Clemson Baseball Team to Play Host to Western Carolina Tuesday, South Carolina Wednesday

April 15, 2008

Clemson vs. Western Carolina & South Carolina Clemson (18-17) will host Western Carolina (16-18) on Tuesday and #10 South Carolina (25-10) on Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch for both games is scheduled for 7:15 PM.

Tuesday’s game against Western Carolina will be broadcast live on the radio by WCCP (104.9 FM) out of Clemson and can be heard live on the internet at www.clemsontigers.com for both games.

The Series (Western Carolina) Clemson and Western Carolina have met 60 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 49-11 lead in the series that dates back to 1974.

The two teams split the two meetings in 2007, as the Catamounts won 6-3 at Cullowhee, NC on March 20 in the first game, while the Tigers were victorious 15-6 in the return trip eight days later. The two teams also split two games in 2006, while Clemson defeated Western Carolina twice in 2005. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1978.

The Tigers lead 36-2 in games played at Clemson, all of which have been played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson’s two losses came in the first game of the series, a 4-3 Catamount win on March 13, 1974, and the April 4, 2006 contest, an 8-6 Western Carolina victory. Clemson won 35 straight home games against the Catamounts between those two losses.

Doug Kingsmore Stadium. He was the head coach at Western Carolina from 1983-91 and won 302 games in nine years there. He was also 3-15 against the Tigers as the Catamount skipper.

The Series (South Carolina) Clemson and South Carolina have met 282 times on the diamond, with Clemson holding a 163-117-2 lead in the series dating back to 1899. South Carolina is Clemson’s most-played rival in history.

Earlier this season on March 1,2, the Gamecocks won both games of a home-and-home, weekend series. South Carolina won 10-1 at Sarge Frye Field behind a grand slam and five RBIs by shortstop Reese Havens. The Gamecocks then defeated the Tigers 5-1 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium the following day behind a 14-hit attack. On April 9, South Carolina hit four home runs to defeat the Tigers 7-1 at Sarge Frye Field.

In 2007, South Carolina won the first three meetings before Clemson won the final matchup by a score of 14-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. In the 2006 season, the Tigers won three of four meetings, while the two teams split the four-game season series in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

The Tigers hold a 92-40 lead over the Gamecocks in games played at Clemson and 45-23 advantage at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Leggett was also 3-8 against the Gamecocks as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 31-34 all-time against South Carolina.

Bradley & Price Awards to Be Given After Wednesday’s game against South Carolina, Clemson’s MVP of the four-game series will be given the Bob Bradley Award in a ceremony at home plate. Also, South Carolina’s MVP will be given the Tom Price Award. Both Bradley and Price served as Baseball SIDs at their respective schools for decades. Bradley passed away in 2000, while Price passed away on February 1, 2008.

Alex Lee has been Clemson’s top hitter in the season series, as he is 4-for-7 (.571) with a .700 on-base percentage. Wilson Boyd, who won the Bob Bradley Award last year, is 5-for-12 (.417) with a double as well.

South Carolina has been paced by Justin Smoak, who is 7-for-13 (.538) with six runs scored, two doubles, two homers, and three RBIs in three games. Reese Havens is 5-for-11 (.455) with one homer and six RBIs, while James Darnell has added two home runs and six RBIs.

The Starting Pitchers (Western Carolina) Western Carolina has yet to determine its starting pitcher.

The Tigers will start freshman lefthander Casey Harman (0-4, 3.33 ERA) on Tuesday. The South Burlington, VT native has made one start and 15 relief appearances for a total of 27.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 26 hits (.243 opponents’ batting average) and four walks with 27 strikeouts.

The Starting Pitchers (South Carolina) Both South Carolina and Clemson have yet to determine their starting pitchers.

The Catamounts Western Carolina, led by first-year Head Coach Bobby Moranda, enters Tuesday’s game at Clemson with a 16-18 overall record and 6-6 Southern Conference mark after losing twice in three games at Elon over the weekend. However, the Catamounts, who are 3-12 on opponents’ home fields, have won 10 of their last 14 games after starting the season 6-14.

The Catamounts are averaging 9.0 runs per game and hitting .320 with a .529 slugging percentage and .430 on-base percentage. The team has hit 75 doubles, six triples, and 55 home runs, and it has totaled 185 walks and 63 hit-by-pitches. Western Carolina has also stolen 74 bases in 90 attempts, including 15 in 18 tries by Blake Murphy.

Murphy is the team’s leading run producer, as he has totaled 12 doubles, 13 homers, and 44 RBIs along with a .333 batting average and .516 on-base percentage thanks to 31 walks and 12 hit-by-pitches. Brent Greer is hitting .407 with a .506 on-base percentage and Nick Liles is hitting .361 with 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts.

The pitching staff has a 6.91 ERA and .299 opponents’ batting average along with 251 strikeouts against 151 walks in 295.2 innings pitched. Sophomore lefty Chris Masters has two saves and 41 strikeouts in 37.0 innings pitched over 16 appearances (one start) this year. The team is fielding at a .945 clip as well.

The Gamecocks South Carolina, led by 12th-year Head Coach Ray Tanner, enters this week’s action with a 25-10 overall record and 9-6 SEC mark after sweeping Auburn on the road over the weekend. The Gamecocks, who are ranked as high as #10 in the nation and will play host to South Carolina-Upstate on Tuesday night, have a 7-5 road record.

