Monday 06/21/1999
May 18, 1999
Clemson in the ACC Tournament Clemson enters the 26th annual ACC Tournament with an overall tournament record of 77-37. With 77 victories in the tournament, Clemson has more tournament wins than any other ACC school. The Tigers also own a conference best eight tournament titles.
In Durham, Clemson will be looking for its fourth tournament crown of the 90’s and first since 1994. That year the Tigers defeated Florida State 4-1 in Greenville, SC. In addition to 1994, Clemson won tournament titles in 1991 and 1993.
Clemson in Durham at the ACC Tournament Of the seven sites the ACC Tournament has been held, Durham is the only city in which Clemson has a losing record. The Tigers are 4-8 in ACC Tournament games played in Durham.
Clemson is 0-4 in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Tigers finished the 1996 ACC Tournament in Durham with a 2-2 record, but both wins were not at the DBAP. Due to rain, Clemson played two games at North Carolina’s Boshamer Stadium.
Last season in Durham, Clemson lost its first two games in the ACC Tournament for the first time in history.
Clemson as #3 Seed in the ACC Tournament For the second straight season and fifth time in tournament history, Clemson will enter the ACC Tournament as a #3 seed. Clemson won the 1980 tournament in Raleigh, NC as a #3 seed.
Clemson vs. N.C. State in the ACC Tournament Clemson leads the series with N.C. State in the ACC Tournament 12-9. The Tigers are riding a four-game winning streak over the Pack in the tournament that dates back to an 11-7 win in the 1993 championship game in Greenville, SC. Clemson’s latest tournament win over State came in 1997 in St. Petersburg by the score of 11-6. N.C. State’s last win over Clemson in the ACC Tournament was in the 1992 championship game in which the Wolfpack won 7-3.
N.C. State Takes Two Out of Three From Tigers N.C. State pounded out 19 runs and 21 hits in winning game one of the series 19-9 (May 14-15). The game began on Friday night, but was stopped in the second inning due to rain and completed on Saturday. However, N.C. State’s bats didn’t miss a beat as the Pack scored 15 runs in the game’s first three innings. Five Wolfpack players scored three or more runs in the contest, including Josh Schmitt who went 3-for-3 with four runs, five RBIs and a home run.
In the second game, N.C. State scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on the way to a 7-4 win. Dan Mooney paced N.C. State with a 2-for-4 performance that included three RBIs.
Clemson rallied to take game three of the series 7-4 behind home runs by Jason Harris, Derek Borgert, and Mike Calitri. Reliever Chris Heck pitched the game’s final three innings for the Tigers to preserve the win. The Philadelphia, PA native struck out six while allowing no runs and only one hit in earning his third save of the season.
Clemson Faring Well Against Top-Notch Competition Clemson is 9-5 against teams ranked in the top 25 by Collegiate Baseball and 8-5 against teams ranked by USA Today/Baseball Weekly. The five losses came at the hands of #1 Florida State (2), #6 Miami (FL) (2), and #14 North Carolina (1). The Florida State and Miami (FL) losses were away from home as well. In six seasons under Jack Leggett, Clemson has won 70 games over top-25 foes, an average of almost 12 wins per season. And in the last 11 seasons, Clemson has won 119 games over top-25 teams. Below is a year-by-year breakdown of wins over top-25 teams.
Season Top-25 Wins Season Top-25 Wins 1999 9 1993 13 1998 8 1992 12 1997 6 1991 11 1996 13 1990 5 1995 15 1989 8 1994 19 Total (Last 11 years) 119
Tigers Land Back In Poll After being absent from the College Baseball polls for seven weeks, Clemson landed back in the top 25 of the Collegiate Baseball poll at #23 on April 26 thanks to four wins over ranked teams (three against #19 Georgia Tech (April 23-25) and one over #20 South Carolina (April 21)), and thanks to having won eight of its last nine games up to that point. Clemson is currently ranked 19th in this week’s Collegiate Baseball, but is not ranked in Baseball America or USA Today Baseball Weekly.
Tiger Tidbits * Clemson is 16-7 at night. * Clemson is 6-1 in its last seven games against top-25 teams and is 9-5 against top-25 ranked teams according to Collegiate Baseball. * Clemson is 6-0 in its last six games decided by one run (8-5 overall) * Clemson is 10-5 in its last 15 ACC games. * Ryan Mottl is 2-6 as a starter this season (14 starts); but his six no decisions, Clemson is 6-0.
