Clemson Begins Super Regional Play Friday

May 31, 2001

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Clemson vs. Miami at NCAA Super Regional June 1-3, 2001 Mark Light Stadium, Coral Gables, FL Fri.: 7:00 PM (CTN) * Sat.: 7:00 PM (CTN) * Sun.: 1:00 PM (CTN)

Clemson Tigers 41-20, 17-7 ACC (2nd) #17 BA, #12 CB, #20 BW

Miami (FL) Hurricanes 47-12 Independent #1 BA, #1 CB, #1 BW

Probable Clemson Starters Game 1: Steve Reba (RHP, 12-3, 2.15 ERA) Game 2: Jarrod Schmidt (RHP, 7-3, 4.24 ERA) Game 3: Matt Henrie (RHP, 6-3, 3.06 ERA)

Probable Positions Starters

Tigers to Face Miami in Super Regional at Coral Gables Clemson (41-20) will play at Miami (47-12) in Super Regional play beginning Friday at Mark Light Stadium in Coral Gables. The two teams will play at 7:00 PM on both Friday and Saturday and at 1:00 PM on Sunday, if necessary.

Clemson will be making its third straight appearance in a Super Regional. The Tigers have played in the Super Regional round every year since the format began in 1999. The Tigers lost two of three games at Texas A&M in Super Regional play in 1999 and swept Mississippi State in two games last year at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to advance to the College World Series.

Miami is the top-ranked team in all three college baseball polls, but is the second seed nationally. The Hurricanes have also appeared in a Super Regional the last three years. This is the second time Miami has hosted the event. Last season, the Hurricanes traveled to Florida State, where it lost two of three games. In 1999, Miami swept the first two games against Wake Forest to advance to the College World Series. Clemson is 4-1 in Super Regional action, while Miami has a 3-2 record.

Miami leads the series versus Clemson 19-13-1, including a 7-5 record under head coach Jim Morris. Clemson is 5-7 against the Hurricanes under head coach Jack Leggett. Miami is 7-3 against the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament, including 3-0 in the College World Series.

The two schools last met in 2000, with the Tigers defeating Miami 4-0 at the ACC Disney Baseball Blast at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World. Prior to that meeting, the Hurricanes took two of three games against the Tigers during the 1999 season at Knights’ Castle in Fort Mill, SC.

About the 2001 Hurricanes Miami is ranked as the top team in all three college baseball polls this week and is enjoying an 11-game win streak after sweeping its regional with wins over Bucknell (14-6), Florida (6-2) and Stetson (16-8).

Kevin Brown hit three home runs and drove in 10 runs, breaking the NCAA regional record, as Miami (47-12) won its 14th consecutive postseason game at home, beating Stetson to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals.

Javy Rodriguez leads the Hurricanes with a .389 batting average, 84 hits, 57 RBIs, 118 total bases, .546 slugging percentage and 61 stolen bases. In all, three Hurricane players have more than 40 stolen bases. Miami is 201 of 243 attempts (.827).

Miami has a team ERA of 3.67 and is led by Tom Farmer with 13 wins vs. just two losses. He has a 3.18 ERA is expected to start against the Tigers to open the Super Regional on Friday.

Clemson vs. Miami The Tigers trail the all-time series against Miami 19-13-1, but won the last outing with the Hurricanes, 4-0 at the ACC Disney Blast last year in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The Tigers are 5-7 against Miami under head coach Jack Leggett who became the Clemson head coach in 1994.

Jim Morris became the mentor at Miami in 1994 and thus is 7-5 against the Tigers since going to Coral Gables. In 10 meetings between Clemson and Miami in the NCAA Tournament, the Hurricanes clearly hold the edge, having won seven of those meetings and all three encounters at the College World Series. In the last meeting between the two schools in the postseason was in 1996, Miami eliminated the Tigers from the CWS with a 14-5 victory in a fourth-round matchup. Miami also defeated Clemson 7-4 in the first round of the CWS that season. The only other meeting between the schools in Omaha was in 1980, when the Hurricanes handed the Tigers a 13-5 setback in the first round. Outside of the CWS in NCAA Tournament play, Miami holds a 4-3 edge, though Clemson does not have a win in the postseason against the Hurricanes since an 8-5 victory in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional. In Clemson’s last visit to Mark Light Stadium, the Hurricanes took two of the three games to make up for the Tigers 2-1 series win at Clemson in 1994. Clemson dropped two of three games in the last three-game series played between the teams in 1999, when Miami and Clemson met in Rock Hill, SC.

Last Year vs. Miami The Tigers upset #4 Miami (FL) 4-0 at the ACC Disney Blast at Lake Buena Vista, FL. The victory ended the Hurricanes’ 13-game winning streak, the longest in the country at the time. Senior transfer Scott Berney was masterful, allowing three hits, no runs, and no walks while striking out eight to get the win. Jeff Baker two-run infield single in the eighth inning padded the Tigers’ lead, as Glaser closed out the game once again.

A Game-by-Game Look at the Series

Clemson Wins over #1 Ranked Teams Clemson has beaten the number-one team in the nation in baseball nine times, more than any other sport. That list of nine victories over #1 includes four wins over Miami (FL), more than any other Clemson opponent. All four of those wins took place away from Clemson. Clemson’s first wins in history over the number-one team in the nation in any sport took place at Miami (FL) in an NCAA regional in 1977. The Tigers downed the number-one Hurricanes on May 21 and May 22 of 1977 to advance to the College World Series in Omaha.

The Tigers also defeated a number-one ranked Miami (FL) team in 1986 in consecutive regular season games at Greenville Municipal Stadium in Greenville, SC. The Tigers defeated the Hurricanes 7-4 and 9-5, wins many felt would get Clemson into the then 40-team NCAA Tournament. But, the 42-21 Tigers were denied, the last year Clemson has failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The baseball program has nine wins over the #1 ranked team overall. The men’s soccer program is second with five #1 wins. Clemson has 21 all-time wins over the number-one ranked team in the nation, including two this year by two different sports. The Clemson women’s soccer team defeated a #1 ranked North Carolina team that eventually won the national championship in an October 2000 match at Clemson. Clemson also upset #1 North Carolina in men’s basketball this year at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum, just the second win in history for the Clemson men’s basketball program over the nation’s top team.

If the baseball team can defeat the Hurricanes this weekend it would mark the first academic year in Clemson history that the Tigers have recorded three wins over #1 ranked teams in three different sports. Clemson last defeated the number-one team in baseball on April 10, 1999 during a regular season game at Florida State, 8-4. Clemson last defeated the #1 ranked team in an NCAA Tournament on June 4, 1996 when Clemson defeated #1 Alabama in the College World Series.

One of the more unusual circumstances surrounding the nation’s number-one ranked team in baseball took place 1994. In what is believed to be the only time two number-one ranked teams faced each other, Clemson defeated Georgia Tech two out of three games in Atlanta. Clemson entered that series ranked #1 by Collegiate Baseball and USA Today, while Georgia Tech entered the weekend ranked #1 by Baseball America. That was Jack Leggett’s first years as Clemson head coach.

Clemson wins over Number-One Ranked Teams

Super Regional Team Comparison

Tigers from Florida Clemson has five current players on its roster from the state of Florida. The list includes starting shortstop Khalil Greene and starting pitcher Matt Henrie. Both figure to play important roles when Clemson goes to Coral Gables in the Super Regional this weekend. Greene is a native of Key West, FL. He is hitting .305 this season with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. He led the Clemson team in hitting last year as a sophomore. Henrie is from Jupiter, FL and has a 7-3 record with a 3.06 ERA.

