average top .340 and has provided a spark in the lineup. After the team’s first 12 games, his batting average stood at .192. But in the team’s last 11 games, the speedy Tiger is 13-for-27 (.481).

Tigers Sweep #25 Coastal Carolina Clemson swept a two-game series against #25 Coastal Carolina at Kris Harvey all added four hits apiece. Tyler Colvin added three doubles and four RBIs as well. Clemson hit nine doubles, a triple, and a homer, and committed just two errors in the series.

In game one, Clemson scored eight runs in the first two innings to cruise to a 14-5 win on March 29. In the second inning alone, the Tigers hit five doubles and scored five runs after two men were out an no one on base. The Tigers hit seven doubles, a triple, and a homer, as they totaled 17 hits. No Tiger had more than two hits, but Colvin hit two two-run doubles. Taylor Harbin added a two-run homer and three RBIs. David Kopp earned the win, as he allowed just two runs, six hits, and one walk while striking out five in 6.0 innings pitched. The Tigers’ streak of not allowing a runner to reach third base ended at 15 innings in the game as well.

In game two on March 30, Clemson totaled 14 more hits to down the Chanticleers 8-1. Storrer, Harvey, and D’Alessio each had three hits, as the Tigers cruised after jumping out to a 5-1 lead after three innings. Jeff Hahn allowed one unearned run in 6.0 innings pitched to earn the win, while he and three other Tiger hurlers combined to strand 13 Chanticleers on base. Clemson was aided by getting the leadoff runner on base in six of the eight innings in which it batted.