Clemson Baseball Team to Face Furman Tuesday in Greenville, East Tennessee State Wednesday in Clemson

May 9, 2011

Clemson vs. Furman & East Tennessee State Clemson (32-15), ranked as high as #16 in the nation, will travel to Greenville, SC to take on Furman (20-27) at Fluor Field on Tuesday at 7:00 PM, then the Tigers will host East Tennessee State (31-16) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Clemson will be the designated visiting team and occupy the third-base dugout in the neutral-site game against Furman on Tuesday. Admission is free for Wednesday night’s contest against East Tennessee State.

Wednesday’s game against East Tennessee State 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. ETSU Live on TigerCast!

The Series (Furman) Clemson and Furman have met 198 times on the diamond, with the Tigers leading 137-57-4 in the series dating back to the 1896 season. Clemson’s first two games in school 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.

Earlier this season on April 26 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers blanked the Paladins 5-0 behind 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 contests in 2009, as the two teams split the games.

The Tigers lead 11-3-1 in neutral-site contests, including a 3-0 advantage at Fluor Field. Jack Leggett is 18-5 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 47-12 all-time against the Paladins as a head coach.

The Series (East Tennessee State) Clemson and East Tennessee State have met 25 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 19-6 lead in the series dating back to 1969. The two teams last met on April 23, 2003 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson was victorious that day 6-3. Michael Johnson, the Tigers’ current volunteer assistant coach, hit a three-run walkoff homer in the 12th inning to send Clemson off in winning fashion.

The last eight games in the series, from 1986-03, have been played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, as the Tigers won all eight contests. Clemson also defeated the Buccaneers on the road on March 13, 1985, meaning the Tigers have a nine-game winning streak in the series since the Buccaneers’ 10-6 victory on March 12, 1985.

The Tigers own a 17-4 advantage over the Buccaneers in games played at Clemson and lead 15-4 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Leggett was also 17-6 against East Tennessee State as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 20-6 all-time against the Buccaneers.

The Starting Pitchers (Furman) Furman will start junior lefthander Daniel Stallsmith (4-2, 4.24 ERA) on the mound. The Huntersville, NC native has made 10 starts and four relief appearances for a total of 63.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 62 hits (.259 opponents’ batting average) and 27 walks with 10 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with senior righthander Alex Frederick (0-3, 4.24 ERA) on Tuesday. The Lagrangeville, NY native has made 17 relief appearances and one start for a total of 23.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 16 hits (.208 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 22 strikeouts.

The Starting Pitchers (East Tennessee State) Both teams’ starting pitchers for Wednesday’s game have yet to be determined.

The Paladins Furman, led by 18th-year Head Coach Ron Smith, enters Tuesday’s game against #16 Clemson with a 20-27 overall record and 10-13 SoCon mark after losing two of three games to Samford at home on April 30 and May 1. The Paladins, who are coming off an eight-day break, sports a 2-2 record at Fluor Field in 2011, including wins over Georgia and South Carolina.

Furman is averaging 5.0 runs per game and hitting .266 with a .367 slugging percentage and .354 on-base percentage thanks to 195 walks and 32 hit-by-pitches against 297 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 83 doubles, 13 triples, 17 home runs, and 47 stolen bases in 66 attempts.

Aaron Thompkins is leading the team with a .346 batting average, 12 doubles, two triples, one homer, and 23 RBIs. Will Owens is batting .315 with 10 stolen bases, while Will Miller is hitting .275 with seven doubles, two triples, and three homers. Miller is also tied for the team lead in RBIs (25) and leads in steals (12).

The pitching staff has a 5.25 ERA and .301 opponents’ batting average along with 224 strikeouts against 165 walks in 414.2 innings pitched. Sophomore righthander Dylan Cole has all nine of the team’s saves along with a 2.97 ERA and .234 opponents’ batting average in 30.1 innings pitched over 21 relief appearances. Furman is fielding at a .966 clip as well.