The other three Tigers from Florida are Patrick Boyd (Palm Harbor), Seth Miller (Lakeland) and Ryan Klosterman (Montverde). Boyd, a preseason All-American, has played in just one game this year due to a back injury and has been lost for the year. Miller is a reserve catcher who is hitting .325 for his 34 games and 77 at bats. Klosterman has played in 16 games as a reserve infielder and is 1 for 13 at the plate.

2001 Super Regional Pairings Mississippi State at (1) Cal State-Fullerton Rice at (8) *Nebraska LSU at (5) Tulane^ South Carolina at (4) Stanford Clemson at (2) Miami Tennessee at (7) East Carolina^ Florida State at (6) Georgia Florida International at (3) Southern California ^ – off-campus site, national seed in parentheses

Clemson One of Six Teams Never to Miss Super Regional Round Sunday’s victory against Seton Hall marked the third consecutive year that Clemson has advanced to at least the Super Regional of the NCAA Tournament, which expanded from a 48- to 64-team field prior to the 1999 season. The expansion created the Super Regional Round, which pits the winners of 16 sub-regionals with the victors there advancing to the College World Series.

The Tigers won the Fayetteville, AR Regional in 1999 to advance to the Super Regional at Texas A&M, while last year the Tigers won the Clemson Regional and advanced to host Mississippi State in the Super Regional.

Clemson is one of just six schools to appear in all three Super Regional rounds. The Tigers are joined by Florida State, LSU, Miami, Southern California and Stanford to make a Super Regional every year.

Clemson in the NCAA Tournament Clemson is making its 27th appearance in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, the seventh-best total in the nation. It marks the 15th consecutive selection for the tournament, which is the third longest active streak. The Tigers are 73-55 all-time in the NCAA tournament with nine appearances in the College World Series. Clemson finished as the regular season runner-up in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season behind Florida State. Clemson was 17-7 in ACC action and 41-20 overall, including a 27-8 mark at home.

Leggett in the NCAA Tournament Clemson head coach Jack Leggett has a 32-25 (.561) record in NCAA Tournament play. As the Clemson coach, Leggett is 28-15 (.651) in seven tournaments with three appearances in the College World Series. Prior to coming to Clemson, Leggett coached in five NCAA Tournaments at Western Carolina where he was 4-10 (.286).

Tigers Move to Super Regional With 8-2 Win Over Seton Hall Tournament MVP Michael Johnson slammed his third home run of the regional, and Matt Henrie allowed just one run in six innings of pitching, leading Clemson to an 8-2 victory over Seton Hall in the championship game of the Clemson Regional Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers defeated Big East Tournament Champion Seton Hall twice, 24-4 on Saturday and 8-2 on Sunday. Jack Leggett’s team opened with a 4-1 triumph over William & Mary on Friday night behind ace Steve Reba. Clemson now advances to the Super Regional with a 41-20 record. Clemson has a 19-4 record under Jack Leggett in NCAA regional games at Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers have now won eight straight NCAA tournament games at home.

Johnson was one of three Tigers to record home runs on Sunday. Khalil Greene had a homer in the sixth and Jeff Baker hit a round tripper in the eighth. All three players had two RBIs to account for six of Clemson’s eight runs. It was the12th of the year for Greene and the 23rd for Baker.

Clemson had outstanding fielding in the three game series. The Tigers had just one error in the three games of the regional, much to the delight of the Tiger pitching staff, which yielded just seven runs in the three games of the regional.

Henrie labored in the early inning, but allowed just one run. Over the first four innings, Seton Hall left nine runners on base. He walked the bases loaded in the second inning, but got out of the jam by striking out Cuervo, who had three hits on the day, and getting Mike Bascom to ground out to shortstop. For his six innings, Henrie gave up just five hits, but walked a career-high five batters. He improved his record to 6-3 with the win.

Clemson opened the scoring in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run by Johnson, the third consecutive game the Tiger sophomore first baseman had hit a home run to account for Clemson’s first runs of the game. His shot to the scoreboard in right center was his 17th home run of the year, his sixth in eight games. The homer came off Seton Hall starter and loser Brett Hoffman (0-3), who was making just his third start of the year.

Seton Hall cut the margin to 2-1 in the fourth inning. With two out, right fielder Joe Cuervo singled to left. He stole second and scored on Mike Bascom’s single to right.

Chad Coder led off the sixth inning with a sharp single to left. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Frank and scored on a single to right by catcher Ryan Riley then flew out to centerfield, leaving the score 3-1 with two out in the bottom of the sixth.

Casey Stone worked a walk and promptly stole second. Baker followed with a single that scored Miller and Stone. Seton Hall took Hoffman out of the game and brought in Elvis Quezada, a relief pitcher who had faced 70 batters for the year without giving up a home run. Khalil Greene changed all that with a home run over the centerfield fence, givng the Tigers a 7-1 lead.

Seton Hall added a run in the seventh on a home run by Brian Leighton, but the Tigers countered with a home run by Baker in the bottom of the eighth.

Clemson Beats Seton Hall 24-4 Jarrod Schmidt had three hits and drove in three runs at the plate, and allowed just three runs in five innings of pitching to earn the victory, leading Clemson to a 24-4 victory over Seton Hall in the winners bracket game of the Clemson Regional Saturday afternoon. The 24 runs scored by the Tigers tied a school record for runs in an NCAA Tournament game, quite an accomplishment considering Saturday’s game was the school’s 129th in NCAA Tournament history. Clemson also scored 24 runs in an NCAA game on June 5, 1959, a 24-2 victory over Florida State in a regional contest in Gastonia, NC. Clemson was still six runs short of the overall NCAA Tournament record of 30 runs scored by Arizona State in a victory over UNLV in 1978. The 24 runs tied a season high for the Tigers, who had 24 runs in a win over New York Tech in April.

The Tigers had a season high 23 hits and a season high 22 RBIs in registering their 40th victory of the season. It marks the 16th straight year that Clemson has reached the 40-win plateau.

Six different Tigers had at least three hits, led by senior outfielder Casey Stone, who had a four-for-four day at the plate. He had two doubles and scored four runs in the contest. Michael Johnson had a team best six RBIs in the game thanks to a single, double and a home run and scored four runs. Ryan Riley added three hits and scored four runs, while Kyle Frank, Clemson’s number-eight man in the order, had five RBIs and three hits. Chad Coder added four RBIs and three hits.

Clemson also played well defensively, recording its second straight errorless game in the NCAA Tournament and 20th errorless game this season.

Clemson jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning. Riley and Stone set the table with singles to lead off the game. Two outs later Michael Johnson set the tone for the day with a three-run homer to the opposite (left) field. It was the second home run of the tournament for Johnson and his 16th of the year. He now has five home runs in his last seven games after going 14 straight games without a homer.

Clemson added six more runs in the third. Riley led off the inning with a home run to left field, his sixth of the year, but his first since March 25. Later in the inning, Kyle Frank homered to right, his first career home run in 283 at bats as a Clemson player.

The Tigers added five runs on six hits in the fourth inning, including a two-run single by Frank. Clemson scored six more in the fifth as 11 Tigers came to the plate. Schmidt had a double to right to drive in two runs in that inning. On the mound, Schmidt shut down the Pirates over the first four innings on just one hit. He allowed a three-run homer to Joe Cuervo in the fifth, but those were the only runs he allowed in the game.

The Pirates added another run in the sixth off reliever Ryan Childs. Schmidt improved his record to 7-3 for the year. He has not suffered a loss since losing to Georgia on March 28. He is now 2-0 in NCAA play over his career. In his two victories the Tigers have scored a combined 45 runs. He was the benefactor of Clemson’s 21-3 victory over Middle Tennessee State last year.

