Clemson Baseball Team to Face Furman at Home Tuesday, Western Carolina on the Road Wednesday

April 25, 2011

Clemson vs. Furman & Western Carolina Clemson (25-14), ranked as high as #23 in the nation, will host Furman (19-23) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday at 6:30 PM, then it will travel to Cullowhee, NC to take on Western Carolina (16-20-1) at Hennon Stadium on Wednesday at 6:00 PM.

Tuesday’s game against Furman will be available live via webcast on TigerCast at ClemsonTigers.com. Both games will be broadcast live on the radio by WCCP (104.9 FM) out of Clemson and can be heard live on the internet at ClemsonTigers.com for both games as well.

Watch Clemson vs. Furman Live on TigerCast!

The Series (Furman) Clemson and Furman have met 197 times on the diamond, with the Tigers leading 136-57-4 in the series dating back to the 1896 season. Clemson’s first two games in history were against the Paladins, both losses in 1896, which were the Tigers’ only games that season. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1983.

During the 2010 season, Clemson won both meetings, an 8-5 win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on February 21 and a 12-1 victory at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC on May 11. The two teams played two games in 2009, as the two teams split the games.

The Tigers lead 75-26-1 in games played at Clemson and 26-5 in games played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Jack Leggett is 17-5 against the Paladins as Clemson’s head coach. He was also 29-7 against Furman as Western Carolina’s head coach from 1983-91, meaning he is 46-12 all-time against the Paladins as a head coach.

The Series (Western Carolina) Clemson and Western Carolina have met 66 times, with the Tigers leading 53-13 in the series dating back to the 1974 season. The two have played at least one game every year since 1978.

Earlier this season on April 6, the Tigers defeated Western Carolina 12-3. During the 2010 season, the Catamounts downed the Tigers 7-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the only meeting between the two teams that season. In the 2009 season, Clemson won both games of a home-and-home midweek series by scores of 11-1 (at Western Carolina) and 13-2 (at Clemson).

The Tigers have a 14-9 advantage in games played at Western Carolina. Jack Leggett has a 27-8 mark against Western Carolina as Clemson’s head coach, including a 7-5 record at Hennon Stadium. Leggett served as head coach at Western Carolina from 1983-91 and won 302 games in nine seasons there. He was also 3-15 against the Tigers as the Catamount skipper.

The Starting Pitchers (Furman) Furman will start junior lefthander Kevin Gottlieb (0-1, 5.79 ERA) on the mound. The Palm Beach Gardens, FL native, who will be making his first career start on Tuesday, has made 10 relief appearances for a total of 9.1 innings pitched in 2011. He has allowed 17 hits (.386 opponents’ batting average) and three walks with four strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with graduate righthander Justin Sarratt (3-1, 2.61 ERA) on Tuesday. The Gaffney, SC native has made six starts and five relief appearances for a total of 38.0 innings pitched. He has yielded 36 hits (.250 opponents’ batting average) and four walks with 30 strikeouts.

The Starting Pitchers (Western Carolina) Both team’s starting pitchers for Wednesday’s game at Western Carolina have yet to be determined.

The Paladins Furman, led by 18th-year Head Coach Ron Smith, enters Tuesday’s game at #23 Clemson with a 19-23 overall record and 9-11 SoCon mark after being swept at College of Charleston over the weekend. The Paladins sport a 4-15 record on opponents’ home fields.

Furman is averaging 5.2 runs per game and hitting .268 with a .373 slugging percentage and .360 on-base percentage thanks to 185 walks and 30 hit-by-pitches against 265 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 77 doubles, 12 triples, 16 home runs, and 43 stolen bases in 61 attempts.

Aaron Thompkins is leading the team with a .331 batting average, 11 doubles, two triples, and 22 RBIs. Will Owens is batting .329 with 10 stolen bases, while Will Miller is hitting .284 with seven doubles, two triples, and three homers. Miller also leads the team in RBIs (24) and steals (11).

The pitching staff has a 5.44 ERA and .301 opponents’ batting average along with 202 strikeouts against 147 walks in 370.2 innings pitched. Sophomore righthander Dylan Cole has all eight of the team’s saves along with a 3.18 ERA and .222 opponents’ batting average in 28.1 innings pitched over 20 relief appearances. Furman is fielding at a .967 clip as well.

The Catamounts Western Carolina, led by fourth-year Head Coach Bobby Moranda, enters Tuesday’s game at High Point with a 16-20-1 overall record and 7-14 SoCon mark after winning two of three games at home against Wofford over the weekend. The Catamounts scored 43 runs in the three-game series. Western Carolina also sports an 11-9-1 home record in 2011.

Western Carolina is averaging 6.9 runs per game and hitting .299 with a .419 slugging percentage and .389 on-base percentage thanks to 159 walks and 48 hit-by-pitches against 274 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 89 doubles, seven triples, 19 home runs, and 59 stolen bases in 76 attempts.

Ross Heffley leads the team with a .425 batting average along with 16 doubles, two triples, five homers, 45 RBIs, and 39 runs. Stephen Notaro is hitting .395, while Matt Johns is batting .315 and is 17-17 on stolen bases. Cameron Dullnig has added 10 steals as well.