The Gamecocks are averaging 7.4 runs per game and hitting .306 with a .514 slugging percentage and .400 on-base percentage. The team, who has totaled 63 home runs, is 23-0 when it scores five or more runs and 2-10 when it scores less than five runs. The Gamecocks, who have stolen 17 bases in 30 attempts, are also 21-0 when they outhit the opponents, while they are 1-9 when the opponent totals more hits than them.

Reese Havens is hitting .381 with 11 homers, 39 RBIs, and a .508 on-base percentage, while Justin Smoak is hitting .362 with 10 homers, 29 RBIs, and a .497 on-base percentage. James Darnell has added 12 home runs and 48 RBIs, while Phil Disher has totaled 12 homers and 35 RBIs. Therefore, the quartet has accumulated 45 home runs and 151 RBIs in 35 games in 2008.

The pitching staff has a 3.88 ERA and .251 opponents’ batting average along with 289 strikeouts against 124 walks in 318.0 innings pitched. Senior righthander Brandon Todd has four saves and 19 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched over 11 relief appearances. South Carolina is fielding at a .977 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters this week’s action with an 18-17 overall record and 6-12 ACC mark after being swept by #4 North Carolina at home over the weekend. The Tigers have a 14-8 home record.

The Tigers are hitting .281 with a .370 on-base percentage. Ben Paulsen is hitting a team-best .333 with 10 doubles, 10 homers, and 28 RBIs, while Mike Freeman is hitting .330. Doug Hogan has added 12 doubles, nine homers, and 37 RBIs as well.

The pitching staff has a 4.70 ERA and .272 opponents’ batting average. Justin Sarratt has a 3.12 ERA and has allowed just two walks in 26.0 innings pitched in 14 relief appearances. Matt Vaughn also has eight saves. Clemson is fielding at a .963 clip as well.

Eight Tigers hail from the state of North Carolina, including Wilson Boyd (Hickory), John Hinson (Asheville), Addison Johnson (Pfafftown), Alex Martin (Charlotte), D.J. Mitchell (Rural Hall), Trent Rothlin (Hickory), Josh Thrailkill (Arden).

Johnson To Miss 2008 Season Sophomore centerfielder Addison Johnson (Pfafftown, NC) will miss the rest of the season, announced on April 14 by Head Coach Jack Leggett. Johnson suffered a hamstring injury just prior to the start of the 2008 season. Then in late February, he suffered a hand injury that has kept him out of action since. Johnson, who has not played in a game in 2008, will receive a red-shirt this year and return in 2009 as a red-shirt sophomore.

Johnson, slated to be Clemson’s leadoff batter this season, hit .286 with 35 runs scored, eight doubles, five triples, one homer, 23 RBIs, and eight steals in 61 games (58 starts) as a freshman on the 2007 team that played in the Starkville (MS) Super Regional. He hit .309 in ACC regular-season games and was one of the hottest Tigers in postseason play, as he hit .471 in five NCAA Tournament games.

Tar Heels Hand Clemson Series Sweep North Carolina, ranked #4 in the nation, swept Clemson by a combined score of 20-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium from April 11-13. The Tar Heels outhit the Tigers .339 to .213 and totaled 10 extra-base hits to Clemson’s four. The Tigers were just 4-for-28 (.143) with runners in scoring position, while the Tar Heels hit .429 with two outs. North Carolina’s pitching staff had a 2.67 ERA, as they stranded 30 Tigers on base in the three games. Wilson Boyd added four hits.

In game-one on April 11, three Tar Heel pitchers limited Clemson to five hits in North Carolina’s 8-2 victory at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The final three innings of the game were completed on April 12 after inclement weather halted play on April 11. Dustin Ackley’s three-run homer in the sixth inning gave North Carolina a comfortable cushion. Four other Tar Heels had two hits apiece to lead their 10-hit attack. Jeff Schaus led the Tigers with two hits and an RBI. Starter Alex White pitched 5.2 scoreless innings of one-hit ball to earn the win. Four Clemson pitchers combined to walk 11 batters.

In game-two on April 12, Kyle Seager hit two homers with four RBIs to lead North Carolina to a 4-3 victory over Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Seager hit a three-run homer in the first inning after a costly Tiger error, then he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Clemson scored two runs in the first inning, highlighted by Boyd’s run-scoring double. Trailing 4-3 in the seventh inning, the Tigers had runners at the corners with no outs. But Clemson left the bases loaded after failing to bring home the tying run. The Tigers also had two at-bats with the tying run on second base in the ninth inning, but they came up emtpy both times. Clemson left 10 runners on base and was 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

In game-three on April 13, North Carolina pounded out 18 hits in its 8-4 victory over Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by Kyle Parker’s two-out, run-scoring double. Then with the Tar Heels ahead 5-4, they scored three runs in the eighth inning after the first two batters of the frame were retired. Clemson left the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings, as the Tigers stranded 11 runners on base in the game. Every Tar Heel starter had at least one hit, while Freeman and Boyd paced the Tigers with two hits apiece. Six North Carolina pitchers combined to walk eight batters, but the Tar Heels did not allow a run after the third inning.