Clemson Baseball Team to Play Host to Fifth-Ranked Miami This Weekend

April 10, 2009

Clemson vs. Miami (FL) Clemson (21-11, 9-6 ACC), ranked as high as #20 in the nation, will host #5 Miami (FL) (24-8, 10-5 ACC) in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. Game times are 6:30 PM (Friday), 6:30 PM (Saturday), and 12:00 PM (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday games will be available live via webcast at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.

Watch Friday’s Game Live on ACC Select! | Watch Saturday’s Game Live on ACC Select!

The Series Clemson and Miami have met 50 times, with the Hurricanes holding a 27-22-1 lead in the series dating back to the 1977 season. Only 12 of the previous 50 meetings have taken place in Tigertown.

In 2008 at Mark Light Field, the Hurricanes swept the Tigers, including a one-run and two-run win. Miami won two of three games over the Tigers at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2007 before Clemson downed Miami 5-4 in the ACC Tournament.

The Tigers hold a 7-5 lead in games played at Clemson and Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers also hold a 7-5 lead in ACC regular-season games. Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, Miami will start sophomore lefthander Chris Hernandez (3-2, 5.80 ERA) on the mound. The Miami, FL native has made seven starts for a total of 40.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 42 hits (.273 opponents’ batting average) and 14 walks with 47 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore lefty Casey Harman (3-2, 3.82 ERA) on Friday. The South Burlington, VT native has made eight relief appearances and four starts (35.1 innings pitched). He has allowed 39 hits (.281 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 35 strikeouts.

In game-two, Miami will start junior righty David Gutierrez (2-3, 2.48 ERA) on the mound. The Miami, FL native has made seven starts for a total of 36.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 30 hits (.227 opponents’ batting average) and 17 walks with 26 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with freshman lefty Chris Dwyer (3-2, 5.21 ERA) on Saturday. The Swampscott, MA native has made eight starts for a total of 38.0 innings pitched. He has given up 33 hits (.237 opponents’ batting average) and 14 walks with 36 strikeouts.

In game-three, Miami will start sophomore lefty Iden Nazario (4-0, 5.40 ERA) on the mound. The Miami, FL native has made seven starts for a total of 35.0 innings pitched. He has given up 34 hits (.254 opponents’ batting average and 18 walks with 42 strikeouts.

Clemson’s starter for game-three on Sunday has yet to be determined.

The Hurricanes Miami (FL), led by 16th-year Head Coach Jim Morris, enters the series at #20 Clemson with a 24-8 overall record and 10-5 ACC mark after topping Florida Atlantic 8-7 at home on Tuesday night. The Hurricanes are also coming off two wins in three games at home against Florida State last weekend. Miami, who has played just one ACC road series this season, is 6-1 on the road as well.

Miami is averaging 7.5 runs per game and hitting .301 with a .478 slugging percentage and .408 on-base percentage. The team has also totaled 67 doubles, five triples, 36 home runs, 167 walks, 30 sacrifice bunts, and 31 steals in 52 attempts.

Scott Lawson is hitting .354 with 13 doubles and a .480 on-base percentage thanks to 27 walks against only nine strikeouts. Jason Hagerty is batting .333 with six homers and 33 RBIs along with a .492 on-base percentage, while Yasmani Grandal has a team-high nine home runs and 23 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 4.23 ERA and .233 opponents’ batting average along with 283 strikeouts against 108 walks in 285.0 innings pitched. Junior righthander Kyle Bellamy has a 3-0 record, nine saves, and 1.52 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched over 16 relief appearances. He has also totaled 41 strikeouts and has allowed just one extra-base hit, as he has a .167 opponents’ batting average. The Hurricanes are fielding at a .959 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #20 in the nation, enters the series against #5 Miami (FL) with a 21-11 overall record and 9-6 ACC mark after splitting a home-and-home midweek series against South Carolina. The Tigers also defeated Duke twice in three games at home last weekend. Clemson sports a 16-4 home record as well.

The Tigers are averaging 6.4 runs per game and hitting .286 with a .431 slugging percentage and .380 on-base percentage. Clemson has also totaled 55 doubles, seven triples, 30 homers, and 40 stolen bases in 52 attempts.

Ben Paulsen is hitting a team-best .384 with 11 doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 33 RBIs. Mike Freeman is batting .313 with a .433 on-base percentage along with eight steals. Kyle Parker has added five homers and 26 RBIs in 29 games.

The pitching staff has a 3.65 ERA and .245 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 88 walks against 271 strikeouts, good for a 3.1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Tomas Cruz has a 2-1 record, two saves, and a 2.36 ERA in 13 relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .967 clip as well.

Parker Shining Against ACC Competition Sophomore outfielder Kyle Parker (Jacksonville, FL) is hitting .275 with five homers, 26 RBIs, and a .450 slugging percentage in 29 games this season. But in his 12 ACC regular-season games, he is hitting .375 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, and a .646 slugging percentage.

That trend is similar to his numbers as a freshman in 2008, when he hit .303 with 14 homers, 50 RBIs, and a .559 slugging percentage overall. But in ACC regular-season games, he hit .336 with 10 homers, 34 RBIs, and a .673 slugging percentage. Therefore, 14 of his 19 career home runs (74 percent) have come in ACC regular-season games even though only 41 of his 86 career games (48 percent) have been against ACC competition.

Tigers & Gamecocks Split Midweek Series Clemson, ranked #20 in the nation, split a home-and-home midweek series against South Carolina on April 7,8. Clemson outscored the Gamecocks by a combined score of 13-12 and outhit them .242 to .239. Ben Paulsen added two doubles and two RBIs.

DeAngelo Mack’s two-run single in the ninth inning lifted South Carolina to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over Clemson at Carolina Stadium on April 7. The Tigers took a 6-5 lead with two outs in the seventh inning on Tomas Cruz pitched 4.0 stellar innings in relief, allowing just one hit, one run, and no walks with five strikeouts.

Chris Epps’ pinch-hit, run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth inning gave Clemson a lead it never relinquished in its 7-5 win over South Carolina at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 8. The Tigers scored three runs in the third inning, highlighted by Addison Johnson’s two-run homer. Clemson then scored three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. Parker went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, while Wilson Boyd added two RBIs. Relievers Matt Vaughn, Craig Gullickson, and Graham Stoneburner combined to pitch the final 6.0 innings, allowing just four hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Vaughn earned the win, while Stoneburner recorded his first career save.