Clemson Baseball Weekly Wrapup

CLEMSON BASEBALL WEEKLY WRAPUP(Week of February 25 – March 3, 2013)

Clemson UniversityOverall Season Record: 6-4ACC Regular-Season Record: 0-0

Last Week: 1-3Wed. L, Home vs. Winthrop, 3-2 (11 Innings)Fri. L, Home vs. #7 South Carolina, 6-0Sat. W, Neutral* vs. #7 South Carolina, 6-3Sun. L, Away vs. #7 South Carolina, 8-0* – Greenville, SC (Fluor Field)

Next WeekWed. Home vs. Wofford, 4:00 PMFri. Away vs. N.C. State, 6:30 PMSat. Away vs. N.C. State, 6:30 PMSun. Away vs. N.C. State, 1:00 PM

Last Week’s Game NotesClemson went 1-3 in four games this past week. The Tigers fell to Winthrop 3-2 in 11 innings on Wednesday before #7 South Carolina won two of three games in the annual rivalry series over the weekend.

On the week, the Tigers were outscored 20-8 and batted .172 with a .194 slugging percentage and .211 on-base percentage. They also totaled three doubles, five walks, two hit-by-pitches, and one stolen base. Clemson fielded at a .969 clip as well.

Garrett Boulware led the Tigers at the plate by going 4-for-10 (.400) with two doubles and two RBIs. Steven Duggar added four hits and two RBIs.

The Tiger pitching staff had a stellar 1.95 ERA and .203 opponents’ batting average, but was the victim of 12 unearned runs thanks to five costly errors and a passed ball. The staff also allowed 27 hits and 16 walks with 33 strikeouts in 37.0 innings pitched.

In two relief appearances, Kyle Schnell retired all 13 batters he faced with three strikeouts. Freshman lefthander Zack Erwin also retired all five batters he faced with three strikeouts over two relief appearances.

Leighton Daniels scored on Clay Altman’s sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to lift Winthrop to a 3-2 win over Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on February 27. Duggar’s throw to the plate was well ahead of Daniels’ slide at home, but catcher Kevin Bradley could not handle the in-between hop. Six Clemson pitchers combined to allow only four hits, one earned run, and three walks against 15 strikeouts. Freshman Matthew Crownover gave up just one hit, one run, and one walk with four strikeouts in his first career start, while Schnell pitched 3.1 perfect innings with three strikeouts in relief.

Clemson then won one of three games against South Carolina at three different sites from March 1-3. The Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 17-6 and outhit Clemson .235 to .179. Boulware led the Tigers at the plate by going 3-for-9 (.333) with two doubles. The Tiger pitching staff had a 2.42 ERA, as 10 of its 17 runs allowed were unearned thanks to four costly errors.

In game-one at Clemson, SC on March 1, Jordan Montgomery tossed 8.0 innings of three-hit ball to lead South Carolina to a 6-0 victory over Clemson. Montgomery gave up just three hits, no runs, and two walks with nine strikeouts to earn the win, while Tyler Webb struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to close out the game. South Carolina scored three runs in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth inning, as all five of those runs were unearned thanks in large part to costly Tiger errors. Clemson starter Daniel Gossett yielded just three hits and one earned run in 6.1 innings pitched.

In game-two at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC on March 2, Clate Schmidt pitched 7.0 strong innings to lead Clemson to a 6-3 win over South Carolina. In just his second career start, Schmidt allowed only five hits and two runs with five strikeouts to earn the win. He received the Bob Bradley Award as Clemson’s MVP of the series for his efforts. Matt Campbell pitched the final 2.0 innings to record the save. Clemson scored three runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Duggar’s two-out, two-run single, to take a 5-0 lead. The Tigers outhit the Gamecocks 11-7.

In game-three at Columbia, SC on March 3, Nolan Belcher pitched a three-hit shutout in South Carolina’s 8-0 win over Clemson. Belcher gave up just three singles, no runs, and no walks with seven strikeouts in throwing 118 pitches to earn the victory. Ahead by a score of 1-0, South Carolina scored five unearned runs on four two-out hits in the sixth inning to pull away. The uprising was highlighted by Connor Bright’s two-run double. Scott Firth, the first of five Tiger pitchers, allowed only one earned run in 6.0 innings pitched.

2013 Season NotesClemson has a 6-4 overall record on the season, which includes a 5-3 record at home, 0-1 record on the road, and 1-0 record in neutral-site contests. The Tigers are hitting .243 with a .316 slugging percentage and .305 on-base percentage thanks to 25 walks and five hit-by-pitches in 2012. The team has also totaled 18 doubles, two homers, and 10 stolen bases. Clemson is fielding at a .978 clip as well.

Garrett Boulware is hitting a team-best .360 with three doubles, six RBIs, and four runs. Steve Wilkerson, who saw his 10-game hitting streak dating to 2012 come to an end on Sunday, is hitting .350 with three doubles, one homer, eight RBIs, and four steals. Freshman Steven Duggar is batting .306 with a team-high eight runs as well.

The left side of the Tiger infield has played outstanding defense in 2013. Freshman shortstop Tyler Krieger and third-baseman Jay Baum have both been errorless in the field. Krieger (51) and Baum (32) have combined for 83 chances without committing an error.

The pitching staff has a 2.27 ERA and .233 opponents’ batting average in 91.0 innings pitched this season. It has allowed 77 hits and 34 walks with 73 strikeouts, good for a 2.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

All three weekend starters on the mound have an ERA of 1.32 or better. Senior righthander Scott Firth is 2-1 with an 0.86 ERA, sophomore righthander Daniel Gossett is 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA, and freshman righty Clate Schmidt is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA. Of the 14 runs the trio has combined to allow, only six have been earned. Junior righty Matt Campbell has all three of the team’s saves as well.

Clemson will return to action on Wednesday afternoon when it hosts Wofford at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers will then open ACC play with a three-game series at N.C. State over the weekend.