Tigers Open with 4-1 Win Over William & Mary Steve Reba won his fourth straight start, while Michael Johnson, Jarrod Schmidt and Chad Coder provided enough offense to lead #2 seed Clemson to a 4-1 victory over #3 seed William & Mary in the first round of the Clemson Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson won its sixth straight NCAA Tournament game at home over two years thanks to Reba’s outstanding pitching. The junior from Fort Wayne, IN allowed just four hits in registering the complete game victory. He struck out eight and walked just one. He had a shutout going until William & Mary scored a run in the top of the ninth. Reba, who was named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball earlier in the day, improved to 12-3 for the season and 20-7 for his career. It was his second complete game of the year. His other complete game was a three-hit shutout of Georgia Tech on April 20. He finished a perfect 4-0 in the month of May.

Clemson was led at the plate by Michael Johnson, who had a home run and a single, Jarrod Schmidt, who had two hits and reached when he was hit by a pitch, and Chad Coder, who had a two-run single in he eighth inning.

William & Mary got an outstanding pitching performance from starter Whitt Farr, who went 7 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs and struck out five, as his record dropped to 9-6 for the season.

Clemson opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. With one out, first baseman Michael Johnson socked his 15th home run of the year, a long drive over the 375 marker in right center field.

The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Tigers through five innings. At one point, between the third and sixth innings, the starting pitchers set down 21 batters in succession between them. Farr was masterful for the Tribe, while Reba did not allow a ball hit out of the infield during one 13-batter stretch.

Clemson got another run on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With two out, Khalil Greene hit a line drive to left field. Marshall Hubbard mis-played the ball in left field for just his second error of the season and it allowed Greene to reach second. One batter later he scored on a single by Schmidt.

Clemson held the 2-0 lead until the eighth. With two out, Johnson singled to left. He then stole second, one of four steals for the Tigers on the night. A single by Schmidt moved Johnson to third. With a 2-2 count, Chad Coder then singled off relief pitcher Ben Shepard to score two important insurance runs.

Reba gave up his only run in the top of the ninth. Michael Brown led off with a double. One out later Brenden Harris, the schools career leader in homers and RBIs, singled to left to score the run and ruin Reba’s shutout.

Clemson was outstanding in the field. The Tigers, who lead the ACC in fielding, did not commit an error for the 19th time this year. The defensive play was led by Khalil Greene, who made an outstanding stab of a high hopping ball at shortstop off Trey Wakefield’s bat in the top of the ninth. He recovered to throw out Harris at second base.

Michael Johnson Named MVP of Clemson RegionalMichael Johnson, a sophomore from Georgetown, SC, won tournament MVP honors with his three home runs and 11 RBIs. Over the three games he was 7 for 11 at the plate, a tournament best .636 batting average. He also led the tournament in total bases with 17 in just 11 at bats.

Johnson became the first Tiger since 1993 to slam three home runs in a regional. Keith Williams, who went on to a Major League career with the San Francisco Giants, had three in the 1993 regional at Knoxville, TN. Johnson’s 11 RBIs were the most by a Tiger in an NCAA Tournament since Jerome Robinson had 13 when he won regional MVP honors in 1996.

Six Clemson players were chosen to the all-tournament team. Joining Johnson, the selection at first base, were Ryan Riley at second base, Steve Reba as a pitcher and Jarrod Schmidt as the utility player.

Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team

Leadoff Importance Getting the leadoff man on base was the key to the two victories against Seton Hall in the Clemson Regional. In 17 innings against Seton Hall the Tigers got the leadoff man on base six times. The Tigers scored 29 runs in those six innings. Clemson scored just two runs in the 11 innings it failed to get the leadoff man on base against the Pirates.

Big Sixth Inning The sixth inning has been Clemson’s top frame all year, outscoring the opposition 61-32 for the season. It proved to be pivotal again as the Tigers put the game away with five runs on four hits. Nine batters came to the plate.

Clemson Climbs to 12th in Collegiate Baseball With a win over William & Mary and a pair of victories against Seton Hall to clinch the Clemson Regional, Clemson moved up in both of the college baseball polls announced Monday.

Clemson is now ranked 12th, up from 14th, in the new Collegiate Baseball poll released Monday. The Tigers are 17th in the Baseball America poll, up from 19th. Clemson was ranked 20th in last week’s Baseball Weekly/ESPN coaches poll, which will not be released again until after the College World Series.

The second-seeded Tigers opened the Regional with a 4-1 win over No. 3 seed William & Mary and then beat No. 4 seed Seton Hall 24-4 on Saturday and 8-2 in Sunday’s championship game.

Fourteen Tigers Named to Clemson Honor Roll The Clemson baseball team’s successful season includes academic accolades as 14 Tigers were named to either the honor roll or Dean’s List for the spring semester. The team posted an overall GPA of 2.68 an improvement from last spring’s 2.65 mark.

Tigers making the Dean’s List include center fielder Chad Coder, first baseman Steven Jackson and B.J. LaMura.

Honor roll members include pitcher Nick Glaser, shortstop Khalil Greene, infielder Ryan Klosterman, catcher Jon Smith, outfielders Zane Greene and Casey Stone and reserves Chad Bendinelli, Jeffrey Hahn, Ryan Hub and Mike Proto.

Smith was an honor roll member last spring along with Bendinelli, Proto, LaMura, Greene and Stone, who were also ACC Academic honor roll selections last year.

Clemson at ACC Tournament… Tigers Fall to Virginia in First Round Seventh-seeded Virginia used a complete game by Dan Street and a three-run homer by Jon Benick to upset second-seeded Clemson 7-3 in the first round of the ACC Tournament last Wednesday. Street (4-4) picked up the win by allowing just two earned runs while throwing 126 pitches in the complete-game effort. Benick’s home run, his 18th of the year, was part of a 3-5 day that led the Cavalier offense.

The Tigers got on the board in the fifth inning when Steve Pyzik led off with a double and Ryan Riley walked. Both runners scored when Casey Stone doubled to left field and he advanced to third on an errant throw. Stone scored on Greene’s sacrifice fly to trim the Cavalier lead to 4-3.

Virginia extended its lead in the eighth inning. Doug Vroman singled and moved to second base after a sacrifice bunt. David Stone was intentionally walked and Shawn McCleary reached on an infield single to load the bases. Wyant then hit a bloop single to left-center field that scored two runs and gave the Cavaliers a 6-3 lead. Word hit a solo home run in the ninth inning to make the final margin 7-3. Schmidt had a single and a double and was the only Tiger with more than one hit. Henrie (5-3) picked up the loss for the Tigers after giving up four runs in 4.1 innings.

Clemson Eliminates North Carolina Clemson held off a charge in the late innings to defeat North Carolina 7-6 in the second round of the ACC Tournament in Fort Mill, SC last Thursday.

Clemson held a 7-1 lead after 4 1/2 innings when North Carolina started a comeback. Doubles by Adam Greenberg and Sean Farrell generated a run for the Tar Heels in the fifth inning and they scored again in the seventh. Greenberg singled with one out and Russ Adams reached on Ryan Riley error. After Farrell walked to load the bases, Ralph Roberts singled to right field to score a run. Another run scored on a fielder’s choice and Ryan Blake hit an RBI single as North Carolina climbed to within 7-5.

The Tar Heels trimmed the Clemson lead to 7-6 in the ninth inning on Chad Prosser’s RBI single. North Carolina was in position to tie the game with runners at first and third and two outs when Jeff Baker snagged Brandon Russell’s ground ball down the third base line and threw him out at first to end the game.

