Clemson Baseball Team to Face Georgia in Athens Wednesday Night

April 19, 2011

Clemson vs. Georgia Clemson (22-13) will travel to Athens, GA to face Georgia (19-18) on Wednesday at Foley Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM. The game will be televised live by CSS. The game will also be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will be available at ClemsonTigers.com as well.

The Series Clemson and Georgia have met 219 times on the diamond, with Georgia holding a 117-100-2 lead in the series dating back to 1900. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1959. Georgia is Clemson’s second-most-played rival in history, trailing only South Carolina (295).

Earlier this season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 29, the Tigers rallied for an 11-5 win over Georgia thanks in large part to a seven-run sixth inning. Last season, Clemson won both games of a home-and-home, midweek series by scores of 15-5 (in Athens) and 14-6 (in Clemson). In 2009, Georgia won both games (6-5 in Athens, 4-2 in Clemson).

The Bulldogs lead 68-42 in games played at Georgia. Jack Leggett is 22-16 against Georgia as Clemson’s head coach, including an 8-13 record at Foley Field. Leggett was also 3-12 against the Bulldogs as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he has a 25-28 all-time record against Georgia.

The Starting Pitchers Georgia will start junior righthander Ben Cornwell (1-2, 5.48 ERA) on the mound. The Atlanta, GA native has made five relief appearances and four starts for a total of 21.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 29 hits (.319 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 14 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with graduate righthander Justin Sarratt (2-1, 2.81 ERA) on Wednesday. The Gaffney, SC native has made five starts and five relief appearances for a total of 32.0 innings pitched. He has yielded 30 hits (.244 opponents’ batting average) and four walks with 27 strikeouts.

The Bulldogs Georgia, led by 10th-year Head Coach David Perno, enters Wednesday’s game against Clemson with a 19-18 overall record and 9-6 ACC mark after losing two of three games against Florida at home last weekend. The Bulldogs, who have played the nation’s toughest schedule according to WarrenNolan.com, have an 11-8 home record in 2011.

Georgia is averaging 4.9 runs per game and hitting .279 with a .387 slugging percentage and .336 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 62 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, and 34 stolen bases.

Levi Hyams is leading the team with a .342 batting average along with nine doubles, one homer, and 21 RBIs. Zach Cone is batting .299 with two homers, 20 RBIs, and nine stolen bases, while Kyle Farmer is hitting .295 with four home runs and a team-high 33 RBIs. Peter Verdin has a team-high 11 steals as well.

The pitching staff has a 4.76 ERA and .284 opponents’ batting average along with 238 strikeouts against 124 walks in 319.2 innings pitched. Junior righty Tyler Maloof has 12 saves and 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched over 15 relief appearances. Junior lefty Craig Gullickson, who played for Clemson in 2008,09, is 3-2 with a 6.67 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts). Georgia is fielding at a .973 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters Wednesday’s game at Georgia with a 22-13 overall record and 9-9 ACC mark after sweeping Boston College on the road over the weekend. The Tigers, who have won eight of their last nine games, sport a 4-6 record on opponents’ home fields in 2011.

The Tigers are averaging 7.5 runs per game and hitting .319 with a .457 slugging percentage and .416 on-base percentage thanks to 188 walks and 31 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 73 doubles, 13 triples, 22 homers, and 63 stolen bases.

Brad Miller is hitting a team-best .404 with a .517 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases. Will Lamb is riding a 10-game hitting streak as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.60 ERA and .238 opponents’ batting average in 309.2 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 110 walks against 268 strikeouts, good for a 2.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Senior righty Alex Frederick has three saves and a .186 opponents’ batting average in 16 relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .967 clip as well.

Seven Tigers hail from the state of Georgia, Chris Epps (Stone Mountain), Jake Fletcher (Thomasville), Spencer Kieboom (Marietta), Jason Stolz (Marietta), and Steve Wilkerson (Roswell).

Worth Noting Clemson has committed just four errors in the last nine games, good for a .989 fielding percentage. That nine-game stretch coincides with the return of Brad Miller (from a broken finger) as the starting shortstop. Furthermore, the Tigers have not committed a fielding error off the bat of an opponent in 11 straight games.

ACC Standings The Tigers are in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings with a 9-9 league record. In the division, Florida State is in first place with an 11-7 record, while N.C. State is third at 8-10. Virginia holds the overall ACC lead at 16-2. In the overall ACC standings, Clemson is in sixth place.

Lamb’s Double-Digit Hitting Streaks Junior utility player Will Lamb (Seaford, VA) has hit safely in 21 of his last 23 games and is riding a current 10-game hitting streak. He also had an 11-game hitting streak in March, giving him two double-digit hitting streaks in 2011. He is batting .299 with four doubles, three triples, one homer, 19 RBIs, and eight steals in eight attempts on the season.

Lamb has used his speed throughout his three seasons on the basepaths and in centerfield. He has swiped 26 bases in 27 attempts in 110 career games (84 starts).

He has also been one of Clemson’s top lefthanded pitchers this season. In 20.2 innings pitched over seven appearances (four starts), he has a 1-1 record, 5.66 ERA, and 23 strikeouts.

Tigers Sweep Eagles in Chilly Series on the Road Clemson swept Boston College by a combined score of 25-9 at Commander Shea Field on April 15,16. In chilly conditions with winds blowing in from left field at 15-25 miles per hour all weekend, Clemson outhit the Eagles .327 to .228 and totaled 10 doubles, two homers, and 12 steals while committing just one error in the series. Brad Miller added four hits, four RBIs, and three steals. The Tiger pitching staff had a 2.67 ERA and 26 strikeouts against eight walks.

In game-one on April 15, Clemson totaled seven extra-base hits in its 9-2 win over Boston College. Will Lamb hit solo homers during the first two innings, then the Eagles tied the score in the fifth inning. But Spencer Kieboom’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning gave Clemson the lead for good. Pohl and Kieboom had two doubles apiece to lead the Tigers, who outhit the Eagles 11-7. Pohl added a game-high three RBIs. Starter Dominic Leone pitched 6.0 effective innings to earn the victory.

In game-two on April 16, which was the first game of a doubleheader, Clemson broke a 3-3 tie with four runs in the seventh inning and held on for a 7-5 win over Boston College. The Eagles led 3-1 before the Tigers scored two runs in the sixth inning to tie the score. The Eagles put together four straight hits to lead off the eighth inning, but Alex Frederick retired all three batters he faced to record the save. Pohl went 3-for-5 with an RBI to pace the Tigers, who totaled 14 hits and five steals.

In game-three on April 16, which was the second game of a doubleheader, Scott Weismann pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts near his hometown to close out the game. Leading 5-2, Clemson scored four runs in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. Pohl went 3-for-5 with two runs, while Miller went 2-for-4 with a double, two steals, and a game-high three RBIs for Clemson, who had 12 hits and seven steals.