CLEMSON BASEBALL WEEKLY WRAPUP

May 13, 2012

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 30-20 ACC Regular-Season Record: 15-10

Last Week: 2-1 Mon. L, Home vs. College of Charleston, 4-2 Tue. W, Home vs. Tennessee Tech, 9-8 (10 Innings) Sat. W, Home vs. #1 Florida State, 7-2

Next Week Mon. Home vs. Florida State, 1:00 PM (Game 1) (ESPN3) Mon. Home vs. Florida State, 6:00 PM (Game 2) (ESPNU) Tue. Home vs. Furman, 6:30 PM Thu. Away vs. Wake Forest, 6:00 PM Fri. Away vs. Wake Forest, 6:00 PM Sat. Away vs. Wake Forest, 1:00 PM

Last Week’s Game Notes Clemson went 2-1 in three games, all at home, this past week. The Tigers fell to College of Charleston 4-2 on Monday before rallying for a 9-8 win over Tennessee Tech in 10 innings on Tuesday. Then on Saturday, the Tigers downed #1 Florida State 7-2. Sunday’s game against the Seminoles was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Monday.

On the week, the Tigers outscored their opposition 18-14 and batted .274 with a .425 slugging percentage and .347 on-base percentage. They also totaled four doubles, four homers, 11 walks, and two stolen bases. Clemson fielded at a .958 clip as well.

Steve Wilkerson led Clemson at the plate by going 6-for-12 with a double, two RBIs, three runs, and one steal in three games. Phil Pohl went 5-for-13 (.385) with a double and two RBIs, while Jason Stolz went 3-for-8 (.375) with two runs. Richie Shaffer added five hits, including two key homers, along with four RBIs and three runs.

The Tiger pitching staff had a 3.86 ERA and .288 opponents’ batting average on the week. The staff also allowed 32 hits and 12 walks with 21 strikeouts in 28.0 innings pitched.

In the series-finale against College of Charleston on May 7, the Cougars scored two runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good in their 4-2 win over Clemson. The win was the Cougars’ first in 24 all-time meetings against Clemson. The Tigers committed three costly errors that led to two unearned runs, which proved to be the difference in the game. Matt Pegler pitched 6.0 solid innings to earn the win, while Kyle Owings tossed 3.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball to record the save. Wilkerson and Pohl had two hits piece for Clemson, who were held to six hits in the contest.

Shaffer’s walkoff homer in the 10th inning lifted Clemson to a 9-8 victory over Tennessee Tech at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on May 8. The Golden Eagles scored five runs in the first inning and later built an 8-2 lead. Trailing 8-4, the Tigers plated four two-out runs in the seventh inning to tie the score. Pinch-hitter Joe Costigan hit a two-run single, then Clemson added two more runs on one wild pitch in the seventh. With one out in the 10th inning, Shaffer crushed the first pitch deep over the fence in left field for Clemson’s first walkoff homer since 2009. Tennessee Tech outhit Clemson 17-14. David Haselden pitched 6.0 scoreless innings in relief of five-hit ball to earn the win.

In the first game of the series against #1 Florida State at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on May 12, Clemson hit three home runs in its 7-2 win. It was the Tigers’ first-ever win over a top-ranked team at home. Trailing 2-0, Brad Felder lined a solo homer in the fifth inning. Shaffer tied the score with another solo homer in the sixth inning, then Spencer Kieboom untied the score with a two-out, three-run homer later in the frame. Pohl added a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning. Daniel Gossett tossed 4.0 scoreless innings of two-hit ball to earn the win. Florida State put 19 batters on base thanks in large part to seven hits, eight walks, and three hit-by-pitches, but only scored two runs and left 14 runners on base.

2012 Season Notes Clemson has a 30-20 overall record and 15-10 ACC mark on the season. The Tigers are in third place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings behind Florida State (21-4) and N.C. State (18-9). Clemson is in fourth place in the overall ACC standings, only percentage points ahead of fifth-place Virginia (16-11). Miami (FL) (14-13), Georgia Tech (11-16), and Virginia Tech (11-16) round out the top eight in the overall ACC standings. North Carolina leads the ACC Coastal Division with a 19-8 league mark.

With the Tigers’ win on Saturday, they clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament. The victory also meant that Clemson’s seed in the ACC Tournament will be either #3, #4, #5, or #6.

The Tigers’ RPI has also risen in recent weeks. It stands at #21 in the nation (according to WarrenNolan.com) thanks in large part to a #7 strength of schedule.

The Tigers, who are averaging 5.9 runs per game, are hitting .278 with a .395 slugging percentage and .365 on-base percentage thanks to 215 walks and 40 hit-by-pitches in 2012. The team has also totaled 77 doubles, 14 triples, 34 homers, and 46 stolen bases. Clemson is fielding at a .972 clip as well.

Richie Shaffer leads the team with a .349 batting average, 15 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 43 RBIs, 40 runs, 47 walks, a .477 on-base percentage, and six steals. Shaffer has also reached base via a hit or walk in 28 consecutive games.

Steve Wilkerson, who is riding a 12-game hitting streak, is batting .329 with 27 RBIs and a team-high 44 runs, while Thomas Brittle is hitting .322 with six doubles, seven triples, two homers, and 33 RBIs. Brittle’s 22-game hitting streak came to an end on Saturday. It tied for the eighth-longest streak in school history.

The pitching staff has a 3.78 ERA and .268 opponents’ batting average in 460.0 innings pitched this season. It has allowed 469 hits and 186 walks with 383 strikeouts, good for a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Kevin Brady leads the rotation with a 2.64 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 58.0 innings pitched over 11 starts. However, Brady has been out of action since late April due to injury. Kevin Pohle is 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA, while Dominic Leone and Daniel Gossett are tied for the team lead with six wins apiece. Scott Firth has a 4-0 record, 2.03 ERA, and one save in 40.0 innings pitched over 18 relief outings.

Clemson will conclude the regular season with six games next week. The Tigers will finish the three-game series against Florida State with a doubleheader on Monday, then they will host Furman on Tuesday night in their last regular-season home game of the season. The Tigers will wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at Wake Forest from Thursday to Saturday.