Tiger Baseball Team to Face Duke On the Road this Weekend

April 8, 2010

Clemson vs. Duke Clemson (22-8, 9-3 ACC), ranked as high as #11 in the nation, will play at Duke (17-12, 3-9 ACC) in a three-game series at Durham Bulls Athletic Park this weekend. Game times are 6:00 PM (Friday), 2:00 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday). All three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will also be available at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.

The Series Clemson and Duke have met 182 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 117-63-2 lead in the series dating back to the 1904 season.

Last year in the ACC Tournament at Durham, NC, Duke defeated Clemson 10-4. Clemson also won two of three games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2009. In the last matchups in Durham, Clemson and Duke teams split the first two games before the two tied the series-finale 6-6 in 10 innings at Jack Coombs Field.

The Tigers hold a 46-26-1 lead all-time in games played at Duke. Clemson also holds a 93-32-2 advantage in games played in the ACC regular season. Head Coach Jack Leggett is 37-13-1 against Duke as Clemson’s head coach, including a 16-7-1 road record against the Blue Devils.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, Duke will start senior lefthander Christopher Manno (1-1, 3.16 ERA) on the mound. The Brooklyn, NY native has made five relief appearances and two starts for a total of 25.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 16 hits (.190 opponents’ batting average) and 15 walks with 22 strikeouts. Manno also has two saves.

The Tigers will counter with junior lefthander Casey Harman (5-0, 2.14 ERA) on Friday. The South Burlington, VT native has made seven starts for a total of 42.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 28 hits (.187 opponents’ batting average) and 14 walks with 34 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Blue Devils will send out junior righty Dennis O’Grady (0-2, 4.26 ERA) on the mound. The Floral Park, NY native has made four starts and four relief appearances for a total of 31.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 38 hits (.304 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 25 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore righthander Scott Weismann (3-1, 3.57 ERA) on Saturday. The Boxborough, MA native has made seven starts for a total of 40.1 innings pitched. He has given up 38 hits (.242 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 35 strikeouts.

Duke’s starter for game-three on Sunday has yet to be determined.

The Tigers will start sophomore lefthander Will Lamb (3-1, 3.60 ERA) on Sunday. The Seaford, VA native has made six starts and one relief appearance for a total of 30.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 27 hits (.250 opponents’ batting average) and 15 walks with 10 strikeouts.

The Blue Devils Duke, led by fifth-year Head Coach Sean McNally, enters the series against #11 Clemson with a 17-12 overall record and 3-9 ACC mark after defeating William & Mary 9-5 at home on Tuesday. The Blue Devils, who also were swept at #3 Georgia Tech last weekend, are 13-4 at home in 2010.

Duke is averaging 6.1 runs per game and hitting .284 with a .427 slugging percentage and .378 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 58 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs, and 40 stolen bases.

Jeremy Gould leads the Blue Devils with a .336 batting average, 10 doubles, three homers, and 25 RBIs. Jake Lemmerman is hitting .316 with eight homers, seven doubles, and 26 RBIs, while Will Piwnica-Worms is batting .310 with 10 doubles, five triples, two homers, and 27 RBIs. Joe Pedevillano has added 10 stolen bases and Ryan McCurdy has nine walks and 19 hit-by-pitches against only six strikeouts in only 73 at-bats.

The pitching staff has a 5.10 ERA and .287 opponents’ batting average along with 217 strikeouts against 111 walks in 256.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Ben Grisz is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA and team-high three saves in 27.2 innings pitched over 14 relief appearances. No other Blue Devil has made more than nine appearances. The Blue Devils are fielding at a .981 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #11 in the nation, enters the series at Duke with a 22-8 overall record and 9-3 ACC mark after winning both games of a home-and-home midweek series against Georgia by a combined score of 29-11. The Tigers also won two games against Boston College at Doug Kingsmore Stadium last weekend. The Tigers are 3-3 on opponents’ home fields in 2010 as well.

The Tigers are averaging 9.2 runs per game and hitting .308 with a .497 slugging percentage and .421 on-base percentage thanks to 193 walks and 26 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 62 doubles, seven triples, 40 homers, and 57 stolen bases.

Kyle Parker is hitting a team-high .377 with 11 homers, 29 RBIs, 38 runs, and a .496 on-base percentage. Parker, Clemson’s starting quarterback on the gridiron, is scheduled to miss Saturday’s game in order to play in Clemson’s football Spring Game that day.

The Tigers’ hottest hitter is John Hinson, who is riding a 10-game hitting streak. He is hitting .375 with four homers, two doubles, 30 RBIs, and 13 steals in only 80 at-bats. Jeff Schaus has six homers and 40 RBIs as well.

The pitching staff has a 4.15 ERA and .257 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 106 walks against 211 strikeouts. Righthanders Alex Frederick, and Jonathan Meyer all have two saves apiece. The Tigers are fielding at a .954 clip as well.

Five Tigers hail from the state of North Carolina, Wilson Boyd (Hickory), Hinson (Asheville), Addison Johnson (Pfafftown), Josh Thrailkill (Arden).

Worth Noting Clemson has scored double-digit runs 15 times in 30 games in 2010. In 2009, the Tigers scored double-digit runs 14 times in 66 games.

Frederick Filling Long Relief Role Junior righthander Alex Frederick (Lagrangeville, NY) has worked his way into one of Clemson’s top relief pitchers in 2010. In 2009, he appeared in only six games out of the bullpen for a total of 9.2 innings pitched. But under the tutelage of first-year Pitching Coach Dan Pepicelli, he has earned his spot as a go-to guy out of the bullpen.

Frederick is tied for the team-lead in appearances (13) and has pitched 24.2 innings, most among non-starters. He has a 3.28 ERA and a team-tying-high two saves along with 20 strikeouts against 10 walks. The fourth-year junior is in his second year in the Tiger program after transferring from Dutchess Community College. He also played one season (2007) at Iona.

Tigers Score 29 Runs in Midweek Sweep of Georgia Clemson, ranked as high as #11 in the nation, won both games of a home-and-home midweek series against Georgia by a combined score of 29-11 on April 6,7. Clemson outhit the Bulldogs .400 to .264 and totaled 28 hits, 14 walks, a .494 on-base percentage, and five steals along with going 15-for-25 (.600) with runners in scoring position. John Hinson went 5-for-8 (.625) with two homers, eight RBIs, five runs, one walk, and two steals, while Mike Freeman totaled five hits, two doubles, six RBIs, and three runs.

In game-one on April 6, Hinson went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and five RBIs to lead Clemson to a 15-5 win against Georgia at Foley Field. Hinson’s first career grand slam in the eighth inning put the game out of reach. The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning and six runs in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead and never looked back. Jeff Schaus went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, three runs, and two walks to lead Clemson’s 15-hit attack. Starter Dominic Leone pitched 6.0 strong innings of four-hit ball with seven strikeouts to earn the win.

In game-two on April 7, Freeman went 3-for-5 with six RBIs against his former team to lead Clemson to a 14-6 win over Georgia at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Georgia jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Clemson scored three runs in the third, four runs in the fourth, five runs in the fifth, and two runs in the sixth to pull away. The Tigers, who had 13 hits, were led at the plate by three players with three hits apiece. Hinson went 3-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs, and three runs, while Will Lamb went 3-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs, and two runs.