CLEMSON BASEBALL WEEKLY WRAPUP

May 7, 2012

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 28-19 ACC Regular-Season Record: 14-10

Last Week: 2-0 Sat. W, Home vs. College of Charleston, 4-3 (11 Innings) Sun. W, Home vs. College of Charleston, 12-3

Next Week Mon. Home vs. College of Charleston, 4:00 PM Tue. Home vs. Tennessee Tech, 6:30 PM Sat. Home vs. Florida State, 6:30 PM (ESPN3) Sun. Home vs. Florida State, 6:30 PM (ESPN3)

Last Week’s Game Notes Clemson went 2-0 in two games this past week. The Tigers won the first two games of the three-game series over College of Charleston at home. The Tigers were off from Monday to Friday for final exams.

On the week, the Tigers outscored their opposition 16-6 and batted .243 with a .329 slugging percentage and .391 on-base percentage. They also totaled two doubles, two triples, no homers, 12 walks, and three stolen bases. Clemson fielded at a 1.000 clip as well.

Brad Felder led Clemson at the plate by going 3-for-6 with two RBIs, two runs, three walks, and two steals. Thomas Brittle went 4-for-10 with a triple, three RBIs, and three runs, while Richie Shaffer was 3-for-8 with a double, RBI, and two runs.

The Tiger pitching staff had a 2.70 ERA and .236 opponents’ batting average on the week. The staff also allowed 17 hits and four walks with 18 strikeouts in 20.0 innings pitched.

In game-one on May 5, Steve Wilkerson scored on a wild pitch in the 11th inning to give Clemson a 4-3 walkoff win over College of Charleston. The Tigers scored two runs on Jon McGibbon’s two-out single in the first inning. Clemson went hitless and scoreless from the third inning through the 10th inning. Daniel Aldrich’s third double of the game scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Felder blooped a one-out single and scored the tying run on Brittle’s two-out single to left field. Daniel Gossett struck out eight batters in 4.1 innings pitched to earn the victory.

In game-two on May 6, Clemson scored eight runs in the seventh inning to pull away for a 12-3 win over College of Charleston. The Tigers scored two runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-0 lead, then they plated eight runs on seven hits in the seventh inning to take a 12-0 lead. Brittle and Shaffer had three hits apiece to pace Clemson’s 13-hit attack. Every Tiger starter scored at least one run as well. Kevin Pohle tossed 7.0 scoreless innings of six-hit ball with five strikeouts against only one walk to earn the win, while Clay Bates retired all six batters he faced to close out the game.

2012 Season Notes Clemson has a 28-19 overall record and 14-10 ACC mark on the season. The Tigers are still in third place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings behind Florida State (21-2) and N.C. State (16-8). Clemson is tied for fourth place in the overall ACC standings with Virginia, while Miami (FL) (12-12), Georgia Tech (10-14), and Virginia Tech (10-14) round out the top eight in the overall ACC standings. North Carolina leads the ACC Coastal Division with a 16-8 league mark.

Clemson can finish no worse than ninth in the overall ACC standings and as high as second. However, Clemson’s highest possible ACC Tournament seed is #3. The Tigers’ RPI has also risen in recent weeks. It stands at #23 in the nation (according to WarrenNolan.com) thanks in large part to a #9 strength of schedule.

The Tigers, who are averaging 5.9 runs per game, are hitting .278 with a .393 slugging percentage and .366 on-base percentage thanks to 204 walks and 39 hit-by-pitches in 2012. The team has also totaled 73 doubles, 14 triples, 30 homers, and 44 stolen bases. Clemson is fielding at a .973 clip thanks in large part to committing only four errors in the last 10 games.

Richie Shaffer leads the team with a .349 batting average, 15 doubles, two triples, eight homers, 39 RBIs, 37 runs, 47 walks, a .484 on-base percentage, and five steals. Shaffer has reached base via a hit or walk in 25 consecutive games.

Thomas Brittle is hitting .331 with six doubles, seven triples, two homers, 32 RBIs, eight steals, and is riding an 20-game hitting streak. The seven triples are tied for eighth-most in a season in Tiger history and the most by a Tiger since 2000. His 20-game hitting streak is the 20th of 20 games or more in Clemson history, while he became the 19th Tiger in history with a hitting streak of at least 20 games.

Jon McGibbon is on a 10-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in each of the last 20 games, giving Clemson three players with on-base streaks of 20 games or more entering Monday’s contest.

The pitching staff has a 3.77 ERA and .266 opponents’ batting average in 432.0 innings pitched this season. It has allowed 437 hits and 174 walks with 362 strikeouts, good for a 2.08 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 will be out of action until at least mid-May due to injury. Kevin Pohle is 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA, while Dominic Leone leads the team with six victories.

Mike Kent has a team-best 2.16 ERA and 19 strikeouts against only seven walks in 33.1 innings pitched over 16 relief appearances, while Scott Firth has a 2.23 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched over 17 relief outings.

Clemson will conclude its three-game series against College of Charleston on Monday afternoon before hosting Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night. Then starting Saturday night, the Tigers will host Florida State in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.