The pitching staff has a 5.84 ERA and .288 opponents’ batting average along with 294 strikeouts against 199 walks in 328.0 innings pitched. Kyle Deese, who was a member of the Tiger baseball team in 2008 and 2009, has made nine relief appearances and has a .160 opponents’ batting average in 2011. Western Carolina is fielding at a .966 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #23 in the nation, enters Tuesday’s game against Furman with a 25-14 overall record and 11-10 ACC mark after winning two of three games against Wake Forest at home over the weekend. The Tigers, who have won 11 of their last 13 games, have a 19-6 home record and 5-6 record on opponents’ home fields in 2011.

The Tigers are averaging 7.2 runs per game and hitting .314 with a .450 slugging percentage and .408 on-base percentage thanks to 199 walks and 33 hit-by-pitches against 257 strikeouts. Clemson has also totaled 82 doubles, 13 triples, 24 homers, and 72 stolen bases in 90 attempts.

Brad Miller is hitting an ACC-best .413 with a .519 on-base percentage and 16 steals. In the last 14 games, Miller is 29-for-56 (.518). Will Lamb is riding a 14-game hitting streak as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.51 ERA and .238 opponents’ batting average in 345.2 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 122 walks against 304 strikeouts, good for a 2.49 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior righty David Haselden has two saves, a 2.49 ERA, and .230 opponents’ batting average in 50.2 innings pitched over 16 appearances (four starts). The Tigers are fielding at a .967 clip as well.

Three Tigers hail from the state of North Carolina, John Hinson (Asheville), Addison Johnson (Pfafftown), and Shaffer (Charlotte).

Polls After a three-week absence, the Tigers moved back into the top 25 of two of the three polls this week after going 3-1 in four games last week. Clemson is ranked #23 in the Sports Weekly coaches poll and #25 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Tigers are unranked in this week’s Baseball America rankings.

ACC Standings The Tigers are in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings with an 11-10 league record. In the division, Florida State is in first place with a 14-7 record, while N.C. State is third at 9-12. Virginia holds the overall ACC lead at 18-3. In the overall ACC standings, Clemson is in sixth place. Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are tied for eighth place at 7-14. The top-eight teams in the overall ACC standings will make the ACC Tournament at Durham, NC. Virginia and Georgia Tech have clinched spots in the ACC Tourney.

Hinson Providing Spark as Leadoff Batter Junior infielder John Hinson (Asheville, NC) started the season in the middle of the batting order, where he also was in 2010. But midway through the 2011 season, he became the everyday leadoff batter. Hinson has performed well in that role, as he has 15 stolen bases in 19 attempts and is a big reason the Tigers have swiped 72 bases in 2011. He has stolen 45 bases in 55 attempts in 142 career games (118 starts), including 40 steals the past two seasons.

In 2011, Hinson is hitting .283 with eight doubles, one triple, five homers, 24 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He also had a 10-game hitting streak in April and has hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games. In his career, Hinson is hitting .315 with 17 doubles, three triples, 23 homers, 110 RBIs, 108 runs, and 45 steals. Hinson became a husband on April 9, 2011 in Columbia, SC when he married the former Aileen Burdette (Easley, SC).

Tigers Take Two Over Demon Deacons at Home Clemson won two of three games over Wake Forest by a combined score of 15-13 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium from April 22-24. Clemson outhit the Demon Deacons .276 to .223 and totaled eight doubles, one homer, and seven steals. Brad Miller went 5-for-12 with four runs and three steals, while Jeff Schaus added two doubles and four RBIs. The Tiger pitching staff had a 3.33 ERA, as Scott Weismann allowed one hit, no runs, and no walks with four strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched over two relief outings.

In game-one on April 22, Will Lamb run-scoring double. Leone earned the win, while Weismann struck out both batters he faced to record the save. The two pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, faced just five batters over the minimum, and did not allow a runner past second base. Miller went 2-for-4 with a run and three steals for Clemson, who totaled six hits (four doubles, two singles).

In game-two on April 23, Tim Cooney pitched a complete game to lead Wake Forest to a 9-3 win over Clemson. Cooney scattered nine hits, two earned runs, and no walks with seven strikeouts to earn the win. The Demon Deacons broke a 1-1 tie with three two-out runs in the third inning and added runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to pull away. Wake Forest totaled 12 hits and five stolen bases. The Demon Deacons also put their leadoff batter on base seven times and took advantage of three Clemson errors. Pohl had a team-high two hits to pace the Tigers.

In game-three on April 21, Clemson broke a 3-3 tie with five runs in the fifth inning on its way to a 10-4 win over Wake Forest. Spencer Kieboom hit his first career home run in the second inning to tie the score. The Tigers used two hits, three walks, and two errors in the fifth inning to score five runs, highlighted by Schaus’ two-run single. Schaus went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, and a steal to lead Clemson, who outhit the Demon Deacons 12-6. Richie Shaffer went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, two runs, a walk, and steal. Starter Jonathan Meyer allowed just four hits, three runs, and one walk with seven strikeouts to earn the victory.