Steve Reba (11-3) picked up the win for the Tigers. He scattered 11 hits, the most of his career, and struck out five batters over 6.2 innings while allowing two earned runs. Cram earned his team-leading sixth save with 1.1 innings of work. Greene drove in four runs while Riley, Stone, Baker and Coder each had two hits to lead the offense.

FSU Comeback Stops Clemson Florida State used three straight singles in the ninth inning to score the game-winning run and eliminate Clemson from the ACC Tournament in a 5-4 victory last Friday.

With the game tied 4-4 in the ninth inning, Florida State put runners on first and second after singles by John-Ford Griffin and Ryan Barthelemy. Karl Jernigan followed with a line drive to left field that dropped in front of left fielder Casey Stone and allowed Griffin to score the game-winning run.

Florida State’s Eric Roman (3-2) picked up the win while Josh Cram (4-2) got the loss for Clemson. The reliever got the Tigers out of a jam in the eighth inning but yielded the Seminole run in the ninth. Stone led the way for Clemson on offense with two hits while Baker and Johnson both homered. Stone now has extended his hit streak to 10 games, the longest current streak on the team.

Clemson Finished Second in the ACC by Winning Seven of Eight Conference Series Clemson finished 17-7 in the ACC this season behind Florida State. The Tigers won seven of the eight conference series in 2001. The last time the Tigers won seven of the eight ACC series was in 1995. Clemson was also swept by Florida State that season. Clemson a completed sweeps this season against Maryland, Duke and Virginia. The sweep over the Cavaliers was the Tigers’ seventh ACC series victory this year and clinched second place in the ACC regular season race. Florida State swept the Clemson series in Tallahassee for the only series loss for the Tigers this year.

Six Tigers Garner All-ACC Honors Six Clemson baseball players have been named All-ACC, including four first-team selections. Jarrod Schmidt and Steve Reba were all first-team selections while Ryan Riley and Casey Stone garnered second-team kudos. The four first-team selections were the most since 1995 when Clemson also had four first-team selections. Clemson had no first-team selections in 2000, a year the Tigers advanced to the College World Series. Greene and Schmidt were second-team honorees a year ago, so this is the second time they have been named All-ACC.

Baker, a sophomore third baseman, has 22 home runs to lead the ACC and is tied for the team lead with Stone, a senior left fielder, with a .376 batting average. Greene switched from third base to shortstop and has now been named All-ACC in both positions. Schmidt has 15 home runs and ranks among the league’s top five in that category. He also has a 6-3 record and a 4.15 ERA as a right-handed pitcher. Reba, a junior right-hander leads the ACC with 11 wins and a 2.26 ERA. Riley, a senior, was one of the top second basemen in the ACC and has a .287 batting average. Seventeen of his 58 hits have been for extra bases.

Clemson Regular Season All-ACC Selections First Team 3B Jeff Baker So. SS Khalil Greene Jr. DH Jarrod Schmidt So. SP Steve Reba Jr.

Second Team 2B Ryan Riley Sr. OF Casey Stone Sr.

Baker Belts No. 23 Jeff Baker hit his 23rd home run of the 2001 season Sunday in the eighth inning of Clemson’s 8-2 regional championship game against Seton Hall. The solo shot moved the sophomore from Woodbridge, VA into third place ahead of Jim McCollom who hit 21 in 1985. Baker is not just one home run away from the school record (24) shared by Eric Macrina (1991) and Matthew LeCroy (1997). Baker leads the ACC by five home runs. Florida State’s John-Ford Griffin and Virginia’s Jon Benick each have 18.

Baker Sets Two-Year Home Run Standard Third baseman Jeff Baker has hit 34 home runs in his first two years, which is the school record for home runs hit during a player’s freshman and sophomore years. He has 23 this season, one off the school record, to go with 11 home runs a year ago. His 34 home runs in his first two seasons are five more than Matthew LeCroy, who is tied for the most career home runs with 24. LeCroy hit 29 home runs by the end of his sophomore season in Clemson (1996). Jarrod Schmidt and Michael Johnson are tied fifth most by a freshman and sophomore.

Most Home Runs in First Two Seasons

Clemson and the Long Ball With seven home runs in the Clemson Regional last weekend, the Tigers now have 83 home runs this season. That is more than double last season out put as they hit only 37 home runs a year ago. Fifteen of the 37 homers in 2000 came at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, while this year Clemson has more than tripled the total having hit 54 out of Kingsmore Stadium.

Baker’s total of 23 ranks sixth in the nation last week, eight behind John Vanbenschoten of Kent State, who had 30 homers to lead Division I going into its regional in Columbus, OH. Michael Johnson is fourth, behind Baker, Benick and Griffin, in the ACC with 17. Jarrod Schmidt has hit 15 home runs to tie for sixth in the ACC.

Khalil Greene also had a two-run shot in the Clemson Regional to up his season total to 12. He joins Baker, Schmidt and Johnson with at least 10 home runs this season, the quartet has combined for 67 home runs (80.7 percent of the home runs hit by the Tigers this year).

Only Baker had a double-figure total in 2000 with his 11 round-trippers. Clemson last had four players with 10 or more home runs in 1997 when five players had double-digit totals. Matthew LeCroy led the Tigers with a school best 24, followed by Kurt Bultmann (16), Gary Burnham (15), Jason Embler (14) and Matt Padgett (13). Those five players accounted for 82 of Clemson’s 95 (86.3 percent) homers that season.

Johnson on Four-Game Home Run StreakMichael Johnson is currently enjoying a four-game home run streak dating back to the loss to Florida State in the ACC Tournament. Johnson had one home run in that game and had one in each game of the Clemson Regional. He is the first Tiger to hit a home run in three consecutive regional games though six former Tigers have hit three home runs in NCAA tournament action, while no Tiger has hit more than three homers in the NCAA Tournament. The first baseman from Georgetown, SC, has a home run in six of his last eight games, dating back to the second game of the Virginia doubleheader on May 12.

Clemson Players With Three or More Home Runs in NCAA Tournament in the Same Year 1967 Rusty Adkins 1977* Bill Foley 1990 Jimmy Crowley 1991* Joe DeBerry 1993 Keith Williams 2001 Michael Johnson * indicates CWS Season

Multiple Home Run Games The two home runs hit by Michael Johnson in the 17-1 win over Virginia on May 12 marked the 10th time this season that a Tigerhit two home runs in the same game. Jeff Baker hit in the North Carolina game on April 28 marked the fifth time this season and the seventh time of his career that he hit two homers in the same game. He leads Clemson in that category. Jarrod Schmidt is the only other Tiger with multiple home runs in more than one game. He hit two home runs April 6 at Florida State and again April 14 vs. Duke. The 10 multi-home run games this season is the most in school history.

Multi HR Games This Season Player Multi HR Games Jeff Baker 5Michael Johnson 3 Jarrod Schmidt 2

Multi HR Games in a Season by Individual Player Multi HR Games Year Jeff Baker 5 2001 Matthew LeCroy 4 1997 Eric Macrina 3 1991Michael Johnson 3 2001

19 tied at 2 including current Tigers: Jarrod Schmidt 2 2001 Jeff Baker 2 2000

Greene on Record Fielding Pace Clemson shortstop Khalil Greene is on pace to set the school single season fielding record for a shortstop. That is a celebrated record in Clemson history because it is held by Bill Spiers, the number-13 selection of the 1987 Major League Draft. Spiers, who broke into the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1989, is still in the big leagues with the Houston Astros.

Setting the Clemson record for fielding by a shortstop was not in the plans for Greene when the season started. He wasn’t even playing the position. The junior played the first seven games at third base this year, then moved to shortstop in the eighth game of the season, trading positions with Jeff Baker.

