Clemson Baseball Weekly Wrapup

April 20, 2009

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 26-14 ACC Regular-Season Record: 12-9

Last Week: 3-2 Tue. W, Away vs. Western Carolina, 11-1 Wed. W, Home vs. Western Carolina, 13-2 Fri. L, Away vs. Virginia Tech, 5-2 Sat. L, Away vs. Virginia Tech, 7-3 Sun. W, Away vs. Virginia Tech, 8-1

Next Week Tue. Home vs. Coastal Carolina, 6:30 PM Wed. Away vs. South Carolina, 7:00 PM Fri. Home vs. Georgia Tech, 6:30 PM Sat. Home vs. Georgia Tech, 6:30 PM Sun. Home vs. Georgia Tech, 1:00 PM

Notes Clemson, ranked as high as #18 in the nation, went 3-2 in five games this past week, which included two wins in a home-and-home, midweek series against Western Carolina and one win in three games at Virginia Tech over the weekend.

In the series against Western Carolina on April 14,15, Clemson outscored the Catamounts by a combined score of 24-3 and outhit them .368 to .206. Kyle Parker went 7-for-8 with a homer, six RBIs, and five runs, Ben Paulsen added four hits, and Wilson Boyd totaled three hits and six RBIs. The Tiger pitching staff had a 1.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts against only three walks in the series as well.

Jeff Schaus, Paulsen, and Parker all totaled three hits apiece to lead Clemson to an 11-1 win over Western Carolina at Hennon Stadium on April 14. The Tigers’ 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 9-for-12 with seven runs, as Clemson accumulated 13 hits in all. Mike Freeman and Boyd added three RBIs apiece. Clemson broke the game open with three runs in the sixth inning and five runs in the seventh inning. Starter Graham Stoneburner pitched 7.0 innings, allowing five hits, one run, and two walks with 11 strikeouts to earn the win. Stoneburner, Kyle Deese, and Will Lamb also combined to strike out 16 batters.

Parker went 4-for-5 with a grand slam to lead Clemson to a 13-2 victory over Western Carolina at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 15. The Tigers totaled 15 hits, including four doubles and two homers. Clemson scored six runs in the first inning before the Catamounts recorded an out. Paulsen added a home run, Alex Frederick earned his first win as a Tiger by pitching 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in relief.

Virginia Tech won two of three games over Clemson at English Field from April 17-19. It was the Hokies’ first series win over Clemson since they joined the league in 2005. The two teams both scored 13 runs, while Virginia Tech outhit the Tigers .350 to .255. Paulsen went 4-for-9, while Freeman added five hits. The Clemson pitching staff had a 4.32 ERA and 23 strikeouts against 12 walks as well.

In game-one on April 17, Rhett Ballard pitched 7.0 strong innings to lead Virginia Tech to a 5-2 win over Clemson. The Hokies’ win snapped Clemson’s 11-game winning streak in the series. Ballard earned the win by allowing just five hits, two runs, and four walks with seven strikeouts. Sean McDermott pitched 2.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball to record the save. The Hokies took a 3-1 lead with two runs in the sixth inning and never trailed again. Virginia Tech outhit the Tigers 12-6. Mike Kaminski went 2-for-4 with a game-high two RBIs. Schaus had a team-high two hits, while Boyd hit a solo home run.

In game-two on April 18, Justin Wright pitched 8.0 solid innings to lead Virginia Tech to a 7-3 win over Clemson. Wright allowed just six hits, two runs (one earned), and two walks with five strikeouts to earn the win. He also retired the first 12 batters of the game. The Hokies scored two runs in the first inning and three runs in the third. The Tigers scored two runs in the ninth inning and had the potential tying run on deck, but they fell short. Anthony Sosnoskie and Steve Domecus each had three hits apiece for the Hokies, who outhit the Tigers 13-8. John Nester went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs for Clemson.

In game-three on April 19, Casey Harman pitched 6.0 scoreless innings to lead Clemson over Virginia Tech 8-1. Harman allowed just six hits, no runs, and no walks with five strikeouts to earn the win. Scott Weismann pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief with two strikeouts. The Tigers scored their first six runs with two outs, including three in the third inning and three in the fourth. Parker’s three-run homer in the third inning put the Tigers on the board. Freeman later added a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Freeman went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs for the Tigers, who outhit Virginia Tech 12-11.

During the week, the Tigers outscored their opposition 37-16 and hit .303 with a .478 slugging percentage and .395 on-base percentage. The pitching staff had a 3.14 ERA and .295 opponents’ batting average along with 48 strikeouts against 15 walks in 43.0 innings pitched.

Paulsen led the Tigers by going 8-for-18 (.444) with a double, homer, and three RBIs on the week. Parker went 8-for-19 (.421) with two homers and nine RBIs, while Schaus was 7-for-18 (.389) with a double and homer. On the mound, Harman piched 7.0 scoreless innings in two outings, while Frederick had two impressive reilef outings by pitching 5.0 scoreless innings.

The Tigers sport a 26-14 overall record and 12-9 ACC mark on the season, good for second place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings behind first-place Florida State (12-7). Clemson also has a 19-5 home record, 6-9 road record, and 1-0 neutral-site mark.

Clemson is hitting .293 with a .447 slugging percentage and .384 on-base percentage in 40 games. Paulsen is hitting a team-best .391 with 13 doubles, four triples, eight homers, and 42 RBIs, while Parker is hitting .304 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 3.69 ERA and .251 opponents’ batting average along with 341 strikeouts against 121 walks in 361.1 innings pitched. The Tigers are fielding at a .967 clip as well.

Harman is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA and 43 strikeouts against only eight walks in 44.1 innings pitched over 15 appearances (six starts). Stoneburner has 53 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched, while Chris Dwyer has 54 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched. Tomas Cruz has a team-high three saves, a 2.12 ERA, and .155 opponents’ batting average in 15 relief appearances.

The Tigers will return to action with a Tuesday home game against Coastal Carolina before traveling to Columbia to take on South Carolina for the fourth and final time during the regular season. Then over the weekend, the Tigers will host Georgia Tech, who is coming off a three-game sweep at Wake Forest, in a three-game series.