Clemson 37-13 Against SEC Teams Under Leggett In six seasons under Head Coach Jack Leggett, Clemson has had tremendous success against the Southeastern Conference. Leggett’s record against the SEC as the Tigers’ skipper is 37-13 (.740), including 15 wins against top-25 teams. Leggett also has at least a ..500 record against all six SEC schools he has faced while at Clemson. Since getting blown out 38-16 at South Carolina in 1997, the Tigers have won eight straight games against SEC foes. Below is a list of Leggett’s record at Clemson against each of the six SEC member schools he has faced:
SEC Leggett's Record Winning Opponent at Clemson Percentage Alabama 2-0 1.000 Auburn 1-1 .500 Georgia 9-3 .750 Kentucky 3-0 1.000 South Carolina 13-6 .684 Tennessee 9-3 .750 Totals 37-13 .740
Tigers Explode For 16 Runs In One Inning Clemson had its third highest run total in a single inning in school history, 16 runs in the fourth inning, against Georgia Tech on April 23 in a 24-4 win. The Tigers scored all 16 runs with one out in the half inning that lasted 49 minutes. The run total was the most in a fourth inning by four runs, as it broke the record of 12 set against Davidson on April 2, 1952 and versus Duke on March 31, 1974. The 16 runs came just one run shy of tying the NCAA record for most runs in a fourth inning. Big innings have not been rare in the past two seasons. Clemson scored at least 11 runs in a single inning on five occasions in a 15-game stretch in 1998 and plated 11 runs in the third inning against Western Carolina on April 7. Three of the top four inning totals by a Tiger team have been under Leggett.
The 24 runs in the game was also the highest run total for a Tiger team under Head Coach Jack Leggett and the most since Clemson scored 24 runs against, ironically, Georgia Tech in the 1991 ACC Championship game on May 14. The 20-run margin was also the second highest under Leggett.
Clemson's Largest Run-Producing Innings Date Opponent Site Inning Runs 3-21-98 Maryland H 3rd 19 4-7-79 N.C. State A 9th 18 4-23-99 Georgia Tech H 4th 16 3-14-98 Maine (2) H 6th 14 4-2-52 Davidson H 4th 12 3-31-74 Duke H 4th 12 3-20-78 Duke H 5th 12 3-10-87 Marshall H 1st 12 2-28-98 N.C.-Wilmington H 3rd 12 3-14-98 Maine (1) H 5th 12 Note: bold denotes under Jack Leggett
Highest Scoring Run Totals Under Jack Leggett Score Opponent Site Date 24-4 Georgia Tech H 4-23-99 22-4 Stetson (2) H 3-6-98 22-11 Coastal Carolina H 3-8-97 21-0 George Mason H 3-13-99 20-1 North Carolina H 4-1-95 20-7 North Carolina H 5-9-99
Tigers Unloading Of all the situations a player wants to come through in, bases loaded is at the top of the list. And Clemson has taken advantage of 114 at bats with the bases loaded with a .386 batting average. In the Tigers’ 24-run outburst against #19 Georgia Tech on April 23, Clemson hitters were 5-for-7 with the bases juiced. Henr Stanley leads the team hitting .778 (7-for-9), while Kurt Bultmann and Brian Ellis are both hitting .714 (5-for-7) with the bases full.
Clemson Off To Fast Starts In First Innings The Tigers have not had a problem in ’99 getting early leads, as they hold a 68-37 advantage in scoring in first innings of games. The Tigers have scored 516 runs in the 56 games of ’99, an average of 9.2 runs per game. Below is a list of inning-by-inning scoring:
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ex Total CLEMSON 68 59 48 85 75 60 48 52 17 4 516 Opponents 37 50 49 39 52 41 32 43 27 6 376
Wins Over #1 Ranked Teams Despite falling twice to Florida State from April 9-11 in Tallahassee, Clemson took one game from the #1-ranked team in the country when the Tigers won 8-4 on April 10. It was the ninth win over the nation’s top team in Tiger history. Ironically, all nine triumphs have come away from home.
Clemson Wins Over #1-Ranked Baseball Teams Date Site Opponent Score 5-21-77 Miami, FL Miami (FL) 7-2 5-22-77 Miami, FL Miami (FL) 10-9 5-10-86 Greenville, SC Miami (FL) 7-4 5-11-86 Greenville, SC Miami (FL) 9-5 5-17-93 Greenville, SC Georgia Tech 9-8 5-13-94 Atlanta, GA Georgia Tech 9-8 5-15-94 Atlanta, GA Georgia Tech 7-4 6-4-96 Omaha, NE Alabama 14-13 4-10-99 Tallahassee, FL Florida State 8-4
Clemson’s Poll Streak Ends At 146 Weeks Clemson was ranked in at least one of the major College Baseball polls for 146 straight polls until March 8, 1999. Clemson, who lost six of eight games after starting the season 4-0, was also ranked in the top 10 by one of the polls in 82 of the 146 polls (56.2%). The last time the Tigers were unranked was in the final poll of the 1990 season. Over the 146-week stretch that lasted over eight seasons, the Tigers had a record of 407-138 (.747).
