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Baseball travels to Wake Forest This Weekend

March 25, 1999

Clemson (14-8, 2-0) goes on the road for the second straight weekend, this time to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest (16-6, 3-2) on Friday (3:00), Saturday (1:30), and Sunday (1:30). The Saturday and Sunday games will be broadcast on the Clemson Sports Network. Clemson, who has won nine of its last 11 games after starting the season 5-6, leads the all-time series 92-35-1 (.723) dating back to 1901.

The Tigers won two of the three games in their last trip to Wake Forest in 1997. Righthander Ryan Mottl (2-1, 6.34 ERA) will start on the mound on Friday, righthander Mike Paradis (3-0, 2.23 ERA) on Saturday, and the Sunday starter will be determined at a later date. Wake Forest will start righthander Mike MacDougal (5-1, 2.05 ERA) on Friday, lefty John Hendricks (4-3, 4.72 ERA) on Saturday, and righthander Eric Schmitt (2-1, 6.03 ERA) on Sunday for the defending ACC Champions.

Jon Palmieri leads the Demon Deacons, who are hitting .315 as a team, with a .363 batting average along with nine homers and 23 RBIs. Wake Forest also has an outstanding fielding percentage of .970 and has committed just two errors in five ACC games (.990 fielding percentage).

1999 Clemson Baseball Promotional Dates

Date     Day     Opponent         Time        Promotion(s)Apr. 17  Sat.    Duke             7 p.m.      *Family NightApr. 18  Sun.    Duke             2 p.m.      #Senior Citizens Special Apr. 21  Wed.    South Carolina   7:15 p.m.   Secretaries Day Special Apr. 25  Sun.    Georgia Tech     2 p.m.      +Purple Day Special/#Senior Citizens SpecialMay   2  Sun.    Virginia (DH)    12 noon     #Senior Citizens Special May   9  Sun.    North Carolina   4 p.m.      #Senior Citizens Special 

Bring whole family for $5 with coupon in the Journal/Tribuneor The Messenger

Wear purple shirt or jacket receive $3 off adult admission # – present AARP card and receive free admission – secretaries/administrative assistants receive free admission when accompanied by a supervisor or employer who is paying full admission price

Tigers Spread Out Scoring In 12-4 Win Over Wofford Clemson scored in seven of the eight innings it batted on its way to a 12-4 win over Wofford (3-16) on March 24 at Tiger Field. Khalil Greene extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a triple. Jason Harris led the Tigers (14-8) with a double, homer, and four RBIs. Starter Thomas Boozer (3-3) pitched 5.0 to pick up the win. Wofford used seven pitchers, with none pitching more than 2.0 innings. The Terriers also left 12 men on base while the Tigers left 13 on base.

Greene, Boyd Propel Tigers Over Georgia 17-5 Khalil Greene and Patrick Boyd had four hits apiece to pace the Tigers to a 17-5 victory over Georgia (13-10) at Tiger Field on March 23. Greene also extended his hitting streak to 10 games while Boyd played in the field (centerfield) for the first time in ’99. Clemson (13-8) walked 12 times and had 14 hits as Georgia used seven pitchers. Steve Reba (2-1) picked up the win in his second career start. Brian Adams picked up his first save by pitching 3.0 hitless and scoreless innings.

Walking and Running Clemson has an outstanding team on base percentage of .454 and has stolen 52 bases through 22 games of 1999. The .454 on base percentage is aided by a team batting average of .317, but moreso by its 187 walks. That averages to be 8.5 walks per game. Add that to the Tigers 11.1 hits per game and 17 hit-by-pitches, the Tigers are averaging 20.4 baserunners per game. Henr Stanley leads the team with 31 walks and Brian Ellis is second with 26 walks. Ellis set the Tiger single-season record for walks per at bat in ’98 and both he and Stanley are on pace to break that mark again in ’99. Freshman outfielder Kyle Frank also has walked 19 times in just 38 at bats, well ahead of the record. Although he is hitting just .237, he has a .491 on base percentage. Also, Clemson’s top 10 hitters all have an on-base percentage of .442 or better. In three games against George Mason (Mar. 12-13), the Tigers walked 41 times and had a team on base percentage of .553.

