Clemson Baseball Team to Play Host to Boston College this Weekend

March 14, 2008

Clemson vs. Boston College Clemson (9-4, 1-2 ACC), ranked as high as #24 in the nation, will play host to Boston College (6-7, 0-3 ACC) this weekend in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Game times are 4:00 (Friday), 2:00 (Saturday), and 1:00 (Sunday). The Saturday game will be shown live via webcast at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.

Watch Saturday’s Clemson vs. Boston College Game Live on ACC Select!

The Series Clemson and Boston College have met six times on the diamond, as all six have been played in the last two years since the Eagles joined the ACC. Clemson won two of three games in each series the past two seasons.

In 2006 at Chestnut Hill, MA, Clemson won the first and last games by scores of 6-3 and 4-1, respectively, while the Eagles won game-two by a score of 3-2. In 2007 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers also won the first and third games by scores of 4-3 and 7-6, respectively, while Boston College won game-two by a score of 8-6. All six previous matchups have been decided by three runs or less and three have been decided by a single run.

Jack Leggett was 1-1 against the Eagles as Vermont’s head coach, meaning he has a 5-3 record against them in his career.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, Boston College will start senior righthander Terry Doyle (1-1, 8.05 ERA) on the mound. The Warwick, RI native has made three starts for a total of 19.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 27 hits (.338 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 23 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior lefthander Ryan Hinson (1-2, 6.60 ERA) on Friday. The Rock Hill, SC native has made three starts for a total of 15.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 20 hits (.328 opponents’ batting average) and six walks with 13 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Eagles will send out junior righthander Dan Houston (1-1, 9.45 ERA) on the mound. The Palm Beach Gardens, FL native has made three starts for a total of 13.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 25 hits (.397 opponents’ batting average) and five walks with 16 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with junior righthander D.J. Mitchell (1-2, 4.50 ERA) on Saturday. The Rural Hall, NC native has made three starts and one relief appearance for a total of 18.0 innings pitched. He has yielded 18 hits (.261 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 18 strikeouts.

In game-three, Boston College will start junior righty James MacDonald (2-1, 2.04 ERA) on the mound. The Danvers, MA native has made two starts and one relief appearance for a total of 17.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 17 hits (.270 opponents’ batting average) and seven walks with eight strikeouts. He has also not allowed a home run this season.

The Tigers will counter with freshman righthander Graham Stoneburner (2-0, 4.80 ERA) on Sunday. The Richmond, VA native has made three starts and one relief appearance for a total of 15.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 16 hits (.281 opponents’ batting average) and four walks with nine strikeouts.

The Eagles Boston College, led by second-year Head Coach Mik Aoki, enters the series against #24 Clemson with a 6-7 overall record and 0-3 ACC mark after being swept at #6 Miami (FL) last weekend. The Eagles, who have yet to play a home game, have played all their games in the states of Georgia and Florida. They have a 4-5 record on opponents’ home fields as well.

The Eagles are averaging 8.0 runs per game and hitting .300 with a .396 on-base percentage thanks to 59 walks and 20 hit-by-pitches. The team has also totaled 25 doubles and 22 home runs in 13 games.

Barry Buters leads the team with a .421 batting average along with four homers, 16 RBIs, and four stolen bases. Matt Hamlet is hitting .400 and Eric Campbell has hit four home runs along with 13 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 7.64 ERA and .335 opponents’ batting average along with 117 strikeouts and 64 walks in 114.1 innings pitched. Lefthander Michael Belfiore, who is hitting .304 at the plate, has the team’s lone save. The Eagles are fielding at a .972 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters the series against Boston College with a 9-4 overall record and 1-2 ACC mark after winning two one-run games over North Carolina-Greensboro on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Tigers also fell twice in three games at Wake Forest last weekend. Clemson, who is 7-1 at home and 5-0 in one-run games, brings a #24 national ranking into the weekend series as well.

The Tigers are hitting .321 with a .403 on-base percentage and .529 slugging percentage thanks to 22 home runs in 13 games. Kyle Parker leads the team with a .400 batting average along with four homers and nine RBIs. Ben Paulsen is hitting .395 with five homers and 11 RBIs, while Wilson Boyd is hitting .351 with five homers and 16 RBIs along with a current 11-game hitting streak.

The pitching staff has a 5.45 ERA and .290 opponents’ batting average. Righthander Matt Vaughn has struck out 13 against just two walks in 7.2 innings pitched and has five saves in seven relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .964 clip as well.

Closing Suiting Vaughn Well Junior righthander Matt Vaughn (Summerville, SC) served as a middle reliever and spot starter during his first two seasons at Clemson. But this season, he has become the Tigers’ closer, and he has done the job every time his number has been called.

Vaughn, who has a 4.70 ERA in seven relief appearances, has five saves in 2008. In 7.2 innings pitched, the team co-captain has allowed eight hits (.276 opponents’ batting average) and two walks with 13 strikeouts. Therefore, he has a 15.3 strikeout-per-nine-innings-pitched mark.

Tigers Win Two Close Games Over Spartans Clemson, ranked #24 in the nation, won two one-run games against North Carolina-Greensboro at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 11,12. The Tigers outscored the Spartans 17-15 and outhit them .313 to .310. Kyle Parker, Mike Freeman, and Stan Widmann added three hits apiece.

In game-one on March 11, Clemson built an 11-0 lead through six innings and held on for an 11-10 win over North Carolina-Greensboro at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Paulsen hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Freeman hit a grand slam, his first career home run, in the sixth inning. But the Spartans scored six runs in the seventh inning and four runs in the ninth inning. They had the tying run on first base before Matt Vaughn struck out Tim Carrier to end the game and earn the save. Clemson’s 4-7 hitters (Paulsen, Parker, Jeff Schaus, Freeman) combined for 11 hits and eight RBIs, including five by Freeman. The win marked the first time since 1950 that Clemson allowed double-digit runs in back-to-back games and still won both contests.

In game-two on March 12, Clemson scored four runs in the ninth inning to defeat North Carolina-Greensboro 6-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers trailed 5-2 entering the ninth inning before Paulsen led off with a home run. Three walks loaded the bases, then Widmann hit a two-out, two-run single to left field to tie the score. The errant throw to the plate allowed Alex Lee to score the winning run. John Nester added a solo home run in the eighth inning. The Spartans outhit the Tigers 9-6, but four Spartan pitchers combined for seven walks. Matt Zoltak picked up the win in relief with a perfect ninth inning.