Clemson Baseball Weekly Wrapup

May 25, 2008

Clemson University Overall Season Record: 31-27-1 ACC Regular-Season Record: 11-18-1

Last Week: 1-2 Wed. L neutral vs. #2 Miami (FL), 7-1 Thu. L neutral vs. #20 N.C. State, 10-0 (7 innings) Sat. W neutral vs. #24 Georgia Tech, 10-4 Note: All games in the ACC Tournament at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (FL)

Next Week TBA

Notes Clemson went 1-2 in the ACC Tournament at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (FL) from May 21-24. Clemson was outscored by its opponents 21-11 and outhit .350 to .228. The Tiger pitching staff had a 7.12 ERA and Clemson fielded at a .971 clip. Wilson Boyd went 5-for-11 (.455) with a double and homer, while Doug Hogan and Mike Freeman added four hits apiece in the tournament. In two relief appearances, Casey Harman pitched 4.0 innings, allowing no hits, no runs, and no walks with two strikeouts.

In the Tigers’ first game of the ACC Tournament on May 21, Chris Hernandez struck out 10 in 8.0 scoreless innings pitched to lead #2 Miami (FL) to a 7-1 win over Clemson. The freshman lefthander allowed just four singles and no walks to improve to 11-0 on the season. Miami scored three runs in the first inning, highlighted by Mark Sobolewski’s two-run double. The Hurricanes added three insurance runs in the sixth inning thanks in part to Joey Terdoslavich’s double that scored two runs. The Tigers scored their run in the ninth inning on an RBI fielder’s choice by Kyle Parker. Tiger starter D.J. Mitchell struck out 11 batters in only 6.0 innings pitched, while Harman pitched 2.0 perfect innings with two strikeouts in relief.

In the Tigers’ second game of the ACC Tournament on May 22, #20 N.C. State pounded out 17 hits en route to a 10-0 win over Clemson. The game was called after seven innings due to the 10-run rule. The Wolfpack scored six runs in the first inning and two runs in the second inning to cruise to the win. Clayton Shunick pitched a two-hit shutout to earn the win. In 7.0 innings pitched, the righthander allowed no walks and struck out eight. Every Wolfpack starter had at least one hit. Jeremy Synan went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Pat Ferguson had a game-high three RBIs. N.C. State snapped its nine-game losing streak to the Tigers in ACC Tournament play as well.

In the Tigers’ third game of the ACC Tournament on May 24, Clemson hit three home runs on its way to a 10-4 win over #24 Georgia Tech. Jeff Schaus hit a two-run homer in the third inning, then Boyd, who went 3-for-5, hit a solo homer in the sixth inning to tie the score 3-3. Ben Paulsen untied the score with his first career grand slam in the seventh inning. Clemson added three insurance runs in the ninth inning, highlighted by Freeman’s two-out, run-scoring double. Freeman, Parker, and Hogan totaled two hits apiece for the Tigers, who outhit Georgia Tech 13-11. Ryan Hinson earned the win in relief, while Harman added 2.0 hitless and scoreless innings pitched in relief.

The Tigers, who have won six of their last eight games, have a 31-27-1 overall record and 11-18-1 ACC mark. The team is hitting .285 with a .368 on-base percentage and 56 stolen bases in 81 attempts. The pitching staff has a 4.76 ERA and .289 opponents’ batting average along with 441 strikeouts against 178 walks in 518.1 innings pitched. The Tigers are fielding at a .965 clip as well.

Freeman leads the team with a .332 batting average and has eight multi-hit games in the last 10 contests. Schaus is hitting .315 with a .415 on-base percentage, while Paulsen is hitting .310 with 18 doubles, one triple, 13 homers, and 49 RBIs. Parker is batting .303 with 12 doubles, 14 homers, and 50 RBIs. Two other Tigers have double-digit homer totals, including Boyd (11) and Hogan (11), while Hogan leads the team with 51 RBIs.

Mitchell is Clemson’s top pitcher with a 6-5 record and 3.47 ERA. He leads the ACC in innings pitched (98.2) and strikeouts (106). Vaughn has a 3.15 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 40.0 innings pitched. He also has 11 saves, among the leaders of the ACC.

Clemson will await the NCAA Baseball Committee’s selection of the 64-team field for the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air live on Monday at 12:30 PM on ESPN.