Clemson Moves Up In Baseball Polls

March 12, 2001

CLEMSON,SC – After going 3-0 last week, the Clemson baseball team climbed back into the top 10 of the Collegiate Baseball poll released Monday. The Tigers are 10-4 and remain 14th in the Baseball America poll and moved up to 14th (from 15th) in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll.

Clemson swept three home games last week, beating the College of Charleston 5-3 on Wednesday and then claiming a two-game weekend series versus Ohio by scores of 5-2 and 17-4.

The Tigers will host Georgia Southern Tuesday and Wednesday before taking to the road for an 11-day, eight-game spring break road trip to Maryland, Old Dominion and Wake Forest.

Third baseman Jeff Baker continues to pave the way for Clemson on offense. He currently leads the ACC with a .474 batting average and in home runs with seven on the year. The sophomore from Woodbridge, VA batted .818 (9-11) in the three games last week with 9 RBIs, two doubles and two home runs. Baker had two doubles against the Bobcats on Saturday and had a three-run home run and his second grand slam of the season Sunday versus Ohio. His slugging percentage was 1.545 in the three games and he had an on-base percentage of .857.

Clemson freshman right-hander Steven Jackson will likely start for the Tigers on Tuesday, while the pitcher for Wednesday will be announced later. Jackson is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA, the best among Clemson’s starting pitchers. Georgia Southern is 11-6 this season.

Tuesday night’s game against Georgia Southern will begin at 7:00 PM and will be the first night game of the season. The two teams will close the series Wednesday with a 3:00 PM start. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on WGOG-FM (96.3) in Walhalla, while Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on WCSZ-AM (1070) in Greenville.