Clemson Baseball Weekly Wrapup

May 11, 2008

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 26-25-1 ACC Regular-Season Record: 11-18-1

Last Week: 2-3 Mon. L home vs. #3 Florida State, 4-2 Wed. W neutral (Greenville, SC (Fluor Field)) vs. Furman, 11-5 Fri. L away vs. #25 Georgia Tech, 5-1 Sat. L away vs. #25 Georgia Tech, 7-1 Sun. W away vs. #25 Georgia Tech, 16-6

Next Week Tue. Home vs. College of Charleston, 7:15 PM Thu. Away vs. Central Florida, 6:30 PM Fri. Away vs. Central Florida, 6:30 PM Sat. Away vs. Central Florida, 6:30 PM

Notes Clemson went 2-3 in five games this past week, which included four games against top-25 ranked teams and another game against a team that had won 13 straight conference games.

In game-three on May 5, Florida State edged Clemson 4-2 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Seminoles took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on Jack Rye’s two-run homer. Dennis Guinn added a solo home run in the seventh inning. Hogan’s two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning cut Florida State’s lead in half. But the Tigers could get no closer. Doug Hogan went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Stan Widmann added two hits. Buster Posey had a game-high three hits for the Seminoles, who outhit Clemson 12-9. Starter Geoff Parker scattered eight hits and allowed two runs in 7.2 innings pitched to earn the win. Tiger relievers Casey Harman and Ryan Hinson combined to allow just two hits and one run with six strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.

Clemson scored seven of its first eight runs with two outs on its way to an 11-5 victory over Furman at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC on May 7. The Tigers pounded out 15 hits and went 9-for-15 with two outs to defeat the Paladins for the second time in as many games in 2008. The Tigers trailed 3-0, but Matt Sanders’ two-out, two-run single enabled Clemson to tie the score 3-3 in the fourth inning. The Tigers scored in each of the next four innings and cruised to the win. Ben Paulsen went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, while Hogan went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, and two walks. Kyle Parker and Jeff Schaus added two hits apiece for the Tigers, who hit five doubles in the contest.

Georgia Tech, ranked #25 in the nation, won two of three games against Clemson at Russ Chandler Stadium from May 9-11. Both teams scored 18 runs in the series, while Georgia Tech outhit the Tigers .353 to .304. John Hinson went 5-for-8 (.625), Schaus went 6-for-13 (.462) with two doubles and four RBIs, and Mike Freeman went 6-for-14 (.429) with four runs scored. Tiger pitchers combined for 26 strikeouts against four walks. Clemson also committed just one error in the series.

In game-one on May 9, David Duncan pitched 8.0 strong innings to lead Georgia Tech to a 5-1 victory over Clemson. Duncan allowed six hits, one run, and no walks with five strikeouts to record the win. D.J. Mitchell pitched a complete game, as he tossed 8.0 innings, allowing 14 hits, four earned runs, and no walks with nine strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets scored three runs in the second inning after putting their first two batters on base. Parker hit an opposite-field home run in the sixth inning for the Tigers’ lone run. Parker and Freeman tallied two hits apiece. Charlie Blackmon and Tony Plagman had three hits apiece for Georgia Tech, who totaled 14 hits in the contest.

In game-two on May 10, Eddie Burns pitched 8.0 solid innings to lead Georiga Tech to a 7-1 win over Clemson. Burns yielded seven hits, one run, and no walks with three strikeouts to earn the victory. The Tigers had 11 baserunners, but they could only plate one run. The Yellow Jackets scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead and coasted to the six-run win. Clemson’s lone run came on Parker’s RBI groundout in the eighth inning. Luke Murton went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to pace Georgia Tech’s 10-hit attack. John Hinson went 3-for-4 for Clemson, who totaled eight hits.

In game-three on May 11, eight Tigers had at least two hits in Clemson’s 16-6 victory over Georgia Tech. Schaus went 5-for-6 with four RBIs to lead the Tigers’ 20-hit attack. Paulsen added two of Clemson’s five doubles, as the Tigers totaled seven extra-base hits in the contest. Every Tiger starter had a hit and scored a run by the end of the sixth inning. Wilson Boyd hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, then the Tigers added six runs on five hits in the ninth inning. Starter Trey Delk pitched 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, two runs, and one walk with four strikeouts to earn the win.

During the week, the Tigers hit .319 with a .369 on-base percentage. The pitching staff had a 5.44 ERA and .333 opponents’ batting average.

Hogan led the Tigers by going 8-for-18 (.444) with a double, triple, and five RBIs during the week. Schaus was 9-for-21 (.429) with three doubles and five RBIs, while Parker added seven hits, a double, homer, and five RBIs.

In three relief appearances this past week, Harman allowed just four hits, one run, and two walks with seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched.

The Tigers have a 26-25-1 overall record and 11-18-1 ACC mark. Clemson, who has finished its ACC regular-season slate, is in eighth place in the league standings, ahead of ninth-place Duke (8-17-1 ACC record). Duke must win three games at Virginia Tech next weekend to earn a spot in the ACC Tournament, which will be an eight-team field, and potentially knock Clemson out of the tourney. If Duke sweeps the Hokies in three games, then Wake Forest (11-15 ACC record) must go 0-3 at Boston College next weekend for the Tigers to make the ACC Tourney.

Clemson is hitting .285 with a .370 on-base percentage on the season. Schaus is leading the team with a .326 batting average and .425 on-base percentage. He has walked 30 times and struck out just 26 times. Freeman is hitting .322, while Paulsen is hitting .318 with 16 doubles, 12 homers, and 42 RBIs. Parker (11), Boyd (9), and Hogan (11) also have high homer totals this season.

The pitching staff has a 4.77 ERA and .288 opponents’ batting average. Matt Vaughn has a 3.37 ERA and nine saves in 26 relief appearances. He has also struck out 38 against 11 walks in 34.2 innings pitched.

Clemson will conclude its regular-season home schedule against College of Charleston on Tuesday night at 7:15 PM. Then the Tigers will travel to the Sunshine state for what they hope is a two-week stay. Clemson will play three night games at Central Florida from Thursday to Saturday to wrap up the regular season. Clemson has never faced the Golden Knights at their home facility.