Tiger Baseball Team to Face Georgia Tech in Three-Game Series in Atlanta this Weekend

April 15, 2010

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Clemson (23-11, 10-5 ACC), ranked as high as #16 in the nation, will play at #5 Georgia Tech (28-5, 12-3 ACC) in a three-game series at Russ Chandler Stadium this weekend. Game times are 7:00 PM (Friday), 1:00 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday). Saturday’s game will be televised live by Regional Sports Network, while all three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will be available at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games as well.

The Series Clemson and Georgia Tech have met 200 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 100-97-3 lead in the series dating back to the 1902 season. The two teams have faced each other at least one time every year since 1974.

In the three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2009, the Yellow Jackets won the series-opener 5-4 before the Tigers won the final two games by scores of 8-5 and 6-3.

Two years ago at Russ Chandler Stadium, Georgia Tech won the first two games by scores of 5-1 and 7-1 before Clemson won the series-finale 16-6. The Tigers also defeated the Yellow Jackets 10-4 in the 2008 ACC Tournament. The Tigers have not won two games in a series at Georgia Tech since 1996. Starting in 1998, the Yellow Jackets are 14-4 against the Tigers at Russ Chandler Stadium.

The Yellow Jackets hold a 68-40-2 lead all-time in games played at Georgia Tech. Clemson owns a 44-37 advantage in games played in the ACC regular season.

Head Coach Jack Leggett is 34-27 against Georgia Tech as Clemson’s head coach, including 8-16 at Russ Chandler Stadium. Leggett was also 3-5 against the Yellow Jackets as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 37-32 all-time against Georgia Tech.

Of Leggett’s 61 games coached against Georgia Tech as Clemson’s skipper, 54 have come against a top-25 Yellow Jacket squad, as he has a 30-24 record in those 54 meetings. Leggett is also 11-7 against a top-five Georgia Tech team.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, Georgia Tech will start junior righty Deck McGuire (5-2, 2.26 ERA) on the mound. The Richmond, VA native has made eight starts for a total of 59.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 46 hits (.217 opponents’ batting average) and 16 walks with 60 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior lefty Casey Harman (5-0, 2.76 ERA) on Friday. The South Burlington, VT native has made eight starts for a total of 49.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 35 hits (.199 opponents’ batting average) and 14 walks with 40 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Yellow Jackets will send out junior righthander Brandon Cumpton (5-0, 5.95 ERA) on the mound. The Evans, GA native has made eight starts for a total of 39.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 51 hits (.325 opponents’ batting average) and 16 walks with 25 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore righty Scott Weismann (3-1, 3.80 ERA) on Saturday. The Boxborough, MA native has made eight starts for a total of 47.1 innings pitched. He has given up 42 hits (.235 opponents’ batting average) and 13 walks with 39 strikeouts.

In game-three, Georgia Tech will start sophomore lefthander Jed Bradley (4-2, 3.83 ERA) on the mound. The Huntsville, AL native has made eight starts for a total of 44.2 innings pitched. He has given up 51 hits (.282 opponents’ batting average), no home runs, and 12 walks with 54 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with sophomore lefty Will Lamb (3-2, 4.36 ERA) on Sunday. The Seaford, VA native has made seven starts and one relief appearance for a total of 33.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 31 hits (.258 opponents’ batting average) and 17 walks with 12 strikeouts.

The Yellow Jackets Georgia Tech, led by 17th-year Head Coach Danny Hall and ranked as high as #5 in the nation, enters the series against #16 Clemson with a 28-5 overall record and 12-3 ACC mark after defeating Georgia 25-6 on the road on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets, who also fell twice in three games at #4 Virginia over the weekend, leads the overall ACC standings and is 17-1 at home this season.

Georgia Tech, who is in the top-five in the nation in many offensive categories, is averaging 10.7 runs per game and hitting .341 with a .613 slugging percentage and .441 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 74 doubles, 16 triples, 74 home runs, and 32 stolen bases.

Four different Yellow Jackets have totaled at least 10 home runs. Tony Plagman leads the ACC with 13 long balls, while Matt Skole (11), Derek Dietrich (11), and Chase Burnette (10) have all amassed at least 10. Thomas Nichols is hitting .389, while Skole is batting .387 with 10 doubles, 11 homers, and 38 RBIs. Plagman leads the team with 45 RBIs, while Dietrich has 42 RBIs and Burnette has 41 RBIs. Jeff Rowland has added six doubles, five triples, eight home runs, and six steals as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.52 ERA and .255 opponents’ batting average along with 286 strikeouts against 98 walks in 294.0 innings pitched. Senior righthander Andrew Robinson leads the Georgia Tech bullpen with a 3-0 record, 0.90 ERA, and two saves in 20.0 innings pitched over 14 relief appearances. The Yellow Jackets are fielding at a .971 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #16 in the nation, enters the series at #5 Georgia Tech with a 23-11 overall record and 10-5 ACC mark after falling at home to Western Carolina 7-5 on Wednesday. The Tigers also lost two of three games at Duke last weekend and are 4-5 on opponents’ home fields in 2010.

The Tigers are averaging 8.9 runs per game and hitting .303 with a .486 slugging percentage and .418 on-base percentage thanks to 220 walks and 32 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 71 doubles, seven triples, 44 homers, and 62 stolen bases.

John Hinson is riding a 14-game hitting streak and hitting .398 with five homers, 36 RBIs, and 13 steals. Kyle Parker is batting .368 with 12 homers, 33 RBIs, and a .500 on-base percentage. Jeff Schaus has added seven home runs and a team-high 45 RBIs as well.

The pitching staff has a 4.48 ERA and .264 opponents’ batting average on the season. The staff has allowed 117 walks against 235 strikeouts. Righthanders Alex Frederick, and Jonathan Meyer all have two saves apiece. The Tigers are fielding at a .957 clip as well.

Five Tigers hail from the state of Georgia, Chris Epps (Stone Mountain), Kevin Kyle (Atlanta), and Jason Stolz (Marietta).

Leone-ing Midweek Starting Role Freshman righthander Dominic Leone (Norwich, CT) has settled in as Clemson’s top midweek starter in 2010. He has made three starts, all within the last three midweeks, and made seven relief appearances for a total of 24.2 innings pitched.

In his three starts (against Coastal Carolina, Georgia, and Western Carolina), he is 1-0 in 17.1 innings pitched. He has allowed just 14 hits (.212 opponents’ batting average), no home runs, four earned runs (2.02 ERA), and three walks with 14 strikeouts. Overall, Leone is 2-0 with a 3.28 ERA in the 2010 season. He has also allowed 23 hits (.235 opponents’ batting average), no homers, and eight walks with 22 strikeouts.

Catamounts Slam Clemson 7-5 Tyler Kirkpatrick’s grand slam in the seventh inning lifted Western Carolina to a 7-5 win over #16 Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 14. John Hinson two-run homer in the first inning gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead, then Wilson Boyd’s two-run single in the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie. But the Catamounts loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning before Kirkpatrick’s go-ahead long ball. Western Carolina outhit the Tigers 11-4, as six Catamount pitchers held the Tigers to just two hits in the final eight innings. Wilson Boyd’s went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to pace Clemson.