Stealing bases has also been a success this year as the Tigers have stolen 52 bases in 63 attempts. Clemson has stole at least one base in each of the 22 games this season. Jason Harris leads the team with 11 steals and Stanley is second with nine.

Tigers Off To Fast Starts In First Innings The Tigers have not had a problem in ’99 getting early leads, as they hold a 39-7 advantage in scoring in first innings of games. Clemson has scored in the first inning in 17 of the 22 games this year, including 14 of the last 16 games. The Tigers have scored 233 runs in the first 22 games of ’99, an average of 10.6 runs per game. Below is a list of inning-by-inning scoring:

Team        1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   Ex  TotalCLEMSON     39  29  19  20  49  30  21 21   3   2   233Opponents   7   18  21  11  35  14  12 18  13   3   152

Clemson’s Poll Streak Ends At 146 Weeks Clemson wasranked in at least one of the major College Baseball polls for 146straight polls until March 8, 1999. Clemson, who lost six of nexteight games after starting the season 4-0, was also ranked in thetop 10 by one of the polls in 82 of the 146 polls (56.2%). The lasttime the Tigers were unranked was in the final poll of the 1990season. Over the 146-game stretch that lasted over eight seasons,the Tigers had a record of 407-138 (.747).

Clemson-Miami (FL) Time Changes The Clemson vs. Miami (FL) game time on Saturday, Apr. 3 has been changed. The game will start at 3:00 PM. The Sunday game was also moved to 3:00, but due to Miami (FL) travel plans, the game is now scheduled for 1:00. The two teams will matchup at the home of the AAA Charlotte Knights (Knights Stadium) in Fort Mill, SC on Apr. 2-4. The games will be considered neutral games for both teams. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1996, when Miami (FL) defeated the Tigers twice in the College World Series.

Freshman Khalil Greene Tigers’ Top Hitter This fall, Jack Leggett said that freshman Khalil Greene (Key West, FL) was the Tigers’ most consistent hitter. He has down nothing to disprove Leggett, as he is hitting a team-best .433 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 22 games as the everyday third baseman. Greene shined in the UNLV/Coors Desert Classic from Feb. 25-28, hitting .458 with two homers (one of which was an inside-the-park homer) and five RBIs in five games. He also hit two homers in the first game of a doubleheader against George Mason on Mar. 13. Greene is vying to become the top freshman hitter in Tiger history in terms of batting average. The record is .391 by Billy McMillon (1991). Greene has also hit safely in each of the last 11 games and in 20 of 22 games in ’99…not bad for a first-year freshman.

Bultmann Moving Up In Tiger Charts Senior second baseman Kurt Bultmann gets the most out of his 5′-8″ frame. He showed he belonged when he hit .471 in the College World Series as a freshman after hitting just .243 in the first 41 games of his career. Then he hit a school record 31 doubles and 48 extra base hits as a sophomore. Now he is rising to the top of the Tiger career doubles and home run lists. The Seminole, FL native has 73 career doubles, good for second place, and 35 career home runs, tied for fifth best. The 73 doubles is also approching the ACC record of 82 held by Yellow Jacket Jason Varitek (1991-94). He had one of his best games against #24 Washington on Feb. 25 when he was 3-for-5 with two homers (grand slam and three-run) and eight RBIs. He also has shown why Baseball America listed him as the best defensive second baseman in the ACC. Bultmann went 29 consecutive games (dating back to last season) without committing an error (127 chances) before his streak ended on Feb. 26 at UNLV. He has started a new streak and has not committed an error in his last 54 chances over 10 games. Bultmann has seen his fielding percentage rise to .962 in ’99. He is a career .393 hitter (22-for-56) in NCAA Tournament play as well. All this for a player who was all but resigned to attending junior college out of high school. Below is a list where Bultmann ranks in the all-time Tiger doubles list:

Clemson Career DOUBLE Leaders

Rk. Name (Years)     Doubles1.  Gary Burnham     (1994-97)       772.  Kurt Bultmann    (1996-present)  733.  Bert Heffernan   (1985-88)       634.  Chuck Baldwin    (1984-87)       625.  Shane Monahan    (1993-95)       60

Bultmann has returned to his form of ’97 as he is hitting.352 with 14 doubles, a triple, four homers, 30 RBIs, and threestolen bases in 22 games. Ironically, the righthanded hitter ishitting nearly twice as good against righthanders as he islefthanders (.429 vs. .229) this season.