In his 53 games as a shortstop since the Feb. 25 game with Oregon State in Las Vegas, NV, Greene has had 158 assists, 50 putouts and just nine errors for a .963 fielding percentage. He has a .961 overall fielding average for the year including his time at third base early in the season.

Greene enters the NCAA Super Regional with a streak of 61 consecutive flawless chances, a streak that includes the last 12 games. Earlier this year he had streaks of 15 and13 consecutive games without an error.

Spiers had a .950 fielding percentage at shortstop in 1987, a season that saw him play 64 games at short and commit 17 errors. He had 217 assists and 105 putouts. Spiers broke the previous record of .947 that had been set by his father in 1958. Bud Spiers had that percentage for Bill Wilhelm’s first Clemson team, the first team in school history to advance to the College World Series.

Greene Sets HBP Records Who is the Ron Hunt of Clemson baseball? The answer is starting shortstop Khalil Greene who believes in getting on base anyway he can. Hunt set many records for being hit by a pitch in his major league career with the Mets and Expos. Greene is establishing records in that area at Clemson.

Greene was hit for the 20th time this season last week in the ACC Tournament game against Virginia to extend his season record. It was the 46th time in his career, an all-time Clemson record. He is just a junior. Burnham owned the all-time record with 39 HBP recorded between 1994-97. Greene was hit five times in the New York Tech series, including a single game record three times in the first game of the series, a 24-3 win. That included being hit twice in one inning in that game, also a first in Clemson baseball history. Greene has now been hit by a pitch 20 times and walked 21 times this season. He has a .404 on-base percentage for his 219 at bats.

Greene Also Among School Leaders in 6 Categories Khalil Greene not only has learned the art of being hit by a pitch, he is also among the school’s career leaders in six other categories. He ranks in the top 10 in five of the statistics and the top 20 of another. Greene is fifth in career doubles with 61 in his three years at Clemson. He is ninth in career hits (267) and eighth in RBIs (184). The junior from Key West, FL also ranks 10th in at bats (776) and ninth in total bases (415). His .344 career batting average is 17th best in Clemson annals.

Stone Rarely Strikes Out Clemson senior Casey Stone has struck out just nine times in his 263 at bats this season – that is one strike out every 29.2 at bats, the second best season ratio (1/29.2) in Tiger history. Over his career he has a strike out-to-at-bat ratio of 1/16.1, which is 45 strike outs in 725 at bats. Stone also has a knack for reaching base. He has started every game but one this season and has reached safely in 56 of the 60 games. He has gone hitless in just seven games, but has reached twice with a walk and another time he was hit by a pitch. Stone had an 11-game hit streak snapped in the Clemson Regional Championship game. His longest streak of the season reached 14 games. Stone is the only senior to have played all four years at Clemson. The other three on the postseason roster are transfers. Stone has played 223 games in his career, the seventh-best total in school history. His .337 career batting average ties him for 28th all-time.

Pyzik Lays Down the Bunt The sacrifice bunt by Steve Pyzik in the 10th inning at Furman on May 9 was his 11th sac bunt of the season, which ranks second in school history. Casey Stone owns the school record for sacrifice bunts in a season. He had 14 last year. The pair are the only two in history to post double digit sacrifice bunt totals in a season.

Pitching Paces Tigers Clemson ranks second in the ACC in pitching with a 3.92 team ERA. Florida State owns the best team ERA with 3.32, while Georgia Tech is third with a 4.52 ERA. In ACC games only, Clemson led the league with a 3.01 ERA and gave up only nine home runs in conference action. The next closest staff in home runs allowed was Florida State, which watched opponents tee off on 17 home runs. The Seminoles had a 3.13 ERA in ACC games to rank second.

Right handed pitcher Steve Reba owns the best ERA in the ACC. The junior from Fort Wayne, IN sports a 2.15 ERA and also leads the league with an 12-3 record and opponents batting average. The former ACC Pitcher of the Week (April 23) is holding opposing batters to a measly .203. Reba is tops the league in strike outs with 99.

Reba had sprinted out to an 8-1 record before losing two consecutive starts: April 25 vs. South Carolina and April 29 vs. North Carolina. He rebounded for his ninth win of the season, a 7-6 victory at N.C. State on May 5. He pitched the first complete game of his career on April 20, a 3-0 shut out of Georgia Tech. In the win over William & Mary in the opening game of the Clemson Regional he threw just his second complete game allowing the Tribe just four hits. Against Duke on April 14, Steve Reba struck out a career-high 12 batters to lead Clemson to a 10-1 victory over the Blue Devils. Reba went six innings, allowed just two hits and one run. His strike out total was the high mark by a Clemson pitcher since Ryan Mottl had 12 in a loss to Virginia on April 4, 1998.

After Reba’s complete game shutout against Georgia Tech on April 20, Schmidt followed with a complete game of his own in the Saturday game against the Yellow Jackets. In his second complete game of his career, the sophomore showed his form from a year ago when he amassed a perfect 9-0 record. Against Georgia Tech, he did not allow Tech to score a run until the ninth inning. On April 15 vs. Duke, he got the win in 5 1/3 innings allowing just four runs (three earned) off eight hits. Schmidt is now 7-3 after getting the win in the 24-4 game vs. Seton Hall on Saturday. He is holding batters to a .254 average, seventh best in the ACC.

Sophomore Matt Henrie is the most improved pitcher on the Clemson staff in 2001. The sophomore from Jupiter, FL and Cardinal Newman High School appeared in just five games in 1999 and had an ERA of 13.50. He pitched just 3.1 innings for the season. He red-shirted the 2000 season. So far this year, Henrie has a 6-3 record and a 3.06 ERA, which ranks fifth in the ACC. He allowed just one earned run in 6.0 innings in the championship of the Clemson Regional. He is holding opposing batters to a .228 average, fourth best in the conference. Henrie was named ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 7) for pitching seven shutout innings at N.C. State. He is a two-time honoree after grabbing kudos earlier this year when he shutout Maryland 7-0 on March 18. He pitched six innings and allowed just three hits, no runs and struck out five of the 25 batters he faced.

Tiger Players in Clemson Record Lists Below is a look at Tiger players who have set or are in select company in Clemson statistical records. All season records are for the 2001 season only.

Tigers in the ACC Rankings Jeff Baker has 23 home runs, five in front of Virginia’s Jon Benick and Florida State’s John-Ford Griffin, for the most in the ACC. Michael Johnson is tied for fourth in the league with 17 homers while Jarrod Schmidt is sixth in the league with 15 home runs. Baker and Schmidt each finished with nine home runs in ACC games to lead the conference.

Baker has 73 RBIs to rank third in the conference behind Jamie D’Antona, the ACC Freshman of the Year (77), and John-Ford Griffin (74). Baker’s 1.26 RBIs per game is best in the league. Baker is second in slugging percentage (.758), second in total bases (169) and second in on-base percentage (.474). Baker is batting .377 and is sixth just behind teammate Casey Stone (.380). He has also scored the fifth most runs in the ACC, having scored 65.

Casey Stone is tied for fourth in the conference in hits with 100, nine behind Griffin who has 109. He is averaging .42 stolen bases per game and is 25 of 30 (.833) on the base paths this season. Johnson is tied for fifth in walks. He has boarded base 41 times this season by bases on balls and walked three times in the Virginia series and four times in the ACC Tournament.

In the pitching department, Steve Reba is tops in wins (12), ERA (2.15) and opponents’ batting average (.203). He now leads the ACC in strike outs. The righty has 99 strike outs this season, six ahead of Steve Kelly of Georgia Tech.

