Clemson Begins Series With Florida State On Friday

March 19, 2009

Clemson vs. Florida State Clemson (13-4, 4-2 ACC), ranked as high as #18 in the nation, will travel to Tallahassee, FL to take on #24 Florida State (9-7, 1-3 ACC) in a three-game series at Dick Howser Stadium this weekend. Game times are 6:00 PM (Friday), 6:00 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday). The Friday and Sunday games will be televised live on Fox Sports Florida, while the Saturday game will be shown live via webcast at ACCSelect.com. All three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will also be available at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.

The Series Clemson and Florida State have met 111 times on the diamond, with the Seminoles holding a 61-49-1 lead in the series dating back to the 1958 season. In 2008 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Seminoles swept Clemson by a combined score of 26-14. In 2007, Clemson won two of three games at Florida State then beat the Seminoles 5-1 in the ACC Tournament later that year.

The Seminoles hold a 32-12-1 lead in games played in Tallahassee. The Seminoles also have a 26-25 record against the Tigers in ACC regular-season games.

Jack Leggett is 25-34 against the Seminoles as Clemson’s head coach, including a 6-15 record at Dick Howser Stadium. All 59 of Leggett’s games coached against Florida State have been against a top-25 ranked Seminole team.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, Florida State will start freshman lefthander Sean Gilmartin (3-1, 3.24 ERA) on the mound. The Moorpark, CA native has made four starts for a total of 25.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 19 hits (.209 opponents’ batting average) and nine walks with 28 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with senior righthander Trey Delk (1-0, 3.06 ERA) on Friday. The Elgin, SC native has made four starts for a total of 17.2 innings pitched. He has given up 19 hits (.275 opponents’ batting average) and seven walks with 18 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Seminoles will send out freshman lefty Brian Busch (0-1, 3.10 ERA) on the mound. The Boca Raton, FL native has made six relief appearances and one start for a total of 20.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 17 hits (.227 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks and 21 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with freshman lefty Chris Dwyer (2-0, 1.99 ERA) on Saturday. The Swampscott, MA native has made four starts for a total of 22.2 innings pitched. He has given up 12 hits (.156 opponents’ batting average) and six walks with 20 strikeouts.

Both teams have yet to determine a starter for game-three on Sunday.

The Seminoles Florida State, led by 30th-year Head Coach Mike Martin and ranked as high as #24 in the nation, enters the series against #18 Clemson with a 9-7 overall record and 1-3 ACC mark after falling at #25 Florida by a score of 5-4 on Tuesday. The Seminoles are also coming off a rain-shortened series at Virginia last weekend in which they went 0-1. Florida State sports a 9-3 home record as well.

Florida State is averaging 7.8 runs per game and hitting .332 with a .506 slugging percentage and .444 on-base percentage. The team has also totaled 43 doubles, three triples, and 15 homers along with seven stolen bases in 17 attempts.

Tyler Holt is hitting a team-best .484 with 11 doubles and five steals. Rafael Lopez is batting .383 with two homers and 17 RBIs, while Stuart Tapley has four home runs and 15 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 5.27 ERA and .261 opponents’ batting average along with 132 strikeouts against 83 walks in 138.1 innings pitched. Senior righthander Jimmy Marshall has all three of the team’s saves in seven relief appearances. The team is fielding at a .948 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #18 in the nation, enters the series at #24 Florida State with a 13-4 record after pitching a no-hitter in the Tigers’ 14-0 win over USC Upstate on Wednesday. Clemson also defeated Presbyterian 8-0 on Tuesday and carries a seven-game winning streak into the weekend series. Clemson is 1-2 on opponents’ home fields as well.

The Tigers are hitting .277 with a .415 slugging percentage and .377 on-base percentage. Clemson has also totaled 29 doubles, four triples, 14 homers, and 32 stolen bases in 39 attempts.

Ben Paulsen is hitting a team-best .397 with 15 runs, five doubles, three homers, and 16 RBIs. He has also totaled five three-hit games and four two-hit games. Mike Freeman is 18-for-33 (.545) in the last eight games and is hitting .344 overall with a team-best .476 on-base percentage. Kyle Parker has two homers and 15 RBIs as well.

The pitching staff has a 2.27 ERA and .200 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 41 walks against 150 strikeouts, good for a 3.7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Casey Harman has 18 strikeouts against only two walks in 17.1 innings pitched. The team is fielding at a .968 clip as well.

Five Tigers hail from the state of Florida, Freeman (Orlando), Craig Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens), Brad Miller (Windermere), Parker (Jacksonville), and Jeff Schaus (Naples).

Worth Noting Clemson’s current seven-game winning streak is its longest since the Tigers’ eight-game winning streak from May 27 to June 10 in 2006. Clemson is hitting .341 (79-for-232) during the seven-game winning streak.

Tigers Throw First No-Hitter Since 1984 Five righthanders combined to pitch a no-hitter in Clemson’s 14-0 win over South Carolina-Upstate at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 18. Justin Sarratt, Scott Weismann, Kyle Deese, Tomas Cruz, and Matt Vaughn combined to allow just two baserunners, one on an error in the outfield on a routine flyball in the first inning and one on a walk in the eighth inning. The Tigers turned a double play in the eighth inning, meaning the five pitchers combined to face just one batter over the minimum.

Sarratt pitched the first 5.0 innings, allowing no walks with two strikeouts to earn the win. Weismann, Deese, Cruz, and Vaughn each pitched an inning to close out the no-hitter. The five pitchers combined to allow only one walk with seven strikeouts.

It was a special game for Deese, a red-shirt freshman from Inman, SC. After sitting out the entire 2008 season, Deese made his debut in a Tiger uniform against the Spartans. He pitched a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout.

It was not the first time the Tigers flirted with a no-hitter in 2009. Against Furman 15 days earlier at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson led 2-0 with no one on base, two outs, and one strike away from a no-hitter. However, an infield single ended Clemson’s no-hit bid. On the next pitch, Brian Harrison hit a two-run homer to tie the score. Furman was later victorious by a score of 4-2 in 14 innings.

The Tigers last no-hitter prior to 2009 came in the second game of a doubleheader on March 6, 1984, when Scott Parrish no-hit The Citadel in a seven-inning game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson’s no-hitter against the Spartans was only its second involving multiple pitchers.

Clemson No-Hits South Carolina-Upstate Five Tiger righthanders combined to pitch a no-hitter in #18 Clemson’s 14-0 victory over South Carolina-Upstate at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 18. Starter Justin Sarratt pitched 5.0 innings and allowed no walks with two strikeouts to earn the win. Scott Weismann, Kyle Deese, Tomas Cruz, and Matt Vaughn each pitched an inning to close out Clemson’s first no-hitter since 1984. The five pitchers allowed just two baserunners, one in the first inning on an error and one on a walk in the eighth inning. They also combined to face only one batter over the minimum. Mike Freeman went 4-for-5 with a homer, triple, three runs, seven RBIs, a walk, and stolen base to lead Clemson’s 11-hit attack.