Walking Leading To Runs, Wins Clemson has a team on-base percentage of .424 thanks in part to its 386 walks (6.9 per game). That has led to Clemson averaging 9.2 runs per game.
Jason Harris and Brian Ellis became just the second and third Tigers to walk five times in one game. Jason Harris has perhaps the best eye of all Tigers, as he has walked 57 times while striking out just 27 times in ’99. The team has also had high walk totals in a game, walking at least 10 times on 11 occasions. In those 10 games, Clemson is 9-1.
Highest Single-Game Walk Totals By Clemson In 1999 Walks Opponent Site Date W/L Score 16 George Mason (1) H 3/13 W 13-2 16 North Carolina H 5/9 W 20-7 13 Washington N1 2/25 W 13-12 13 Nevada-Las Vegas N1 2/26 L 11-12 (10) 13 George Mason (2) H 3/13 W 21-0 12 George Mason H 3/12 W 14-4 12 Georgia H 3/23 W 17-5 11 Maryland A 3/20 W 9-2 11 Wofford H 3/24 W 12-4 10 Coastal Carolina H 3/10 W 14-6 10 Duke H 4/18 W 7-5 N1 - UNLV/Coors Desert Classic at Las Vegas, NV
Bultmann Sets Tiger Doubles Record, Nearing ACC Best Senior second baseman Kurt Bultmann gets the most out of his 5′-8″ frame. He showed he belonged when he hit .471 in the College World Series as a freshman after hitting just .243 in the first 41 games of his career. Then he hit a school record 31 doubles and 48 extra base hits as a sophomore. Now he has risen to the top of the Tiger career doubles list and is climbing the home run list as well. The Seminole, FL native hit his 78th career double against South Carolina on April 21 to set the school record, surpassing Gary Burnham (1994-97). It was a memorable night for Bultmann, who also hit a home run, had a ninth-inning single with two outs, and scored the winning run in Clemson’s thrilling 5-4 win over the rival Gamecocks. He also has hit 41 career home runs, fifth best. His 82 doubles is also tied with the ACC record held by Yellow Jacket Jason Varitek (1991-94). Bultmann, who has 206 career RBIs and has scored 226 runs, became just the third player in Clemson history and 10th in ACC history to score 200 runs and drive in 200 runs. He reached that milestone when he drove in four runs against Winthrop on May 7, 1999. He also hit two homers, a double, totaled four hits, and scored three runs against the Eagles. He also needs just seven hits to become just the sixth player in ACC history and first in Clemson history to join the 300-hit, 200-run, and 200-RBI club. He is already just the fifth Tiger to score 200 career runs. The pressure he has endured has not effected Bultmann of late, as he is 32-for-90 (.355) in the last 23 games. Bultmann is also coming through with the bases loaded (5-for-7).
He had one of his best games against #24 Washington on Feb. 25 when he was 3-for-5 with two homers (grand slam and three-run) and eight RBIs. He also has shown why Baseball America listed him as the best defensive second baseman in the ACC. Bultmann went 29 consecutive games (dating back to last season) without committing an error (127 chances) before his streak ended on Feb. 26 at UNLV. He also had a streak of not committing an error in 15 games in March to early April of ’99 and a 14-game errorless streak from April 7 to the first game of a doubleheader on May 1. Bultmann has seen his fielding percentage fall slightly to .965 (only nine errors) in ’99 after fielding at a .979 clip (five errors) in ’98. He is a career .393 hitter (22-for-56) in NCAA Tournament play as well. All this for a player who was all but resigned to attending junior college out of high school. Below is a list where Bultmann ranks in the all-time Tiger doubles list:
Clemson Career DOUBLE Leaders Rk. Name (Years) Doubles 1. Kurt Bultmann (1996-present) 82 2. Gary Burnham (1994-97) 77 3. Bert Heffernan (1985-88) 63 4. Chuck Baldwin (1984-87) 62 5. Shane Monahan (1993-95) 60
Bultmann has returned to his form of ’97 as he is hitting .344 with a ..451 on base percentage, 23 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 66 runs scored, 64 RBIs, and five stolen bases in 55 games this season.