Joining Reba to rank among the leads best against batters, Matt Henrie is fourth versus opposing batters who have a .228 average against Henrie. Schmidt is hold batters to an average of .254, good enough for seventh in the league. Henrie’s ERA of 3.06 is fourth best in the league.

As a team, Clemson leads the ACC in fielding with a .969 fielding percentage. The Tigers are fourth in batting with a .303 average and are second in pitching with a 3.93 ERA behind Florida State (3.32).

Boyd Out for the Year Senior preseason All-American center fielder Patrick Boyd will not return to the Clemson lineup this season is in the middle of a five-week rehabilitation for his back Clemson head coach Jack Leggett announced May 4 at the conclusion of practice. Clemson has been without the services Boyd for all but one game this season because of a stress fracture in his back. Boyd missed all of preseason practice and missed the team’s first 13 games of the season before appearing in the lineup March 11 in the Tigers’ 17-4 win over Ohio University. Boyd was 1 for 3 with a double and scored two runs against Ohio, but the pain continued and forced him to miss the two games with Georgia Southern. On March 14, he flew with team doctor Byron Harder to Tampa, FL to be checked out by a back specialist, Dr. Tom Tolli, who works primarily with major league baseball players, including Jose Canseco. Boyd immediately began a six-week rehabilitation process and was expected to return to the lineup last weekend vs. North Carolina, but he decided to rest this week while Clemson was taking final exams. He anticipated returning this weekend for the Tigers’ three-game ACC series at N.C. State, but after further review by Dr. Tolli it was determined Boyd was not ready to come back. “I’m obviously disappointed with the results,” Boyd said. “Right now my plan is to focus on getting 100 percent healthy and from their I’ll weigh my options and go in the direction that I think will best benefit my future in baseball.”

“It is an unfortunate situation, but the stress fracture has not healed the way it needed to heal,” Leggett said. “It is very disappointing it had to happen this way, but it is in his best interest not to play. If he were to come back and keep swinging, he could do permanent damage. It is just very disappointing for him because of the person that he is and the potential that he has.” Boyd, who came back to Clemson for his senior year after getting drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, was a 1999 All-American and is a 2001 preseason second-team All-American by Baseball America. He is a career .342 hitter with a .442 on-base percentage and 49 stolen bases in three seasons. The senior from Palm Harbor, FL ranks in the school’s career top-10 lists in five different categories, including walks, doubles, runs scored, hits and RBIs.

Baker Invited to Team USA Trials Jeff Baker was one of 19 players invited May 1 to participate in the 2001 USA Baseball National Team Trials which will be held in Tucson, AZ June 16-19.

Baker will be trying to represent the United States for the fourth time in the last five years. The sophomore from Woodbridge, VA was a member of the 1997 USA Youth National Team that finished fifth at the IBA World Youth Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. He was also a member of the 1999 USA Junior National Team that won the gold medal at the IBA World Junior Championships in Kaohsiung China and in 2000 helped led the USA National Team to the gold medal at the Honkbal Classic in Holland.

The USA National Team will be selected from a pool of approximately 20-29 players, of which an additional 5-10 have yet to be determined. Team USA will play approximately 30 games on the Red, White and Blue Summer Tour, beginning on June 22 with the 30th annual USA vs Japan Collegiate All-Star Series, which this year will be played in Japan.

Jeff Baker Wins Bob Bradley MVP Award Jeff Baker was awarded the first-ever Bob Bradley Award following Wednesday’s game against South Carolina. The award goes to the Clemson MVP in the annual series versus the Gamecocks and is named for the school’s longtime sports information director. Drew Meyer was selected South Carolina’s MVP and was presented the Tom Price Award, named for the Gamecocks former sports information director. Voting was done by the media.

Baker batted .615 (8 for 13) in his three games vs. South Carolina this season. He was a perfect 5 for 5 in the first meeting in Columbia on March 4, a game Clemson won 7-4. It was South Carolina’s first loss of the season against 13 victories. Baker missed the second game in Columbia on April 18 with a head cold. For the series, he hit two home runs, batted in three teammates and scored five times. Meyer was 7 for 15 (.467) with two doubles and two home runs that scored four.

Leggett Selected for Western Carolina Hall of FameJack Leggett, the winningest baseball coach at Western Carolina with 302 victories in nine seasons, will be inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 12-13. Leggett led the Catamounts to an unprecedented five consecutive Southern Conference Championships and five straight NCAA tournament bids from 1985-89. Two of his teams, 1985 and 1987, finished the season ranked among the nation’s top 30. The 1987 squad reached the NCAA Midwest Regional championship game. Western averaged 33 wins per season during Leggett’s tenure and played in the SoCon Championship game in eight of his nine seasons. In addition to his success on the field 100 percent of the players who completed their eligibility with the Catamounts, received a degree from WCU. Three players earned Academic All-American honors.

2001 ACC Review…Clemson Sweeps Virginia The Tigers needed to win two games to clinch the second seed at the ACC Tournament, but instead they took all three games and claimed second place outright.

Steve Reba allowed just one earned run in seven innings and Khalil Greene had four hits and four runs batted in, leading Clemson to an 8-1 college victory over Virginia in the first game of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader. Reba improved to 10-3 with the victory, becoming the first ACC pitcher to reach the 10-win mark this year. He allowed just six hits in seven innings, struck out seven and did not walk a batter. Greene had four hits, including hits ninth home run of the season as he boosted his batting average over .300 for the season. The Clemson shortstop also had three singles. Leadoff hitter Ryan Riley had three hits and an RBI, while number-nine hitter, Kyle Frank, had two hits and drove in a run.

In the second game Saturday, Michael Johnson belted out five hits, including two home runs to lead Clemson to a 17-1 victory over Virginia. Greene knocked in five runs in the contest, giving him nine RBIs for the day. Greene had four hits and four RBIs in the first game. He had just one hit in the second game, but he had a three-run homer, a sacrifice fly and an RBI ground out.

Clemson needed ninth-inning heroics on Sunday to avoid the second extra inning contest of the week. Zane Green’s two-out, pinch hit single in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a frantic finish as Clemson defeated Virginia 5-4. Clemson led 4-0 heading into the top of the ninth when Virginia came roaring back. The Cavaliers scored a run and loaded the bases with four straight singles off reliever Josh Cram to start the inning. David Stone then struck out but another run scored when Cram hit Chris Sweet with a pitch. After a flyout by Hunter Wyant, Jon Benick hit a two-run single to left field that tied the game at four. The inning ended one batter later when Mark Rueffert popped up to second base.

Michael Johnson led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and moved to second base on Jarrod Schmidt sacrifice bunt. Catcher Jon Smith followed with a strikeout to set up the dramatic ending. Green hit a two-strike, two-out line drive single to center field that scored Johnson from second base and allowed the Tigers to walk off with a victory.

Despite giving up the four runs in the ninth inning on Sunday, Cram got the win and moved to 4-1 on the year. Schmidt led the Tiger offense with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. Stone went 1-3 with two runs scored. Virginia reliever Chris Marinak (2-1) got the loss for Virginia.

Steve Reba, Khalil Greene Earn ACC Weekly Honors Clemson’s Steve Reba earns ACC Pitcher of the Week while Clemson’s Khalil Greene and Florida State’s John-Ford Griffin share ACC Player of the Week honors.

Reba, a junior right-hander from Fort Wayne, IN, threw seven innings, allowing just one run and striking out seven of the 26 batters faced. Reba recorded his ACC-leading 10th victory of the year in the 8-1 win over Virginia in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Reba had a 1.29 ERA last week and leads the conference with a 2.22 ERA in 89.0 innings pitched. He has 86 strike outs this season and has allowed only 27 runs, 22 of which have been earned. He is holding opponents to a .194 batting average, the best in the league.

