Clemson Baseball Weekly Wrapup

CLEMSON BASEBALL WEEKLY WRAPUP(Week of March 25-31, 2013)

Clemson UniversityOverall Season Record: 16-10ACC Regular-Season Record: 5-5

Last Week: 1-2Tue. W, Away vs. Georgia, 9-1Wed. L, Home vs. Georgia, 5-3Sat. L, Away vs. #1 North Carolina, 10-3

Next WeekMon. Away vs. #1 North Carolina, 2:30 PM (play suspended from Sunday…North Carolina leads 2-0 in the third inning)Mon. Away vs. North Carolina, 6:00 PM (ESPNU)Wed. Home vs. Gardner-Webb, 6:30 PMFri. Away vs. Boston College, 2:30 PMSat. Away vs. Boston College, 1:30 PMSun. Away vs. Boston College, 12:00 PM

Last Week’s Game Notes & RecapsClemson went 1-2 in three games this past week. The Tigers split a midweek, home-and-home series against Georgia, then fell at #1 North Carolina 10-3 on Saturday. Action in game-two of the series, scheduled for Sunday night, was suspended in the third inning with the Tar Heels leading 2-0.

On the week, the Tigers were outscored 16-15 and batted .287 with a .370 slugging percentage and .361 on-base percentage. They also totaled six doubles, one homer, 12 walks, and two stolen bases. Clemson fielded at a .981 clip as well.

Tyler Slaton led the Tigers at the plate by going 8-for-12 (.667) with one double, four runs, three walks, and a .733 on-base percentage in three games. Steven Duggar went 6-for-14 (.429) with one homer, one double, and four RBIs.

The Tiger pitching staff had a 5.54 ERA and .312 opponents’ batting average on the week. The staff also allowed 34 hits and seven walks with 16 strikeouts in 26.0 innings pitched.

Matthew Crownover led the pitching staff during the week by allowing just one run and four hits in 5.0 innings pitched.

Clemson and Georgia split a two-game, home-and-home, midweek series on March 26,27. Both teams won on the opponent’s home field. Clemson outscored the Bulldogs 12-6 and outhit them .282 to .217. Slaton went 5-for-8 (.625) with one double and two walks, while Jon McGibbon went 3-for-7 (.429) with one double and five RBIs. The Tiger pitching staff had a 3.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts against seven walks, while Clemson committed just one error.

In game-one at Foley Field in Athens, GA on March 26, Crownover pitched 5.0 strong innings to lead Clemson to a 9-1 win over Georgia. Crownover allowed just four hits and one run to earn the win, then Jonathan Meyer and Patrick Andrews both pitched 2.0 scoreless innings to close out the game. Slaton went 4-for-5 with two runs to lead Clemson’s 13-hit attack, while Duggar went 3-for-5 with his first career homer. McGibbon added four RBIs, including three RBIs on a bases-clearing double in the third inning. The Tigers pulled away with four runs in the fifth inning.

In game-two at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, SC on March 27, Georgia hit three home runs in its 5-3 win over Clemson. Kyle Farmer hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Bulldogs never relinquished their lead. Hunter Cole and Jared Walsh added solo homers, while Walsh recorded the save. The Tigers rallied in the ninth inning with a run and put the potential tying run on first base, but they fell short. The Tigers put 14 batters on base to Georgia’s 12, but Clemson stranded eight runners on base and grounded into two double plays.

Then in the only completed game against North Carolina on March 30, the Tar Heels scored four runs in both the first and third innings and cruised to a 10-3 win over Clemson. The Tar Heels totaled 19 hits, led by four hits and two RBIs by Cody Stubbs. Matt Roberts added a three-run homer in the third inning that broke the game open. Slaton went 3-for-4 with two runs and a walk to lead Clemson, who totaled 11 hits but only scored three of its 14 baserunners. Kent Emanuel allowed just one run on nine hits in 8.0 innings pitched to earn the win.

2013 Season NotesClemson has a 16-10 overall record and 5-5 ACC mark on the season. Clemson, who has played the nation’s seventh-toughest schedule according to WarrenNolan.com, is in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings behind Florida State (8-4). N.C. State (5-7) is third, while Wake Forest (4-8) and Maryland (4-8) are tied for fourth. North Carolina leads the overall ACC standings with an 8-1 mark, while the Tigers are tied for sixth in the overall ACC standings with Duke (6-6).

The Tigers, who are averaging 5.2 runs per game, are hitting .274 with a .360 slugging percentage and .340 on-base percentage thanks to 79 walks and 14 hit-by-pitches. The team has totaled 43 doubles, three triples, nine homers, and 35 stolen bases. The Tigers are also 9-0 when scoring in the first inning and 10-1 when scoring first.

Garrett Boulware leads the team with a .353 batting average, four doubles, one triple, four homers, and 23 RBIs. The sophomore catcher leads the team in batting average, homers, and RBIs. Steven Duggar is second with a .301 batting average, one homer, and 16 RBIs, while Thomas Brittle is hitting .293 with a .394 on-base percentage and a team-high nine steals.

The pitching staff has a 3.52 ERA and .266 opponents’ batting average in 235.0 innings pitched this season. It has allowed 241 hits and 77 walks with 169 strikeouts, good for a 2.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Sophomore righthander Daniel Gossett leads the weekend rotation with a 3-2 record, 2.89 ERA, and .232 opponents’ batting average in seven starts. In 43.2 innings pitched, he has 35 strikeouts against 11 walks. Freshman lefthander Zack Erwin is 2-0 with one save, a 1.50 ERA and a .167 opponents’ batting average in 18.0 innings pitched over 10 relief appearances.

Three Tiger freshmen, Matthew Crownover, Brody Koerner, and Clate Schmidt, have combined to start 12 games on the mound. Clemson has a 10-2 record in those 12 games.

Clemson will pick up where it left off in the third inning of game-two of the series on Monday at 2:45 PM . The two teams will then conclude the three-game series on Monday at 6:00 PM on ESPNU. After the Tigers host Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night, they will travel northward to play at Boston College in a three-game series over the weekend.