The Buccaneers East Tennessee State, led by 12th-year Head Coach Tony Skole, enters Wednesday’s game at #16 Clemson with a 31-16 overall record and 12-10 Atlantic Sun Conference mark after winning two of three games at N.C. State over the weekend and defeating UNC Asheville 9-5 at home on Monday. The Buccaneers, who are 13-7 on opponents’ home fields, saw their eight-game winning streak snapped with N.C. State’s 8-5 win on Sunday.

East Tennessee State is averaging 7.0 runs per game and hitting .303 with a .511 slugging percentage and .392 on-base percentage thanks to 197 walks and 49 hit-by-pitches against 355 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 96 doubles, seven triples, 74 home runs, and 28 stolen bases in 40 attempts. The Buccaneers lead the nation in home runs.

Derek Trent is hitting .367 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, and 50 RBIs, as he is one of four Buccaneers with at least 12 homers. Bo Reeder is hitting .335 with 13 homers, 16 doubles, and 50 RBIs. Paul Hoilman is hitting .316 with 16 homers, 19 doubles, and 41 RBIs, while Dylan Pratt is batting .310 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs

The pitching staff has a 5.00 ERA and .294 opponents’ batting average along with 283 strikeouts against 139 walks in 409.0 innings pitched. Reeder, a righthander, is among the national leaders in saves (15) along with a 2.16 ERA, .170 opponents’ batting average, and 31 strikeouts against 11 walks in 25.0 innings pitched over 21 relief appearances. East Tennessee State, who has allowed only 23 steals in 44 attempts, is fielding at a .960 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #16 in the nation, enters Tuesday’s game against Furman with a 32-15 overall record and 13-11 ACC mark after sweeping Gardner-Webb in three games over the weekend. The Tigers, who have won 18 of their last 21 games, sport a 1-2 neutral-site record and 24-7 home record in 2011.

The Tigers are averaging 7.0 runs per game and hitting .312 with a .445 slugging percentage and .402 on-base percentage thanks to 226 walks and 35 hit-by-pitches against 297 strikeouts. Clemson has also totaled 99 doubles, 14 triples, 28 homers, and 87 stolen bases in 109 attempts.

Brad Miller’s is hitting an ACC-best .422 with a .527 on-base percentage and 20 steals. Will Lamb is riding a 22-game hitting streak, while John Hinson has added 20 stolen bases. Richie Shaffer leads the team in homers (7), RBIs (38), and runs (50) as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.18 ERA and .228 opponents’ batting average in 416.2 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 135 walks against 364 strikeouts, good for a 2.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior righthander Scott Weismann has a team-high four saves and 43 strikeouts against 14 walks in 17 appearances (eight starts). The Tigers are fielding at a .967 clip as well.

Tigers 8-3 All-Time at Fluor Field Fluor Field, the home of the Boston Red Sox A affiliate Greenville Drive since 2006, is modeled after Fenway Park, with identical field dimensions and a “Green Monster.” The Tigers have played 11 games at the ballpark since 2007 and are 8-3.

In 2007, Clemson downed Wofford 12-3 in its first-ever game at Fluor Field. Earlier this season at Fluor Field, Clemson blanked Michigan State 8-0. On March 8, #4 South Carolina edged Clemson 5-4. Then on March 16, Presbyterian College topped the Tigers 4-3, therefore Clemson is 1-2 at Fluor Field in 2011. The Tigers have outscored the opposition 91-40 in their 11 games at Fluor Field.

Polls The Tigers remained at #16 in this week’s Sports Weekly coaches poll after going 3-0 in three games last week. Clemson also moved up one spot to #20 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and two spots to #20 in the Baseball America rankings.

Clemson has had at least one final top-25 ranking in 14 of Head Coach Jack Leggett’s first 17 seasons in Tigertown. The Tigers have also been ranked #1 for 20 weeks by at least one of the three major polls under Leggett. Their last #1 ranking came on February 12, 2007 by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.