Adams Awesome From Bullpen Junior lefty Brian Adams (Bishopville, SC) struggled earlier this season as a starter. But in the last few weeks, he has provided the Tigers a stopper out of the bullpen. After allowing four runs in 3.2 innings at East Carolina on Mar. 16, Adams has appeared in two games (Maryland on Mar. 19 and Georgia on Mar. 23) out of the pen and been almost unhittable. He pitched the last 4.2 innings against the Terps to earn the win, as he allowed just two hits and no run while striking out four. Against Georgia, he finished the game by pitching 3.0 hitless and scoreless innings while striking out five batters to earn the save. Therefore, Adams, who has started five games and relieved in three others, has a 0.00 ERA and 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 8.0 innings out of the pen compared to a 4.88 ERA and 18-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27.2 innings as a starter.

Stanley Making The Rounds Junior outfielder Henr Stanley has been on a tear lately, going 26-for-55 (.473) with 28 runs scored, 22 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in the last 16 games. But more importantly, he has an on base percentage of .628 over that stretch thanks to 23 walks. He took over the centerfield position at the beginning of the season when Patrick Boyd went down with an injury but has since moved back to left with the return of Boyd. The Columbia, SC native is hitting .411 with three homers, 33 runs scored, 27 RBIs, and 9-10 on stolen bases in 22 games this season. He has walked 31 times, giving him an on base percentage of .594. The lefthanded hitter also is hitting .393 against lefthanders, .485 with runners in scoring position, and is 4-for-5 with the bases loaded.

Stanley had one of his best games in the UNLV/Coors Desert Classic finale when he was 4-for-4 with a homer, double, three runs scored, four RBIs, and two stolen bases to lead the Tigers to a 13-10 come-from-behind win over Creighton (Feb. 28). He also had three hits (including a home run), four runs scored, and three RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader against George Mason on Mar. 13.

Paradis Found Junior righthander Mike Paradis has been one of the bright spots on the Tiger pitching staff so far this season. Control problems plagued the fireballer in his first two seasons, but he has had command of all his pitches in ’99. The Auburn, MA native is 3-0 with a team-best 2.23 ERA and opponent batting average of .226, including .162 against left-handed batters, in five starts. The key to his success has been his ability to key the ball down in the strike zone as he has thrown 47 ground-ball outs compared to just 11 fly-ball outs. He also has struck out 35 batters compared to just 10 walks. In all five of his starts he has gone at least 5.0 innings and in four of the five he has allowed either zero, one, two earned runs. Baseball America rated Paradis as the #7 prospect in the ACC and #42 college prospect for the 1999 Major League Draft. Paradis was a seventh-round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics out of high school.

LeCroy Solid At The Plate And In The Field Junior shortstop Bradley LeCroy (Walhalla, SC) has emerged as one of the Tigers clutch hitters. LeCroy (no relation to former Tiger great Matthew LeCroy) is hitting .386 in 44 at bats with a homer, seven doubles, and 16 RBIs in 17 games. He is also 12 for his last 26 (.462) with 13 RBIs. He is hitting 11-for-25 against righthanders and is hitting .500 with runners in scoring position. LeCroy, a righthanded hitter, has been platooning with switch-hitter Doug Roper at shortstop but has recently been starting against righthanders. His defense has also been outstanding, as he has committed just three errors in ’99 and has a .952 fielding percentage.