Greene, a junior shortstop, helped Clemson pick up a win over Furman and sweep the series against Virginia. The Key West, FL, native went 7 for 17 (.412) at the plate with 10 RBI and two home runs. He also recorded a stolen base and had at least one hit in all four contests. He became the 10th Tiger this season to hit at least 10 home runs with two in the series against the Cavaliers. He was perfect in the field last week with three put outs and 15 assists. He is not hitting .311 this season.

Clemson Takes Series at N.C. State The Tigers took two of three games against N.C. State last weekend in Raleigh. Clemson held on for a 7-6 victory in the first game of a day-night doubleheader before a ninth-inning rally fell short in the nightcap with the Wolfpack winning 4-3. Sunday’s game went in favor of the Orange and Purple 10-2.

Khalil Greene hit home runs to spark Clemson to the 7-6 victory early on Saturday. Baker gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead on his 18th home run of the season. The shot over the fence in right-center field was his 29th career homer, which tied him with Matthew LeCroy for home runs by a Tiger in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Greene broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth inning with his eighth home run of the season which he hit high off the score board in deep left-center field. Clemson added three runs in the fifth inning and two in the sixth and had to hold on for a one-run victory. Steve Reba got the win to improve to 9-3 after he pitched 6 1/3 innings scattering eight hits while only allowing four runs, three earned.

Justin Riley scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on an infield single to give N.C. State a 4-3 victory in Saturday’s second game. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Wright reached first base on a Baker’s second error of the game and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Sean Walsh singled to right field and that moved Wright to third base. Jamey Shearin was intentionally walked by Clemson and then Riley hit a dribbler between third base and the pitcher that Clemson reliever Josh Cram could not field cleanly and Wright scored the winning run.

On Sunday, Matt Henrie pitched seven innings of shutout baseball and Clemson had 16 hits in a 10-2 victory that clinched the weekend ACC series against the Wolfpack. Steve Pyzik was 4 for 4 for the Tigers with two RBIs while Ryan Riley, Khalil Greene each had two hits for Clemson.

Henrie Tabbed ACC Pitcher of the Week Clemson sophomore right-handed pitcher Matt Henrie was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week after pitching seven scoreless innings in a 10-2 win over N.C. State in Raleigh on Sunday.

Henrie gave up no runs on five hits while walking just two and striking out four of the 26 batters he faced. Henrie improved to 5-2 this season in eight starts and sports a 3.09 ERA, the second best among Clemson’s starters and third best in the ACC. He is holding opposing batters to a .226 batting average, which ranks fourth in the ACC. Henrie has pitched 55 1/3 innings with 44 strike outs. He has allowed just 27 earned runs on 47 hits. It was the second time this season that Henrie has been named ACC Pitcher of the Week. He garnered honors March 19 after allowing no runs on three hits in 6.0 innings in a 7-0 victory in the series finale against Maryland.

Clemson Wins UNC Series 2-1 The Tigers beat North Carolina on Friday and Saturday in come-from-behind victories to clinch the season series against the Tar Heels and then lost Sunday’s game 4-0.

Khalil Greene slugged a two-out three-run home run in the sixth inning to key Clemson to a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over North Carolina in ACC baseball action on Friday, April 27.

On Saturday, Steve Pyzik were the heroes. Baker sent the game into extra innings with a two-out two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth and Pyzik’s single drove in the winning run in the 10th inning as Clemson defeated North Carolina 10-9. North Carolina appeared to be headed for victory holding a 9-7 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth until Baker stepped to the plate. Clemson’s best hitter sent Jason Howell’s offering deep over the left field fence for a two-run home run that tied the game at nine and pushed it into extra innings. Baker had already homered earlier in the game and the two-homer night was his fifth multi-homer game of the season. In the bottom of the 10th, Greene singled and stole second base to lead off the inning. Jarrod Schmidt was intentionally walked and Chad Coder laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third base with one out. After Zane Green’s was intentionally walked to load the bases, Pyzik hit a chopper to the right side of the infield that got through and scored the winning run. Sunday belonged to North Carolina pitcher Scott Autrey as he limited the Clemson offense to four hits in a 4-0 win on Sunday. Autrey struck out six over nine innings and did not allow a Tiger runner to reach third base. He out-dueled Clemson starter Steve Reba (8-3), who struck out five over 8.1 innings but was credited with all four earned runs.

The Tar Heels got to Reba with a two-out rally in the eighth inning. Ron Braun and Brandon Russell singled and then scored when Adam Greenberg doubled to left field. North Carolina padded its lead in the ninth with a pair of runs.

Complete Game Shutout Was the First vs. Clemson by an ACC Team Since 1997 ACC Tournament The pitching performance by North Carolina starter Scott Autrey April 29 was something that no other conference pitcher had been able to do against Clemson in almost four years. The sophomore right hander tossed a complete game shutout against the Tigers, the first in ACC play since May 17, 1997 when Florida State’s Chris Chavez blanked the Tigers 10-0 in the ACC Tournament championship. The last time Clemson was shutout in a complete game not in an ACC contest was the opening weekend of the 2000 season. Central Florida beat the Tigers 5-0 in the ACC Disney Blast on Jan. 30.

Tigers Take Georgia Tech Series 2-1 The Tigers got back to back complete games from Steve Reba on Friday and Jarrod Schmidt on Saturday as Clemson took 3-0 and 5-1 victories against Georgia Tech last weekend to remain in second place in the ACC standings.

Reba struck out seven in Clemson’s first complete game shutout in ACC play since 1996. Last Friday’s effort came against the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets, who entered the game with a .352 team batting average, the best in the nation. The right hander improved to 8-1 and kept the Tech hitters off-balanced and gave up only an infield single in the first five innings.

Schmidt produced his best outing of the season as Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 5-1 last Saturday night. The right hander allowed five hits and one run while striking out four over nine innings. Schmidt helped his own cause in the eighth inning with a blast over the left field fence for a 5-0 lead.

On Sunday, Georgia Tech used a solid pitching effort from Kyle Bakker and 11 hits by its offense to take a 5-3 victory against the Tigers. Bakker scattered seven hits over eight innings and gave up three runs, none of which were earned.

The First Complete Game Shutout Since… Steve Reba struck out seven Friday night against Georgia Tech in Clemson’s first complete game shutout in ACC play since Ken Vining’s 2-0 win over Florida State on May 6, 1996. Friday’s effort came against the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets, who entered the game with a .352 team batting average, the best in the nation. The complete game was the first in Reba’s career.

Back-to-Back Complete Games Jarrod Schmidt performance on Saturday, April 21, followed Steve Reba’s complete game shutout of the Yellow Jackets on Friday. The feat of back-to-back complete games was last accomplished in the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Clemson in 1996. Billy Koch pitched in a 5-1 victory over Old Dominion on May 24 and Ken Vining defeated West Virginia 6-3 a day later.

Clemson had just three complete games in all of 2000. Ryan Mottl pitched complete games in the 8-4 win over Florida State (5/18) in the ACC Tournament and then again in the 4-0 victory against Middle Tennessee (5/26) in the Clemson Regional. Mottl’s pair of complete games were in back-to-back starts. Schmidt had the first of his career at North Carolina (4/1) in a 10-2 victory.

Reba Grabs ACC Weekly Pitching Honors Clemson’s Steve Reba earned Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week honors April 23 while Virginia’s Dan Street was selected the ACC Player of the Week honors.

