Tiger Baseball Team to Face Southern Mississippi in First Game of NCAA Regional Friday in Auburn, AL

June 2, 2010

NCAA Press Conference Quotes – Thursday, June 3

Clemson #2 Seed in Auburn (AL) Regional Clemson (38-21), ranked as high as #16 in the nation, is the #2 seed in the Auburn (AL) Regional at Plainsman Park from June 4-7. Clemson is joined by #1-seed Auburn (40-19), who is ranked as high as #14 in the country, #3-seed Southern Mississippi (35-22), and #4-seed Jacksonville State (32-24).

The first game of the tourney will pit Clemson against Southern Mississippi on Friday at 3:00 PM EDT. The Tigers will be the designated home team and occupy the third-base dugout. Auburn will then face Jacksonville State on Friday at 7:00 PM EDT. The two losers will play on Saturday at 3:00 PM EDT, while the two winners will play on Saturday at 7:00 PM EDT.

The winner of the second game Saturday will play in the championship round on Sunday at 6:00 PM EDT, while the loser of the second game Saturday will play the winner of the first game on Saturday at 2:00 PM EDT on Sunday. If the unbeaten team loses on Sunday, the same two teams will play a game on Monday at 7:00 PM EDT to determine the Auburn Regional champion.

The winner of the Clemson Regional will play the winner of the Atlanta (GA) Regional between June 11-14. The four teams in that regional are #1-seed Georgia Tech, #2-seed Alabama, #3-seed Elon, and #4-seed Mercer.

Clemson’s NCAA Tournament History The 2010 season marks Clemson’s 35th trip to an NCAA Regional dating back to the 1947 season. That year, Clemson actually advanced to the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament, but it is not considered a College World Series season because only two teams went to the CWS in those days.

Clemson won the 1947 District III Tournament in Charlotte by coming through the losers’ bracket. The Tigers, coached by Randy Hinson, lost in the first round to Alabama 8-2, then came back with a win over Auburn and two wins over Alabama to advance. Clemson’s season ended when Yale, led by future President George H.W. Bush, defeated the Tigers in New Haven, CT by a score of 7-3. Bush was 1-for-3 as the starting first baseman.

Clemson made its first trip to Omaha and the College World Series in 1958 when the Tigers again came through the losers’ bracket. After losing to Florida in the first round, Clemson came back to defeat George Washington, Florida State, and Florida twice to advance under first year Head Coach Bill Wilhelm. Clemson defeated Florida 15-14 and 3-1 on June 9 to advance. Harold Stowe struck out 17 in that second game on June 9, and that is still a Clemson single-game record for strikeouts in an NCAA Tournament game.

The Tigers advanced to Omaha in 1959, this time with three easy wins; one over Georgia Tech and two over Florida State. One of the wins over the Seminoles was a 24-2 victory at Gastonia, NC. That tally is still tied for the most runs scored by Clemson in an NCAA Tourney game.

The Tigers did not advance to Omaha again until 1976. In fact, Clemson made just one NCAA Tournament appearance between 1960 and 1974. That was in 1967 when Clemson reached the Regional Championship, but lost to Auburn 6-5.

Clemson made it to Omaha three out of five years between 1976-80. Clemson won a regional in Columbia, SC in 1976 with three straight wins, then came through the losers’ bracket in Miami (FL) in 1977 to advance to Omaha. The 1980 season was the first year Clemson played host to a regional, as Clemson swept three games by scoring 45 runs, including 17 in a 17-12 win over South Carolina.

Clemson has been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1987 except one (2008). The Tigers have been to the NCAA Tournament 23 of the last 24 years. Clemson also made College World Series trips in 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2006.

Overall, Clemson has been to a regional in 35 seasons, sixth-most all-time. Clemson’s all-time record in NCAA play is 101-73, a 58.0 winning percentage.

Clemson is 56-33 (.629) under Head Coach Jack Leggett in NCAA Tourney play, including a 36-6 record (.857) in home NCAA Tourney games. Leggett has taken Clemson to a regional 16 times in the 17 years he has been Clemson’s head coach, and the Tigers have advanced to the College World Series five times. Leggett has also taken Clemson to a super regional eight of the 11 years that format has been in existence.

