Clemson Baseball Team to Face N.C. State in Raleigh this Weekend

March 24, 2011

Clemson vs. N.C. State Clemson (12-7, 3-3 ACC), ranked as high as #15 in the nation, will travel to Raleigh, NC to take on N.C. State (12-10, 1-5 ACC) in a three-game series at Doak Field this weekend. Game times are 6:30 PM (Friday), 6:30 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday). All three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will be available at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games as well.

The Series Clemson and N.C. State have met 177 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 107-69-1 lead in the series dating back to the 1921 season. The two teams have faced each other at least one time every season since 1953.

In the three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2010, Clemson won all three games by scores of 12-7, 12-6, and 7-6. Then in the ACC Tournament at Greensboro, NC, the Wolfpack downed the Tigers by a score of 13-8. In 2009 at Doak Field, the Tigers swept the Wolfpack by a combined score of 29-17. Clemson has won eight straight regular-season games in the series dating back to the 2008 season.

The Tigers hold a 39-35 lead all-time in games played at N.C. State and an 85-54 advantage in ACC regular-season games. Jack Leggett has a 41-19 record against the Wolfpack as Clemson’s head coach, including a 12-12 record at N.C. State. He was 7-18 against the Wolfpack as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he has a 48-37 all-time record against N.C. State.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, N.C. State will start junior righthander Cory Mazzoni (1-2, 3.31 ERA) on the mound. The Evans City, PA native has made five starts for a total of 32.2 innings pitched. He has given up 31 hits (.240 opponents’ batting average) and 12 walks with 34 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior righthander Scott Weismann (2-2, 5.84 ERA) on Friday. The Boxborough, MA native has made five starts for a total of 24.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 29 hits (.302 opponents’ batting average) and six walks with 15 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Wolfpack will send out sophomore righty Danny Healey (1-2, 6.49 ERA) on the mound. The Cooper City, FL native has made five starts for a total of 26.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 24 hits (.240 opponents’ batting average) and 13 walks with 24 strikeouts.

Clemson’s starting pitcher for game-two on Saturday has yet to be determined.

In game-three, N.C. State will start freshman lefthander D.J. Thomas (0-1, 4.85 ERA) on the mound. The Durham, NC native has made nine relief appearances for a total of 13.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 11 hits (.239 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 10 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with sophomore righty Scott Firth (1-0, 2.93 ERA) on Sunday. The Buffalo Grove, IL native has made four relief appearances and one start for a total of 15.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 12 hits (.200 opponents’ batting average) and five walks with eight strikeouts.

The Wolfpack N.C. State, led by 15th-year Head Coach Elliott Avent, enters the series against #15 Clemson with a 12-10 overall record and 1-5 ACC mark after winning both midweek games against Northwestern at home. The Wolfpack also suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of Georgia Tech on the road over the weekend. N.C. State sports a 9-3 home record this season, but has yet to play a home ACC contest.

N.C. State is averaging 5.2 runs per game and hitting .282 with a .387 slugging percentage and .382 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 40 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, and 11 stolen bases.

Chris Diaz is hitting a team-high .368 with three stolen bases, while Pratt Maynard is batting .341 with one homer, 15 RBIs, and a .451 on-base percentage. John Gianis and Brett Williams are both hitting .301, while Williams has a team-high two long balls.

The pitching staff has a 4.76 ERA and .269 opponents’ batting average along with 180 strikeouts against 79 walks in 191.0 innings pitched. Junior lefthander Grant Sasser has all three of the team’s saves and has allowed just one earned run and three walks with 14 strikeouts in 13.0 innings pitched over eight relief appearances. N.C. State is fielding at a .977 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #15 in the nation, enters the series at N.C. State with a 12-7 overall record and 3-3 ACC mark after winning both games of a midweek series against Elon at home. The Tigers also swept Duke at home over the weekend and has won five games in a row. Clemson, who will play its first game outside of the state of South Carolina, sports an 0-1 record on opponents’ home fields as well.

The Tigers are averaging 8.2 runs per game and hitting .335 with a .464 slugging percentage and .432 on-base percentage. Clemson has also totaled 38 doubles, six triples, 11 homers, and 30 stolen bases. The Tigers have 107 walks and 19 hit-by-pitches against only 120 strikeouts as well.

Chris Epps leads the team in homers (4) and stolen bases (6), while Will Lamb is riding an 11-game hitting streak.

The pitching staff has a 3.36 ERA and .238 opponents’ batting average in 169.0 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 41 walks against 147 strikeouts, good for a 3.59 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Senior righthander Alex Frederick has one save and 14 strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched over nine relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .958 clip as well.

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

Leggett Tied for 19th on All-Time NCAA Wins ListJack Leggett has 1,158 career wins in 32 seasons as a head coach. That victory total is tied for 19th place on the all-time NCAA Division I list. He is tied with Chuck Brayton (Washington State), who is also 19th on the list with 1,158 wins. Leggett is also three victories behind the late Bill Wilhelm, who is tied for 16th place with 1,161 wins in 36 seasons (1958-93) as Clemson’s head coach. Leggett also owns the seventh-most wins among active coaches.

Meyer Leading Bullpen Sophomore righthander Jonathan Meyer (San Diego, CA) has emerged as one of Clemson’s top pitchers out of the bullpen in 2011. He has a 1-0 record and a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched over seven relief appearances. He has allowed just 10 hits (.179 opponents’ batting average), five runs, and six walks with 15 strikeouts.

Meyer has allowed a run in only two of his seven appearances in 2011. In two outings over back-to-back weekends (against #6 Virginia and Duke), he pitched a total of 10.0 innings, allowing just four hits, no runs, and three walks with nine strikeouts. He pitched 5.0 scoreless innings in each of those two appearances.

Tigers Sweep Elon in Midweek Series The #15 Clemson Tigers swept Elon in a two-game series by a combined score of 16-4 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 22,23. The Tigers outhit Elon .349 to .232 and totaled nine walks against only five strikeouts and five stolen bases. Chris Epps both added three hits, two RBIs, and three runs. The Tiger pitching staff had a 1.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts against only four walks. It also allowed just one extra-base hit.

In game-one on March 22, Alex Frederick pitched 2.0 perfect innings with three strikeouts to close out the game. The Tigers broke the game open with six runs in the sixth inning, keyed by Epps’ two-run double. Kieboom went 3-for-4 with a double, while Lamb and Epps both added two hits and two RBIs in Clemson’s 11-hit attack.

In game-two on March 23, Jeff Schaus, Jon Surber, and Joseph Moorefield combined to pitch 5.0 scoreless innings to close out the game.