Pitcher of the Week honors were claimed by Reba, a junior right-handed pitcher for the Tigers. The Fort Wayne, IN native threw a complete game shutout of seventh-ranked Georgia Tech to open the series with a 3-0 win over the Yellow Jackets. In nine innings, Reba faced 33 batters, striking out seven and allowing just three hits and one walk. He held the Jackets to a .097 batting average and was the first Clemson complete game shutout versus an ACC opponent since Ken Vining took home a 2-0 victory against Florida State in 1996.

Tigers Complete 3-Game Sweep of Duke Clemson scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on its way to a 6-4 victory and a three-game sweep of the Duke Blue Devils on April 15.

Clemson’s three-game sweep coupled with Wake Forest’s 2-1 series win over Georgia Tech vaulted the Tigers from fourth place in the ACC standings on Friday into second place behind only Florida State on Sunday. Duke, which had failed to score a run before the fourth inning in either of the two previous games, scored one run in the first inning on Sunday. The Blue Devils added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 3-0 lead.

Clemson scored five runs on four hits in the fifth inning to go on top 5-3. Ryan Riley was hit by Duke starter Justin Dilucchio. Michael Johnson followed with a single to score Stone and then Khalil Greene doubled to score Riley. Schmidt tied the game with a base hit that scored Johnson. The Tigers added two runs on a throwing error by Alleva at third base.

Duke got one run back in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Scott Grossi that scored Kevin Kelly, but Clemson added an insurance run in the eighth on a base hit by Riley that scored Steve Pyzik.

Clemson Swept by Florida State The Tigers dropped all three games April 6-8 in Tallahassee to fall to 5-4 in the ACC. Florida State won 7-4 on Friday, 7-6 on Saturday and then claimed a 6-1 win on Sunday to complete its first sweep of the Tigers since 1995. Clemson threw undefeated pitchers in all three contests and all were charged with their first loss of the season, including the starters in the first two games that ranked one and two in the ACC in ERA. Steve Reba entered Friday night’s game with a 1.99 ERA yet allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Matt Henrie entered the game with a 3-0 record and a 2.08 ERA but allowed six earned runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for his first defeat. On Sunday, Nick Glaser let three earned runs score on five hits in 1 2/3 innings. The Orange and Purple had their moments on offense. Jarrod Schmidt belted two home runs on Friday in a 2 for 3 night and then on Saturday Jeff Baker put up two homers, including a shot in the ninth that could have tied the game had Kyle Jernigan not roped in a shot to deep center field by Chad Coder the batter before Baker. Clemson gave up big innings on both Friday and Saturday. The Seminoles scored five runs in the sixth inning on Friday and then scored four runs in the fifth on Saturday.

Clemson Wins 2 of 3 at Wake Forest The Tigers took two of the three meetings from Wake Forest in Winston-Salem March 23-25. Clemson won the first game 4-1 in 12 innings and took the rubber game on Sunday with a convincing 9-1 victory. Wake Forest won 12-3 on Saturday.

On Friday, Wake Forest left the bases loaded in the ninth after a couple of squandered bunting situations and then again failed to score on three singles in the 11th. Clemson made the Deacons pay in the very next inning and loaded the bases with just one hit. A hit by pitch, sacrifice bunt, an error and a single filled the bases full of Tigers before Michael Johnson’s single to left brought in one run. Zane Green’s lined a single to left to score two more runs and give Clemson the 4-1 victory. On Saturday, Wake Forest senior Cory Sullivan was the star of the game throwing a complete game win and going three-for-five at the plate with three RBI as the Demon Deacons won 12-3.

Clemson fought back to win Sunday’s series deciding game. Wake Forest pitchers had allowed just six home runs in the first 24 games but four Clemson batters went deep for the Tigers on Sunday. Michael Johnson and Ryan Riley hit back-to-back homers in the fourth to give the Clemson a 5-0 lead. Khalil Greene and Jeff Baker tacked on insurance runs via the long ball. It was Greene’s second home runs of the year and the eighth for Baker. It was more than enough for Tiger starter Matt Henrie who pitched eight strong innings and yielded just one run on six hits. He struck out five and surrendered just one extra base hit all day. Henrie earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the season. Thomas Boozer pitched the final three outs.

Clemson in Super Regionals…2000:Lynn Saves the Day as Tigers Down Bulldogs 11-4 in Game One of Super Regional Kevin Lynn pitched 7.1 scoreless innings of relief to lead Clemson over #10 Mississippi State 11-4 in front of 6,308 fans on June 2 in the first game of the Clemson Super Regional. Lynn relieved Ryan Mottl and allowed just three hits, no runs, and no walks while striking out six. After Clemson took a 3-0 lead in the first, the Bulldogs stormed back with four runs in the second, two of which scored on a fielding error by Khalil Greene. Greene later redeemed himself with two outstanding defensive plays and two doubles. Trailing 4-3 in the fifth, Clemson scored six runs to salt the game away. Ryan Riley sacrifice fly tied the score 4-4, and Mike Calitri’s two-run double gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish. Calitri’s batted ball was a routine fly ball, but was lost in the late evening sky. Clemson went on to score three additional runs in the frame. Justin Singleton and Greene chipped in with three hits apiece to lead the Tigers’ 14-hit attack, while the Bulldogs managed just four hits in the game.

Tigers Omaha Bound Thanks to 9-4 Win Over Mississippi State Henr’ Stanley came off the bench to tally three hits and three RBIs, and Brian Ellis added three hits as Clemson downed #10 Mississippi State 9-4 in front of a Clemson record crowd of 6,392 in the Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Stanley and Ellis, who batted in the last two spots in the batting order, had six of the team’s 12 hits, and had five of the team’s seven RBIs. Steve Reba, who relieved Scott Berney in the second inning, got the win by pitching 4.2 effective innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. Nick Glaser pitched the final 3.0 innings, allowing two hits and no runs to pick up his 15th save of the season, setting a Tiger single-season record in the process. The Bulldogs left 11 runners on base.

1999:Texas A&M Beats Tigers 20-3 in Opener Daylan Holt hit two homers and drove in four runs, pacing a 22-hit attack that carried Texas A&M (51-15) to a rout of Clemson (41-26). Kurt Bultman’s homer gave Clemson a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Aggies struck for seven in the bottom of the inning off the Tigers’ Ryan Mottl (4-8). Holt keyed the inning with a three-run homer. Texas A&M added seven more runs in the second and led 18-2 after four innings. Holt hit a solo shot in his second at-bat. His 34th homer broke a Big 12 season record. Casey Fossum (11-6) went seven innings, striking out six batters and giving up two runs on four hits. He walked two.

Tigers Rebound for 10-3 Win Over Aggies Henri Stanley’s two-run homer keyed a five-run sixth and Clemson added four more in the seventh in a 10-3 victory over Texas A&M that forced a deciding third game. Casey Stone drove in two runs in each of the big innings for the Tigers (42-26). Stanley capped the seventh inning with an RBI double. Reliever Chris Heck (6-0) picked up the win, allowing one run and four hits in 3 2/3 innings, his longest outing of the year.

Texas A&M Omaha-Bound after 5-4 Win Texas A&M’s Steve Scarborough and Steven Truitt hit ninth-inning solo home runs to power the Aggies to a 5-4 victory over Clemson. Texas A&M (52-16) will play Florida State in the first round of the College World Series. Scarborough and Truitt hit the first home runs of the year off Clemson reliever Chris Heck (6-1), who was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s 10-3 Clemson victory. Clemson (42-27) had rallied for a 4-3 lead with three runs in the eighth. Bradley Stone’s two-out RBI single followed Bradley LeCroy’s game-tying two-run single.