Heck Of A Recovery Senior lefthander Chris Heck (Philadelphia, PA) transferred to Clemson before this season and was primed to be the Tiger closer. But a torn labrum that required surgery kept Heck on the sidelines for the first half of ’99. Now Heck is back at full strength. He has been one of Leggett’s “go-to” pitchers in recent weeks and was named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week for his efforts against #20 South Carolina and #19 Georgia Tech. He earned his first win as a Tiger against the Gamecocks on April 21 by pitching the last 2.1 innings, allowing no hits, no runs, and one walk while striking out four. Then he picked up his first save as a Tiger against the Yellow Jackets on April 25 by pitching 2.2 innings, allowing one earned run and no walks. He picked up his second win in the second game of a doubleheader against Virginia on May 1 by pitching 3.0 innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and no runs while striking out three batters. He then picked up his fourth consecutive “positive” stat (win/save) in as many appearances by picking up the win against Western Carolina on May 4, where he allowed one run in the last 3.0 innings. He pitched three scoreless innings and struck out six in earning his third save of the season at N.C. State (May 16). Heck, who has played under Tiger Pitching Coach Kevin O’Sullivan in the Cape Cod League, has a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched (12 relief appearances) to go along with a 3-0 record and three saves in ’99.
Roper Making Most Of Opportunity Junior Doug Roper (Vidalia, GA) struggled earlier this season at the plate. And with the emergence of Bradley LeCroy at shortstop, Roper’s playing time at shortstop was diminishing. So Roper, who started almost every game at shortstop in ’98 and is hitting just .178 this season, took advantage of an opportunity afforded to him by Coach Leggett. The idea was for Roper, who had pitched just 7.0 innings in his Tiger career in “mop-up” roles, to move to the bullpen on a full-time basis. The switch has paid off as Roper has a 4.91 ERA in 22.0 innings (11 appearances) since the change. He pitched in two of three games #6 Miami (FL) and entered the game against #1 Florida State in a crucial situation, evidence of Leggett’s confidence in Roper’s ability. Roper earned his first career save against Furman by pitching 4.0 innings allowing just two hits, one run, and one walk while striking out three batters on April 13. Then on April 18 against Duke, he pitched the final 4.0 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run to earn his first career win. Roper, who stands 5-9 and weighs just 145 pounds, has a 4.91 ERA in 22.0 innings pitched to go along with 19 strikeouts.
Freshman Khalil Greene Coming On Of Late Although freshman third baseman Khalil (pronounced kuh-LEEL) Greene, a native of Key West, FL, saw his batting average drop significantly in the middle of the season, he has come on of late, raising his batting average to .336 with seven homers and 55 RBIs in 56 games. He is also second on the team with 24 multi-hit games. In his last 17 games, he is 28-for-71 (.394) with three homers and 23 RBIs.
Greene shined in the UNLV/Coors Desert Classic from Feb. 25-28, hitting .458 with two homers (one of which was an inside-the-park homer) and five RBIs in five games. He also hit two homers in the first game of a doubleheader against George Mason on Mar. 13. He had an 11-game hit streak earlier this season as well, one of the longest by a Tiger in ’99. He had back-to-back stellar games against #10 North Carolina from May 9-10. In both games, he went 3-for-4. In the first game, he had a career-high five RBIs, including a home run. In the second game, he hit a home run and had four RBIs. In the three game series against the Tar Heels, he was 8-for-12.
Harris Walking Into Recordbooks Senior co-captain and first baseman Jason Harris (Hickory, NC) walked an incredible nine times in a two-game stretch. He walked five times, tying a Tiger record, in five plate appearances against Duke on April 18 and four more times against #20 South Carolina on April 21. His biggest walk was the last of the nine, which came in the ninth inning against South Carolina. “Inky” fouled off many pitches and drew a walk on a full count that allowed Brian Ellis to follow with the game-winning hit. Harris has walked 57 times in ’99. The Tiger single-season record is 62 held by Bert Heffernan (1988). Thanks to the walks and his .347 batting average, Harris’ on base percentage has climbed to .491.
Harris went 10-for-20 in two games against Western Carolina (April 6-7) and three against #1 Florida State (April 9-11) to earn ACC Co-Player-of-the-Week honors. He was the first Tiger to be so honored in ’99. Harris has 10 homers, nine doubles, 56 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. In ACC games, Harris is hitting .354 with a .500 on base percentage. He also is hitting almost 100 points higher away from home, as he is batting a team-best .400 with a .505 on base percentage and six stolen bases. Harris has also started all 115 games as a Tiger and is the only Tiger to start every game of ’99.
