Clemson Baseball Notes

April 30, 2000

UPCOMING GAMES

Saturday, May 6 Florida State at Clemson – 7:00 PM

Sunday, May 7 Florida State at Clemson – 7:00 PM

Monday, May 8 Florida State at Clemson – 7:00 PM

Note: The Monday game will be broadcast on College Sports Southeast

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS (2-2)

Wednesday, April 26 Clemson vs. Western Carolina – W, ^13-4

Friday, April 28 Clemson at Georgia Tech – L, 7-4

Saturday, April 29 Clemson at Georgia Tech – L, 9-7

Sunday, April 30 Clemson at Georgia Tech – W, 13-12

^ – Asheville, NC

Noteworthy

• Ryan Riley is riding a 10-game hitting streak. Over that span, he is hitting .488 (20-for-41) with 13 RBIs and eight multi-hit games.
• Clemson has a 2.91 ERA at home this season.
• Khalil Greene is hitting .446 with runners in scoring position.
• Clemson has scored 90 runs in its last nine games
• Clemson is 25-1 when it totals 10 hits or more in a game.
• Nick Glaser’s 12 saves is second most in a season in Tiger history. The record is 14 held by Scott Winchester (1995).
• Clemson has one of the nation’s best fielding percentages of .970.
• Freshman righthander Jarrod Schmidt has earned a win in his last seven decisions, He is 7-0 with a 2.42 ERA on the season.
• Tiger pitchers are holding opponents to a .199 batting average with two outs.
• Clemson is hitting .400 as a team with the bases loaded.
• Clemson is 5-2 in one-run games and 7-2 in two-run games this year.

Tigers and Noles To Square Off in Tigertown After Exams

Clemson (37-12, 12-6 ACC) plays host to Florida State (41-9, 13-5 ACC) beginning Saturday at 7:00 PM. The Sunday and Monday games are also at 7:00 PM. The Seminoles took two of three game against N.C. State this past weekend. Clemson went 1-2 at #5 Georgia Tech this past weekend. The matchup will be a contest of two of the top four teams in terms of wins in the decade of the 90s. A detailed pregame outlook will be posted on clemsontigers.com later in the week.

Injury Update

• Michael Johnson broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning against Western Carolina on April 26. He had x-rays taken on May 1 to determine the severity of the fracture. He is out indefinitely.
• Henr’ Stanley left the Western Carolina game on April 26 early in the game due to a sore hand. He missed all three games at Georgia Tech. His status for the Florida State series is day-to-day.

Yellow Jackets Take Two of Three in Battle of Top-Five Teams

Fifth-ranked Georgia Tech won the first two games over #5 Clemson by scores of 7-4 and 9-7, and Clemson won game three 13-12 in Atlanta from April 28-30. Clemson salvaged game three in dramatic fashion. Georgia Tech maintained its lead in the ACC, improving to 16-5 in conference play. Clemson fell to 12-6 in the ACC, but just one behind the Yellow Jackets in the loss column. Clemson pitchers struggled all weekend, as Georgia Tech had 13 hits in each of the three games and scored 28 runs, 26 of which were earned. Clemson also struggled getting men on base, as only six of the 27 leadoff batters in an inning reached base. Ryan Riley had two hits in each of the three games to pace the Tiger hitters. Clemson scored 24 runs, had 31 hits, and hit five homers in the series.

In game one, Georgia Tech scored four runs in the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie. The Yellow Jackets won the game 7-4. The two teams combined for seven errors, including four by Clemson. Khalil Greene tied the game in the seventh inning on an RBI-double. Ryan Riley added his first career homer, a solo shot in the sixth inning. Clemson left 10 men on base and saw its leadoff hitter reach base in just one of the nine innings. Matt Additon suffered the loss. Yellow Jacket starter Cory Vance picked up his ninth win of the season, as he allowed two earned runs and seven hits in 7.0 innings. Patrick Boyd had two doubles as well. Clemson was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

In game two, Georgia Tech rallied from a 5-1 deficit to down Clemson 9-7. Clemson scored five runs in the second as it sent 10 batters to the plate. Riley had a two-run single and Justin Singleton later singled to bring home another run. The Yellow Jackets responded with four runs in the fourth to tie the score. Wes Rynders two-run double highlighted the uprising. Clemson took a 6-5 lead in the sixth on Jarrod Schmidt homer to centerfield, but Georgia Tech once again responded with two runs on Rynders’ first homer of the season, an opposite-field shot down the right-field line. Georgia Tech added two more runs in the seventh on Jason Basil’s two-run double. Reliever Kevin Lynn’s only blemish was Rynders’ homer, but he still suffered the loss. Riley led Clemson with two hits and three RBIs. Derik Goffena went 4-for-4 and Rynders had four RBIs to pace the Yellow Jackets.

Game three saw more Yellow Jacket rallies, but Clemson rallied last to take a 13-12 win. With the bases loaded in the ninth and one out, Victor Menocal lined a ball to shorstop Jeff Baker, who unintentionally dropped it. As the runners were unknowingly scurrying back to their respective bags, Baker threw home for the force out and Brian Ellis threw to third for the game’s final out. Clemson had a 9-3 lead, but Georgia Tech scored eight runs in the fifth inning. Casey Stone had staked the Tigers to a 5-0 lead on a three-run homer in the second inning. It was Stone’s first long ball as a Tiger. Stone had four hits and four RBIs on the afternoon. Clemson built a 9-3 lead in the fifth inning thanks to Justin Singleton three-run double. Jason Perry’s fifth-inning three-run homer gave the Yellow Jackets’ an 11-9 lead. Perry hit two homers on the day, the first two of his career. The Tigers scored four runs in the seventh. Bradley LeCroy had a pinch-hit double with one out. Later in the inning, Khalil Greene hit a two-run homer and Baker followed with a solo shot to give Clemson a 13-11 lead. It was the first back-to-back homers of 2000 for the Tigers. Reliever Matt Additon earned the win. Ryan Childs’ 1.2 scoreless innings in relief were key as well. Nick Glaser’s picked up save #12.

