Clemson Baseball Team to Face North Carolina in Chapel Hill this Weekend

March 31, 2011

Clemson vs. North Carolina Clemson (14-9, 4-5 ACC), ranked as high as #16 in the nation, will travel to Chapel Hill, NC to take on #6 North Carolina (23-4, 7-2 ACC) in a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium this weekend. Game times are 7:00 PM (Friday), 2:00 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 North Carolina have met 175 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 96-78-1 lead in the series dating back to 1901.

In 2010 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tar Heels won two of three games despite being outscored 16-15 in the series. In the 2009 ACC Tournament at Durham, NC, Wilson Boyd hit a walkoff single in the 11th inning to give Clemson a 4-3 win. In the 2009 regular season at Boshamer Stadium, Clemson won the series-opener 5-4 in 10 innings before the Tar Heels won the final two games by scores of 5-2 and 9-8. North Carolina has won eight of the last 10 meetings.

The Tar Heels hold a 38-36 lead all-time in games played at North Carolina, while Clemson has a 76-59 advantage in ACC regular-season games. Jack Leggett has a 31-22 record against the Tar Heels as Clemson’s head coach, including a 13-8 record at Boshamer Stadium. He also has a 16-15 record against top-25 North Carolina teams and an 8-10 record against top-10 Tar Heel squads. Leggett was 0-3 against the Tar Heels as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he has a 31-25 all-time record against North Carolina.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, North Carolina will start senior righthander Patrick Johnson (5-0, 2.58 ERA) on the mound. The Conover, NC native has made six starts for a total of 38.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 37 hits (.253 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 33 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior righthander Scott Weismann (2-3, 6.52 ERA) on Friday. The Boxborough, MA native has made six starts for a total of 29.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 37 hits (.316 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 16 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Tar Heels will send out freshman lefthander Kent Emanuel (4-1, 2.04 ERA) on the mound. The Woodstock, GA native has made five starts and two relief appearances for a total of 35.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 21 hits (.171 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 36 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore righty Dominic Leone (0-1, 7.00 ERA) on Saturday. The Norwich, CT native has made three relief appearances and two starts for a total of 9.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 10 hits (.303 opponents’ batting average) and five walks with 11 strikeouts.

North Carolina’s starting pitcher for game-three has yet to be determined.

The Tigers will start sophomore righthander Scott Firth (2-0, 3.10 ERA) on Sunday. The Buffalo Grove, IL native has made four relief appearances and two starts for a total of 20.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 15 hits (.197 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks with 13 strikeouts.

The Tar Heels North Carolina, led by 13th-year Head Coach Mike Fox and ranked as high as #6 in the nation, enters the series against #16 Clemson with a 23-4 overall record and 7-2 ACC mark after falling at Charlotte 4-3 on Tuesday. Prior to that loss, the Tar Heels had won nine games in a row. North Carolina, who has won six ACC games in a row, sports a 15-1 home record in 2011.

North Carolina is averaging 8.0 runs per game and hitting .308 with a .468 slugging percentage and .409 on-base percentage thanks to 149 walks and 22 hit-by-pitches against only 153 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 58 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs, and 39 stolen bases.

Freshman Colin Moran leads the team with a .362 batting average along with nine doubles, two triples, five homers, 35 RBIs, and a .492 on-base percentage. Jesse Wierzbicki is batting .358 with five homers and 24 RBIs, while Tommy Coyle is hitting .357 with 10 doubles, 21 RBIs, and a team-high 10 stolen bases.

The pitching staff has a 3.17 ERA and .226 opponents’ batting average along with 254 strikeouts against 90 walks in 244.0 innings pitched. Sophomore righthander Cody Penny has five of the team’s eight saves and 15 strikeouts in 12.0 innings pitched over 12 relief appearances. North Carolina is fielding at a .980 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #16 in the nation, enters the series at #6 North Carolina with a 14-9 overall record and 4-5 ACC mark after defeating Georgia 11-5 at home on Tuesday night. The Tigers, who are also coming off one win in three games at N.C. State last weekend, sport a 1-3 record on opponents’ home fields in 2011.

The Tigers are averaging 7.7 runs per game and hitting .318 with a .452 slugging percentage and .421 on-base percentage thanks to 128 walks and 25 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 46 doubles, six triples, 15 homers, and 34 stolen bases.

Jeff Schaus has a team-high nine doubles and Chris Epps has a team-high five home runs as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.59 ERA and .243 opponents’ batting average in 203.0 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 62 walks against 179 strikeouts, good for a 2.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Senior righty Alex Frederick has two saves and a .158 opponents’ batting average in 11 relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .961 clip as well.

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

Tigers Have Options With Kieboom & Pohl Clemson entered the season with two returning catchers who have both played in significant games behind the plate during their careers. Sophomore Spencer Kieboom and junior Phil Pohl posted pedestrian offensive numbers prior to the 2011 season, as they combined to go 42-for-190 (.221) in 105 combined games. But both have been at the top of the stats page in terms of batting average in the 2011 season.

Kieboom leads the ACC with a .458 batting average along with a .539 on-base percentage, while Pohl is second in the ACC with a .433 batting average along with eight doubles, two homers, and a .514 on-base percentage. Therefore, the two have combined to go 53-for-119 (.445) in 38 games this season.

Head Coach Brad Miller, who had been injured and can only hit (and not play in the field) due to his finger injury, the Tiger shortstop has been used as the starting DH of late. Therefore, Pohl has seen action in right field, where he made his first career start against Georgia on March 29, and can also play first base if called upon.

Leggett Tied For 18th on All-Time NCAA Wins ListJack Leggett has 1,160 career wins in 32 seasons as a head coach. That victory total is tied for 18th on the all-time NCAA Division I list. He is tied with Jack Coffey (Fordham), who is also 18th on the list with 1,160 wins. Leggett is one victory 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.

Seven-Run Sixth Propels Tigers Over Georgia Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 29. Georgia led 4-1 before Chris Epps hit a solo homer in the fifth inning. Then in the sixth inning, Clemson took advantage of five walks, a hit-by-pitch, and Shaffer’s first career grand slam to take a five-run lead. Shaffer led Clemson’s 11-hit attack by going 2-for-4 with a grand slam, three runs, a walk, and steal. Epps went 2-for-2 with a homer, two RBIs, three runs, and two walks. Tiger batters combined for 10 walks against only two strikeouts. Will Lamb in relief.