ACC Standings The Tigers are in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings with a 13-11 league record. In the division, Florida State is in first place with a 16-8 record, while N.C. State is third at 11-13. Virginia holds the overall ACC lead at 20-4. In the overall ACC standings, Clemson is in sixth place. The top-eight teams in the overall ACC standings will make the ACC Tournament at Durham, NC. Virginia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami (FL), and North Carolina have all clinched spots in the ACC Tourney.

Leone Healthy Again & Leading the Rotation Sophomore righthander Dominic Leone (Norwich, CT) started the year in the weekend rotation. But in late February, he suffered a shoulder injury that forced him out of the rotation. It took him many weeks to regain his strength and form.

Now that he is healthy again, he is showing why Head Coach Jack Leggett has penciled him as the Friday starter. On the season, he is 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA and .183 opponents’ batting average in 47.0 innings pitched over 11 appearances (eight starts). He has allowed just 30 hits and 19 walks with 53 strikeouts. Leone is also 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA and .194 opponents’ batting average in eight outings (six starts) in ACC regular-season games.

In his last four starts, all as Clemson’s game-one starter, he has pitched 29.1 combined innings. He is 4-0 and has allowed just 12 hits (.122 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 33 strikeouts. In 23.1 innings pitched over his last three starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA, an .092 opponents’ batting average, and 28 strikeouts against six walks.

Against Wake Forest on April 22, he pitched 8.1 innings to earn the win in Clemson’s 2-0 victory. He allowed just three singles, no runs, and three walks with 10 strikeouts, as no Demon Deacon advanced past second base in the game. A week later against #9 Georgia Tech on April 29, he tossed 8.0 innings to earn the victory in the Tigers’ 4-2 win. He yielded only two hits, two runs, and two walks with 10 strikeouts against a team that entered the game leading the ACC with a .316 batting average.

Tigers Sweep Gardner-Webb By a 30-2 Combined Score Clemson, ranked as high as #16 in the nation, swept Gardner-Webb in a three-game series at two different sites by a combined score of 30-2 on May 7,8. Clemson outhit the Bulldogs .366 to .149 and totaled 10 doubles, one triple, two homers, 15 walks, and seven steals. Jeff Schaus went 6-for-10 with a double, three RBIs, four runs, and two steals. The Tiger pitching staff had an 0.33 ERA and allowed just 14 hits, one earned run, and two walks with 25 strikeouts against a team that entered the week sixth in the nation in batting average (.323).

In game-one on May 7, which was the first game of a doubleheader, Clemson scored five runs in the third inning and seven runs in the seventh inning en route to a 13-1 win over Gardner-Webb at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers outhit Gardner-Webb 11-5 and totaled 10 walks. Shaffer went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, while Brad Miller’s added a double, two runs, three walks, and two steals. Starter Dominic Leone pitched 7.0 strong innings to earn the win. He allowed just two hits, one run, and one walk with eight strikeouts.

In game-two on May 7, which was the second game of a doubleheader, Clemson totaled 20 hits in its 12-0 victory over Gardner-Webb at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers scored in seven of the eight innings in which they batted, including five two-out runs in the fourth inning. Schaus went 4-for-4 with a double, while Will Lamb all added three hits apiece. Starter Jonathan Meyer pitched 6.1 effective innings to earn the win. He yielded just three singles, no runs, and no walks in throwing only 53 pitches, 43 of which were strikes. The four Tiger hurlers combined to face just three batters over the minimum and did not allow a runner past second base. Jack Leggett recorded his 800th victory as Clemson’s head coach as well.

In game-three on May 8, three Tiger pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and did not allow an earned run in Clemson’s 5-1 win over Gardner-Webb at John Henry Moss Stadium in Boiling Springs, NC. Clemson jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, then Gardner-Webb scored an unearned run in the second inning. But two Tiger runs in the sixth inning and Shaffer’s solo homer in the eighth inning gave Clemson the four-run victory. Starter Scott Weismann retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to close out the game.