Clemson Slugs Western Carolina 13-4 in Asheville Wednesday

Fifth-ranked Clemson pounded out 17 hits on its’ way to a 13-4 win over Western Carolina on April 26 at Asheville’s McCormick Field. Clemson scored three runs in the first and two more in the third on a Mike Calitri home run to make the score 5-0. Clemson added three runs each in the seventh and ninth. Casey Stone led the Tigers with three hits and four RBIs. Bradley LeCroy added three hits, including two doubles, and four runs scored. Three other Tigers had two-hit games. Ryan Childs picked up his fourth win as he went 6.0 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. The Tigers swept the Catamounts in their two-game series with the win.

Tigers Warming Up With the Weather

Clemson got off to a slow start at the plate this season, hitting just .262 at the end of February. In March, Clemson hit .295, led by Jeff Baker .360 average. In April, Clemson batted .308, led by Ryan Riley .415 average.

Home Sweet Home

Clemson is 29-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this season. Clemson’s only losses have come to UNLV, #17 East Carolina, N.C. State, #2 South Carolina, and #11 Wake Forest. Clemson entered the season with a 681-150 (.819) all-time record in the facility’s 31st year.

Clemson’s longest homestand in years, 23-games long, was completed on Mar. 26 with a 6-3 win over The Citadel. Clemson was 21-2 in the 23 games. The Tigers finished another long homestand, 11-games long, on April 18 with a win over Elon. Clemson was 8-3 on that homestand.

Mottl 21-2 On the Mound at DK

There’s no place like home for Ryan Mottl. The Florissant, MO senior righthander has a 21-2 career record at Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium as opposed to 9-15 away from home. Mottl was drafted in the 27th round by the Texas Rangers but decided to return for his senior season. Below is a look at Mottl at home vs. away from home in his four-year career.

Glaser Climbing Tiger Save List

Junior righthander Nick Glaser’s transferred to Clemson from Edmonds CC in Washington with the hopes of making an immediate impact. He has done just that as he has 12 saves in 25 relief appearances. He has allowed 28 hits, seven earned runs, and 24 walks along with 37 strikeouts in 32.0 innings. He pitched 4.0 innings in relief in the first game of a doubleheader against #11 Wake Forest on April 15, then pitched 2.0 more innings in game two. He earned the save in game two and did not allow a run in either game.

He exudes the typical closer personality with his slingshot-type delivery and fiery attitude. His 12 saves places him second in saves in a season in Tiger history.

Clemson Single-Season Save Leaders

Stone Thriving as Tiger Leadoff Hitter

Junior outfielder Casey Stone (Abbeville, SC) has cemented his role as the Tiger leadoff hitter of late thanks to his consistent hitting of late. He has batted in the leadoff spot 24 times this season, including in each of the last 18 games. In those 18 games, he is hitting 30-for-82 (.366). Stone has upped his batting average to ..324, third-best on the team. He has a .458 on-base percentage when leading off an inning overall and has been an excellent “table-setter” for Jack Leggett. He even hits lefties well with his .415 batting average against Southpaws. Stone hit his first career homer at #5 Georgia Tech on April 30. It came on his 361st career at bat. Stone, who stands 5-6 and weighs 155 pounds, is a hard-nosed aggressive player in the mold of Jack Leggett himself. Stone has nine doubles, three triples, and 18 stolen bases as well. He also has nine sacrifice bunts this season, which is tied for the most in a season by a Tiger. He already holds the career record in that category with 20.

Singy Regaining Freshman Form

Junior outfielder Justin Singleton began the season 1-for-28. Then, just when he seemingly started to get his bat going, he suffered a hand injury sliding into a base and missed nearly a month. But Singleton has still managed to keep his hot bat of late, going 16-for-37 (.432) since the season-beginning slump. Singleton went 3-for-5 with four RBIs against Ohio on March 11 to begin his streaky hitting. He was 3-for-3 against #11 Wake Forest on April 16 in his first start since the Ohio game on March 11. He also had three hits at #1 South Carolina on April 19. Clemson needs Singleton to continue his torrid hitting as the everyday right fielder. Singleton hit .370 as a freshman, but struggled in 1999 with a .237 average.

Riley Riding 10-Game Hitting Streak

Junior second baseman Ryan Riley (Seattle, WA) has raised his batting average to .322 thanks to a barrage of hits lately, many of which have gone for three bases. In the last 12 games, Riley has four triples, 15 RBIs, and is hitting .449 (22-for-49). He also has nine multi-hit games during that stretch. He leads the team overall with six triples. No Tiger has had six triples since Jerome Robinson had six in 1996. Riley did not start the three games before that stretch, but has cemented his spot at second base thanks to his hitting of late and his play in the field. He has committed just two errors and has a remarkable .988 fielding percentage. Riley hit his first homer as a Tiger at #5 Georgia Tech on April 28.

Clemson Looking to Keep Streaks Alive in 2000

Clemson has participated in 13 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and has won at least 40 games for 14 straight seasons. Both marks rank in the top-five in the country currently. Clemson is tied for fourth in consecutive tournament appearances, trailing only Miami (FL) (27), Florida State (22), and Oklahoma State (19). Wichita State also a 13-year run in the tournament. As far as consecutive 40-win seasons, Clemson is fourth in the country with its 14-year streak. The Tigers trail only Florida State (22), Wichita State (22), and Oklahoma State (20) in that area. Notre Dame and Louisiana State are tied for fifth with 11 straight 40-win seasons.