Borgert Drives In Nine RBIs In One Game Entering the second game of a doubleheader against George Mason on Mar. 13, fifth-year senior catcher Derek Borgert (Greenwood, SC) had four hits and four RBIs in 21 at bats in ’99. But that all changed when Borgert exploded with four hits and nine RBIs in one game. The nine RBIs, which all came after two outs, is the most by a Tiger since Jerry Brooks’ 10 against UNC Charlotte in 1988. Borgert doubled to right field in the first inning to bring home two runs. In the second inning, he hit an opposite-field grand slam off the right field foul pole. The only time he was retired came in the fourth inning when he laced a line-drive that was caught by the right fielder. In the fifth inining, Borgert singled with the bases loaded bringing home two more runs. He drove in his ninth run of the game with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. He also walked in his final plate appearance in the eighth inning.

Ironically, Brian Ellis, who caught in the first game of the doubleheader, had a double, homer, two hits, and four RBIs meaning Tiger catchers totaled six hits, two homers, two doubles, and 13 RBIs in one day. Not a bad days work for an unheralded position.

Leggett 34-13 Against SEC Teams While At Clemson In six seasons under Head Coach Jack Leggett, Clemson has had tremendous success against the Southeastern Conference. Leggett’s record against the SEC as the Tigers’ skipper is 34-13, including 14 wins against top-25 teams. Leggett also has at least a .500 record against all six SEC schools he has faced while at Clemson. Below is a list of Leggett’s record at Clemson against each of the six SEC member schools he has faced:

SEC               Leggett's Record    WinningOpponent          at Clemson          PercentageAlabama           2-0                 1.000Auburn            1-1                  .500Georgia           8-3                  .727Kentucky          3-0                 1.000South Carolina    11-6                 .647Tennessee         9-3                  .750Totals            34-13                .723

Clemson Sweeps Maryland In Rain-Shortened SeriesClemson won its first two ACC games of ’99 (8-6, 9-2) over Marylandat College Park, MD on Mar. 19-20. The third game was rained outand will not be made up due to ACC rules. Henr Stanley’s two out,bases loaded double gave the Tigers a come-from-behind win. In gametwo, Mike Paradis allowed just two runs on six hits in acareer-high 8.0 innings to earn his third win of ’99.

Pitching Leads East Carolina To Two-Game Sweep Thanks to East Carolina’s #1 and #2 starters (Brooks Jernigan and Foye Minton), the Pirates handed Clemson two defeats (5-4, 14-2) in two games at Greenville, NC on Mar. 16-17. East Carolina pitchers limited Clemson to just six runs and 12 hits (one extra base hit as well) in the two games. John Williamson hit three home runs in the second game to highlight the Pirates’ five home runs.

Tigers Pound George Mason In Three-Game Sweep Clemson, much in need of solid pitching performances, got exactly that as it outscored George Mason 48-6 in a three-game sweep at Tiger Field from Mar. 12-13. The Tigers, who won by scores of 14-4, 13-2, and 21-0, scored at least one run in 20 of the 24 innings, hit 11 home runs, and walked 41 times, including seven by freshman outfielder Kyle Frank in one day (doubleheader on Mar. 13). Tiger position fielders also committed just one error in the series and Tiger starting pitchers allowed just one earned run in 19.2 innings pitched. Derek Borgert drove in nine runs in the series finale, the most by a Tiger since 1988.

Nine-Run Inning Powers Clemson Over Coastal Carolina Clemson broke the game open in the fifth inning with nine runs en route to a 14-6 win over Coastal Carolina on Mar. 10 at Tiger Field. Patrick Boyd led the Tigers with three hits in three at bats, including a homer, three RBIs, and a stolen base. Junior lefty Brian Adams (1-1) allowed just one run and one walk in 7.0 innings pitched to earn his first victory of ’99. The Tigers took advantage of 10 walks allowed by Chanticleer pitchers. Coastal Carolina (13-5) did out-hit Clemson 16-14 in the game.

Scrappy Liberty Takes Two Of Three Against Clemson Liberty continued the Tigers recent woes as the Flames handed Clemson two defeats in three games on Mar. 5-6. Pitching problems plagued the Tigers, who fell to 6-6 after the three games. Liberty won the first two games by scores of 10-9 and 11-8 while the Tigers defeated the Flames 11-6 in game three.

