Clemson vs. N.C. State Preview

May 16, 2007

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Clemson vs. N.C. State Clemson (35-18, 17-10 ACC), ranked as high as #14 in the nation, will travel to Raleigh, NC to take on N.C. State (34-18, 14-13 ACC) in a three-game series from Thursday to Saturday at Doak Field. Game times are 7:00 PM (Thursday), 7:00 PM (Friday), and 1:00 PM (Saturday), as the two teams will conclude the regular season.

Saturday’s game will be televised live by Regional Sports Network and be available on FSN South. The games on Thursday and Friday will be also shown live via webcast at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.

The Series Clemson and N.C. State have met 163 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 98-64-1 lead (including winning five in a row and 11 of the last 13) in the series dating back to 1921.

Last year at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers swept N.C. State by a combined score of 19-9, including scores of 9-5, 4-2, and 6-2. Clemson then captured the ACC Tournament title with an 8-4 win over N.C. State in Jacksonville, FL. Two years ago at N.C. State, the Wolfpack won two of three games. In game-two, Clemson won 16-9 behind five hits, three homers, eight RBIs, and a school-record 16 total bases by then-freshman Taylor Harbin.

The Tigers hold a 35-33 advantage over the Wolfpack all-time in games played at N.C. State. Clemson also leads 76-51 in games played during the ACC regular season. Tiger Head Coach Jack Leggett is 32-14 against the Wolfpack as Clemson’s head coach, including an 8-10 mark at Doak Field. Leggett was also 7-18 against the Wolfpack as the head coach at Western Carolina, meaning he is 39-32 all-time against N.C. State.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, N.C. State will start sophomore lefthander Eric Surkamp (4-3, 2.71 ERA) on the mound. The Cincinnati, OH native has made 13 starts for a total of 79.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 69 hits (.236 opponents’ batting average) and 24 walks with 66 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior lefty Daniel Moskos (3-4, 2.63 ERA) in game-one on Thursday. The Alta Loma, CA native has made 17 relief appearances and six starts for a total of 54.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 50 hits (.255 opponents’ batting average) and 27 walks with 66 strikeouts.

N.C. State will start sophomore righty Clayton Shunick (4-2, 6.19 ERA) on the mound in game-two. The Alpharetta, GA native has made 17 relief appearances and one start for a total of 36.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 41 hits (.273 opponents’ batting average) and 15 walks with 39 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior righty David Kopp (5-2, 3.69 ERA) on Friday. The Margate, FL native has made 14 starts for a total of 78.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 82 hits (.271 opponents’ batting average) and 24 walks with 63 strikeouts.

N.C. State’s starter for game-three has yet to be determined.

The Tigers will start sophomore righthander D.J. Mitchell (4-0, 3.16 ERA) on Saturday. The Rural Hall, NC native has made eight relief appearances and five starts for a total of 42.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 36 hits (.224 opponents’ batting average) and 13 walks with 41 strikeouts.

The Wolfpack N.C. State, led by 11th-year Head Coach Elliott Avent, enters the series with a 34-18 overall record and 14-13 ACC mark after defeating UNC Asheville 7-4 at home on Tuesday. The Wolfpack also won two of three games at #3 Virginia over the weekend. N.C. State has a 22-7 home record this season as well.

N.C. State is hitting .299 with a .396 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 95 doubles, 19 triples, and 47 homers, and has walked 265 times compared to 365 strikeouts. N.C. State has stolen 36 bases in 55 attempts as well.

Dallas Poulk is hitting a team-best .379, while Pat Ferguson is batting .338. Ryan Pond is hitting .333 with six homers and 37 RBIs. Mike Roskopf, who stands 6’7″, has a team-high 10 homers as well.

The pitching staff boasts a 3.57 ERA and .245 opponents’ batting average. It has also totaled 381 strikeouts against only 163 walks. Junior righthander Eryk McConnell has a 1.38 ERA and 10 saves in 24 relief appearances. The team has a solid .970 fielding percentage as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters the series with a 35-18 overall record and 17-10 ACC mark after trouncing College of Charleston 19-7 at home on Tuesday. The Tigers also won two of three games at #2 Florida State over the weekend. The Tigers, who are 9-7 on opponents’ home fields, are ranked as high as #14 in the nation.

The team is hitting .291 with a .376 on-base percentage. Taylor Harbin has added eight homers and 51 RBIs, including 10 RBIs in the last three games.

The pitching staff has a 3.61 ERA and .258 opponents’ batting average. It has combined to strike out 455 against 183 walks. Daniel Moskos has a team-high six saves and 2.63 ERA, while Stephen Clyne has a 1.83 ERA along with three saves in 26 relief appearances. The team is fielding at a .970 clip as well.

Five Tigers will be on the travel roster at N.C. State, including D.J. Mitchell (Rural Hall).

Worth Noting * Clemson has 19 come-from-behind among its 35 overall wins this season. * In Clemson’s first 45 games, the team totaled 34 home runs (0.76 per game). In the last eight games, the Tigers have hit 20 homers (2.50 per game).

Tigers Trounce College of Charleston 19-7 Tuesday Behind 10 runs in the fourth inning, #14 Clemson defeated College of Charleston 19-7 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on May 15. The Tigers took a 14-4 lead with the 10 runs in the fourth, eight of which came with two outs. Taylor Harbin was 3-for-4 with a double and six RBIs, while Marquez Smith was 3-for-4 with a double, homer, and three RBIs. Mitchell added three of Clemson’s 15 hits as well. Starter P.J. Zocchi picked up the win despite seeing the Tigers’ consecutive-scoreless-inning streak against the Cougars end at 30 over five meetings.