Consistency Is Keyword With Boyd Palm Harbor, FL native Patrick Boyd had one of the best games by a Tiger in recent years when he was 2-for-2 with two homers, three walks, four RBIs, and five runs scored in Clemson’s 18-1 win over East Tennessee State on April 1 at Tiger Field. Three days later, he one upped himself against #6 Miami (FL) when he had three hits, including a towering homer, and a career-high six RBIs. That week (five games), he hit four homers and drove in 12 runs. Boyd then had four hits, including two homers, and four RBIs in the Tigers’ 13-8 win over #19 Georgia Tech on April 24. He also drove in the winning run in the 11th inning to top Virginia in the second game of a doubleheader on May 1.
Boyd, who has started at designated hitter in 27 of 48 starts, started in centerfield against Duke (April 18) in his first action in the field in weeks. He had been struggling to get over stiffness from the surgery on his right labrum (shoulder area) that caused him to miss six games earlier in the season. He has been starting in centerfield ever since. The sugery has not taken anything away from the 1998 ACC Rookie-of-the-Year’s bat, as he is hitting .368 with 14 homers, 13 doubles, a triple, 64 runs scored, 56 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in ’99. Boyd, who has hit in the #2 spot in the lineup, has also hit safely in 40 of the 49 games he has appeared in this season. Boyd’s ability in centerfield had been sorely missed. The 1998 ACC Rookie-of-the-Year was tabbed the best defensive outfielder in the ACC by Baseball America in its preseason issue. He is also listed as the #1 college prospect for the 2000 Major League Draft by the same publication.
“Patty” was one of 33 players invited to participate in the 1999 USA Baseball National Team Training Camp tentatively scheduled to begin June 8. He played for the team after his freshman season a year ago and hit .264 in 39 games. The USA Baseball Training Camp is located at Hi Corbett Field, home of USA Baseball and spring training home of the Colorado Rockies. The National Team, coached by Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Johnson, will play the Japan Collegiate All-Star Team in Japan from June 22-July 1, compete in a U.S. West-sponsored Western United States Tour, and is also entered in the NBC World Series in Wichita, KS from August 6-17.
Paradis Found Junior righthander Mike Paradis has been one of the bright spots on the Tiger pitching staff this season. Control problems plagued the fireballer in his first two seasons, but he has had command of all his pitches in ’99. The Auburn, MA native is 6-0 with a team-best 3.79 ERA and opponent batting average of .259 in 13 starts. The key to his success has been his ability to keep the ball down in the strike zone as he has thrown 98 ground-ball outs compared to just 36 fly-ball outs. Against Virginia in the second game of a doubleheader on May 1, all 14 of the outs recorded by Virginia hitting the ball were ground balls. In 11 of his 13 starts he has gone at least 5.0 innings as well. Paradis picked up the win over #1 Florida State on April 10, ending the Seminoles’ 21-game winning streak. He also picked up the win against Duke on April 16 by pitching 6.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out eight. After allowing three first inning runs on four hits to #19 Georgia Tech on April 23, he did not allow a hit or run in the next 5.0 innings on his way to picking up the victory. Baseball America rated Paradis as the #7 prospect in the ACC and #42 college prospect for the 1999 Major League Draft. Paradis was a seventh-round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics out of high school.
Borgert Drives In Nine RBIs In One Game Entering the second game of a doubleheader against George Mason on Mar. 13, fifth-year catcher Derek Borgert (Greenwood, SC) had four hits and four RBIs in 21 at bats in ’99. But that all changed when Borgert exploded with four hits and nine RBIs in one game. The nine RBIs, which all came with two outs, is the most by a Tiger since Jerry Brooks’ 10 against UNC Charlotte in 1988. Borgert doubled to right field in the first inning to bring home two runs. In the second inning, he hit an opposite-field grand slam off the right field foul pole. The only time he was retired came in the fourth inning when he laced a line-drive that was caught by the right fielder. In the fifth inining, Borgert singled with the bases loaded bringing home two more runs. He drove in his ninth run of the game with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. He also walked in his final plate appearance in the eighth inning. Ironically, Brian Ellis, who caught in the first game of the doubleheader, had a double, homer, two hits, and four RBIs meaning Tiger catchers totaled six hits, two homers, two doubles, and 13 RBIs in one day. Not a bad days work for an unheralded position.
Borgert owns a .408 average with runners in scoring position, has 34 RBIs in just 101 at bats, and has a .696 on base percentage when leading off an inning. Fifteen of his 34 RBIs have come with two outs as well. He has been hot of late, going 8-for-18 with three homers, six runs scored, and seven RBIs in his last six games. Borgert, who graduated on May 7 with a degree in computer information systems, already has a job lined up in the information technology field in New York.
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