Tigers Earn 35th NCAA Tournament Bid Clemson will play in its 35th all-time NCAA Regional when it travels to the Auburn (AL) Regional from June 4-7 at Plainsman Park. The 35 appearances are sixth-most in NCAA history, trailing only Texas (54), Florida State (48), Miami (FL) (39), Oklahoma State (37), and Southern California (36).

Scouting #1-Seed Auburn First-seed and #14-ranked Auburn (40-19) enters the Auburn Regional after going 1-2 in the SEC Tournament at Hoover, AL last weekend. Auburn, who is 27-7 at home, had a 20-10 record during its conference regular season, as it finished atop the SEC West Division. The 2010 season marks the 18th time in school history and the first time since 2005 that Auburn has played in an NCAA Tournament.

Auburn is led by second-year Head Coach John Pawlowski, who lettered at Clemson three times (1983-85) and went on to play two years (1987,88) in the Major Leagues with the Chicago White Sox. He later went on to be Clemson’s pitching coach from 1994-98, coaching the likes of Kris Benson, Billy Koch, and Ken Vining. The Tigers won each of their last five SEC series.

Auburn is hitting .348 with a .585 slugging percentage and .424 on-base percentage. Auburn, who is fielding at a .961 clip, has also totaled 131 doubles, 14 triples, a national-best 117 home runs, and is averaging 9.1 runs per game along with 68 hit-by-pitches and 61 stolen bases in 91 attempts. Auburn is also in the top 10 in the country in several other offensive categories.

Hunter Morris, the SEC Player-of-the-Year, is hitting .392 with 21 homers, 17 doubles, five triples, 70 RBIs, a .752 slugging percentage, and six steals. Dan Gamache is batting .387 with seven long balls and 34 RBIs, while Trent Mummey is hitting .371 with 15 homers, 10 doubles, a .788 sluggin percentage, and 47 RBIs. Brian Fletcher has totaled 20 home runs, 15 doubles, and 70 RBIs, while Kevin Patterson has added 16 long balls in 2010.

The pitching staff has a 4.78 ERA and .272 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 200 walks against 445 strikeouts, good for a 2.2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Junior lefthander Grant Dayton is 8-2 with a 4.33 ERA and 60 strikeouts against only 18 walks in 87.1 innings pitched over 15 appearances (14 starts). Senior righty Austin Hubbard is 5-2 with a 1.96 ERA and a team-high nine saves along with 54 strikeouts and a .218 opponents’ batting average in 41.1 innings pitched over 24 relief appearances.

Clemson and Auburn have met 90 times on the diamond, with the SEC Tigers holding a 47-40-3 lead in the series dating back to 1901. The two teams last met in a three-game series at Auburn in 2005. Auburn won two of three games despite Clemson outscoring Auburn in the series 23-17.

Auburn won two of three games at Clemson in 2004, again despite the ACC Tigers outscoring the SEC Tigers 24-23. In 2003, the two teams met four times, including a three-game series at Auburn that saw the SEC Tigers win two of three contests. Then Clemson traveled to the Auburn Regional in the 2003 postseason and saw its season end at the hands of Auburn by a score of 15-0.

Clemson is 16-28-3 against the SEC Tigers in games played at Auburn. The ACC Tigers also own a 5-4 record against Auburn in NCAA Tournament games and 0-2 record under Head Coach Jack Leggett.

Scouting #2-Seed Clemson Second-seed and #16-ranked Clemson (38-21) enters the NCAA Tournament coming off one win in three games in the ACC Tournament at Greensboro, NC. Clemson was 18-12 during the ACC regular season, finishing atop the Atlantic Division standings. Clemson is making its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 24 years and 35th overall, sixth-most in the nation.

The Tigers, who are 8-10 on opponents’ home fields and 3-3 in neutral-site contests, are led by 17th-year Head Coach Jack Leggett. His 762 wins are seventh-most in college baseball during his tenure. The Tigers are also 7-8 against top-25 ranked teams in 2010.

