Clemson Baseball Team to Face Georgia Tuesday On the Road, Presbyterian College Wednesday at Home

March 26, 2012

Clemson vs. Georgia & Presbyterian College Game Notes

Clemson vs. Georgia & Presbyterian College Clemson (11-11) will travel to Athens, GA to take on #18 Georgia (17-8) at Foley Field on Tuesday at 7:00 PM, then the Tigers will host Presbyterian College (9-17) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.

Tuesday’s game at Georgia will televised live by CSS, while Wednesday’s game against Presbyterian College will be available live via webcast on TigerCast at ClemsonTigers.com. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network, while Wednesday’s game 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. Presbyterian College Live on TigerCast

The Series (Georgia) Clemson and Georgia have met 220 times on the diamond, with Georgia holding a 117-101-2 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 (298).

Last season, the Tigers won both games of the home-and-home series by scores of 11-5 (in Clemson) and 5-2 (in Athens). In 2010, Clemson also won both games by scores of 15-5 (in Athens) and 14-6 (in Clemson). Therefore, the Tigers have won four games in a row in the series after the Bulldogs had won the previous four meetings. The two teams have not split their season series since the 2006 campaign.

The Bulldogs hold a 68-43 advantage in games played at Georgia. Jack Leggett has a 23-16 record against Georgia as Clemson’s head coach, including a 9-13 record at Foley Field. Leggett was also 3-12 against the Bulldogs as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 26-28 all-time against Georgia.

The Series (Presbyterian College) Clemson and Presbyterian College have met 80 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 60-20 lead in the series dating to 1906. In 2011, the Blue Hose topped the Tigers 4-3 at Greenville, SC, then Clemson responded with a 7-2 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. In 2010, the Tigers beat Presbyterian College 8-2 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

In 2009, the Tigers won 8-0, and in 2008 at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC, the Tigers topped the Blue Hose 12-7. Prior to that contest, the two teams had not met since the 1950 season, when Clemson won both meetings by scores of 15-2 at Presbyterian College and 11-10 (10 innings) in Tigertown.

The Tigers own a 35-7 advantage over the Blue Hose in games played at Clemson, while Clemson leads 3-0 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Starting Pitchers (Georgia) Georgia will start freshman righthander David Sosebee (2-0, 0.79 ERA) on the mound. The Cleveland, GA native has made four starts and one relief appearance for a total of 11.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 10 hits (.250 opponents’ batting average) and one walk with one strikeout.

The Tigers will counter with freshman righty Daniel Gossett (1-2, 6.60 ERA) on Tuesday. The Lyman, SC native has made five relief appearances and two starts for a total of 15.0 innings pitched. He has surrendered 15 hits (.259 opponents’ batting average) and seven walks with 18 strikeouts.

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

The Bulldogs Georgia, led by 11th-year Head Coach David Perno and ranked as high as #18 in the nation, enters Tuesday’s game against Clemson with a 17-8 overall record and 3-3 SEC mark after losing two of three games at Vanderbilt last weekend. The Bulldogs are 15-6 at home this season.

Georgia is averaging 5.4 runs per game and hitting .284 with a .396 slugging percentage and .374 on-base percentage thanks to 102 walks and 24 hit-by-pitches against 160 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 41 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts.

Curt Powell leads the team with a .365 batting average and four steals. Kyle Farmer is hitting .330 with 13 doubles, three homers, and 18 RBIs, while Hunter Cole is batting .319 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 2.54 ERA and .238 opponents’ batting average along with 188 strikeouts against 58 walks in 223.2 innings pitched. Junior lefthander Blake Dieterich has all four of the team’s saves along with a 3-1 record and an 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched over 12 relief appearances. Georgia, who has allowed 25 steals in 39 attempts, is fielding at a .978 clip as well.

The Blue Hose Presbyterian College, led by eighth-year Head Coach Elton Pollock, enters Wednesday’s game at Clemson with a 9-17 overall record and an 0-6 Big South Conference mark after being swept at Virginia Military over the weekend. Presbyterian College, who has lost seven games in a row after it had won eight of its previous nine games, is 4-12 on opponents’ home fields in 2012.

Presbyterian College is averaging 4.4 runs per game and hitting .265 with a .362 slugging percentage and .335 on-base percentage thanks to 81 walks and 20 hit-by-pitches against 189 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 38 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, and 26 stolen bases in 35 attempts.

Billy Motroni leads the team with a .329 batting average, while Jay Lizanich is hitting .326 with three stolen bases. Kenny Bryant is batting .319 with a team-high four homers and 13 RBIs. Andrew Williams has added three long balls and 13 RBIs, while Nathan Chong has a team-high six stolen bases.

The pitching staff has a 6.04 ERA and .305 opponents’ batting average along with 157 strikeouts against 95 walks in 226.2 innings pitched. Senior righty Gabe Grammer has all six of the team’s saves along with a 5.19 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched over nine relief appearances. Presbyterian College, who has allowed 32 steals in 39 attempts, is fielding at a .966 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters Tuesday’s game at #18 Georgia with an 11-11 overall record and a 3-6 ACC mark after being swept at Virginia last weekend. The Tigers are 10-5 at home this season.

The Tigers are averaging 5.3 runs per game and hitting .265 with a .379 slugging percentage and .361 on-base percentage thanks to 96 walks and 21 hit-by-pitches against 134 strikeouts. Clemson has also totaled 33 doubles, three triples, 15 homers, and 19 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

Steve Wilkerson is riding a 10-game hitting streak and leads the team with a .393 batting average along with four steals. Richie Shaffer is batting .316 with four homers and 17 RBIs, while Phil Pohl is hitting .304 with four long balls and a team-high 22 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 3.61 ERA and .270 opponents’ batting average in 197.0 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 82 walks against 172 strikeouts, good for a 2.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Sophomore righthander Matt Campbell has a team-high two saves along with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched over nine relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .968 clip as well.

Nine Tigers hail from Georgia, tied for the most of any state on the 2012 squad. Those players are Jay Baum (Alpharetta), Campbell (Alpharetta), Kevin Caughman (Martinez), Jake Fletcher (Thomasville), Spencer Kieboom (Marietta), Trevor Kieboom (Marietta), Tyler Slaton (Cumming), Jason Stolz (Marietta), and Wilkerson (Roswell).

Worth Noting • Clemson leadoff batters of an inning have reached base 45.3 percent of the time in 2012.

Firth Relishing Relief Role Junior righthander Scott Firth (Buffalo Grove, IL) has been Clemson’s top reliever this year. In his first two seasons, he alternated as both a starter and reliever. But in 2012, he has the best numbers among all hurlers.

In 17.1 innings pitched over nine relief appearances, he is 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA. He has allowed just 13 hits (.203 opponents’ batting average) and two runs with 21 strikeouts. Twelve of the 13 hits he has allowed have been singles, meaning he has yielded just one extra-base hit.

In his three-year career, Firth is 8-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 100.0 innings pitched over 41 appearances (11 starts). He has given up 98 hits (.252 opponents’ batting average) with 84 strikeouts.