The Citadel Rallies From 15-4 Deficit To Defeat Tigers Utility player Jay Morgan went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and pitched 5.0 scoreless innings of relief to lead The Citadel to a 18-15 come-from-behind win over #19 Clemson on a chilly and windy afternoon at Tiger Field on Mar. 3. Clemson led 15-4 after four innings, but could only manage three hits from there on. Meanwhile, The Citadel (4-5) scored seven runs in the fifth and five runs in the seventh inning to hand Clemson (5-4) its fourth loss in five games. Every Bulldog starter had at least one hit. Kurt Bultmann had two doubles, giving him 65 in his career. That moved him into second place in career doubles in the Tiger recordbooks.

UNLV/Coors Desert Classic Review Clemson lost three of five games in the 19th annual UNLV/Coors Desert Classic. The three losses (Creighton 4-3, UNLV 12-11 in 10 innings, and Nevada 7-5) were by a combined four runs and all came in the span of 24 hours. The Tigers defeated #24 Washington 13-12 and Creighton 13-10. Several players had outstanding tournament stats though. Khalil Greene hit a team-best .458 with two homers and five RBIs, while Henr Stanley hit .444 with a homer and five RBIs. Jason Harris hit .421 with a towering homer and eight RBIs, and Kurt Bultmann had two home runs and 10 RBIs. Ryan Mottl also made his first career relief appearance in the tourney finale against Creighton and picked up his first win of 1999 in 7.1 innings of work.

Tigers Sweep Kansas State To Open ’99 Season Clemson opened its 1999 schedule against Big XII opponent Kansas State with a three-game sweep at a chilly Tiger Field from Feb. 12-14. Clemson stole 10 bases and Kansas State committed 16 errors as the Tigers outscored the Wildcats 31-14 in the three games. Clemson, who won by scores of 10-7, 10-4, and 11-3, only committed two errors, both by pitchers, in the series.

1999 Preseason Honors

Clemson, #21 recruiting class by Collegiate Baseball.

#24 Patrick Boyd * #1 college prospect for 2000 Major League Draft by Baseball America * First-Team All-American by Baseball America * ACC Player-of-the-Year by Baseball America * Best defensive outfielder in the ACC by Baseball America * First-Team All-ACC by Baseball America

#18 Kurt Bultmann * Best defensive second baseman in the ACC by Baseball America * First-Team All-ACC by Baseball America

#27 Ryan Mottl * #29 college prospect for ’99 Major League Draft by Baseball America * #3 prospect in ACC for ’99 Major League Draft by Baseball America

#30 Mike Paradis * #42 college prospect for ’99 Major League Draft by Baseball America * #7 prospect in ACC for ’99 Major League Draft by Baseball America

Clemson’s 246 Wins Since ’94 Fifth In The Nation The barometer of a great season in college baseball is getting to Omaha and winning 50 games. Since Jack Leggett took over as Clemson’s head coach in 1994, the Tigers have won 246 games (excluding ’99) for an average of over 49 per season. Leggett has led Clemson to three 50-win seasons and two appearances in the College World Series in five seasons. Included in that total is 61 wins over top 25 team and a 33-13 record against the SEC.

Renovations To Tiger Field Planned Early in the next century, Tiger Field will undergo a face-lift at the entrance of the stadium. A brick facade with a wrought iron fence will be constructed behind the north entrance to create a fan-friendly pavilion and a more asthetically-pleasing look. There are also plans to refurbish the press box and to build a visitors’ lockerroom. The plans are still in the conceptual design phase and have not been finalized.

Clemson also has plans to renovate Littlejohn Coliseum (basketball) and Memorial Stadium (football), and plans to build a new indoor track and field facility along with a practice golf range. The improvements to Littlejohn include a new sound system, restrooms, concessions area, and reformatted seating along with a new practice facility located where the driveway to the tunnel currently lays. Memorial Stadium will add a year-round restaurant along with cosmetic improvements to include new lockerrooms, concession areas, and restrooms. The new indoor track will also house an indoor practice field for football, soccer, and baseball. Tiger Pride is the capital campaign established to raise money for the cost of all renovations, which is an estimated $30-million, and is expected to take five years to complete.

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