The team is hitting .305 with a .491 slugging percentage and .407 on-base percentage. Clemson, who has 331 walks against 417 strikeouts, has also stolen 98 bases in 120 attempts.

Brad Miller is hitting a team-best .373 with seven homers, 17 doubles, four triples, 37 RBIs, a .483 on-base percentage, and nine steals. He has also hit safely in 10 straight games and 20 of his last 21 contests. First-Team All-ACC outfielder Kyle Parker is batting .364 with 19 homers, 14 doubles, a .709 slugging percentage, 57 RBIs, and a .496 on-base percentage, Mike Freeman is hitting .328 with seven homers, 20 doubles, 51 RBIs, and 11 steals, while John Hinson has totaled 12 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a team-high 22 steals. Jeff Schaus has added 15 homers and a team-high 75 RBIs as well.

The pitching staff has a 4.81 ERA and .279 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 202 walks against 409 strikeouts, good for a 2.0-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Junior lefthander Casey Harman (6-2, 4.14 ERA) is Clemson’s top starting pitcher. The South Burlington, VT native has made 15 starts for a total of 91.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 86 hits (.246 opponents’ batting average) and 30 walks with 78 strikeouts. Junior righthander Alex Frederick is 6-2 with two saves and a 4.01 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched in a team-high 27 appearances (one start). Freshman righthander Tomas Cruz has a team-high three saves. Clemson is fielding at a .962 clip in 2010 as well.

Scouting #3-Seed Southern Mississippi Third-seed Southern Mississippi (35-22) enters the Auburn Regional after going 3-1 in the Conference USA Tournament to win the crown after defeating Rice 7-4. The Golden Eagles, who are 12-11 on opponents’ home fields and 3-2 in neutral-site games, had a 14-10 record during the Conference USA regular season. The 2010 season marks the 11th time in school history and the eighth year in a row that Southern Mississippi has played in an NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles reached the College World Series in 2009 as well.

Southern Mississippi is led by first-year Head Coach Scott Berry. The Golden Eagles got off to an 18-17 start, but they have won 17 of the last 22 games since. Southern Mississippi is 30-0 when leading entering the eighth inning and 31-0 when leading entering the ninth inning, while it is 27-1 when outhitting its opponents.

Southern Mississippi is hitting .323 with a .498 slugging percentage and .422 on-base percentage. Southern Mississippi, who is fielding at a .971 clip, has also totaled 112 doubles, 14 triples, 71 home runs, and is averaging 8.6 runs per game along with 50 stolen bases in 69 attempts.

B.A. Vollmuth is hitting a team-best .378 with 18 homers, 17 doubles, two triples, 68 RBIs, and a .487 on-base percentage. Taylor Walker is batting .365 with seven homers and 53 RBIs, while Adam Doleac is hitting .362 with six long balls and 53 RBIs. All three Golden Eagles are riding double-digit hitting streaks (Vollmuth (17), Walker (10), Doleac (10)).

The pitching staff has a 5.73 ERA and .301 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 246 walks against 367 strikeouts, good for a 1.5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Senior righthander Scott Copeland (11-0, 3.38 ERA) is the Golden Eagles’ top starting pitcher. The White Oak, TX native has made 13 starts and one relief appearance for a total of 90.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 86 hits (.251 opponents’ batting average) and 23 walks with 64 strikeouts. Junior righty Collin Cargill has a team-high nine saves along with a 1.86 ERA and has not allowed a homer in 38.2 innings pitched over 26 relief outings.

Clemson and Southern Mississippi have never met on the diamond.

Scouting #4-Seed Jacksonville State Fourth-seed Jacksonville State (32-24) enters the Auburn Regional after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with a 3-0 record. Jacksonville State, who is 13-8 on opponents’ home fields and 3-2 in neutral-site games, had a 15-8 record during its conference regular season. The 2010 season marks the third time overall and first time since 2006 that the Gamecocks have played in an NCAA Tournament.

Jacksonville State is led by ninth-year Head Coach Jim Case. The Gamecocks are riding a six-game winning streak and have already played a game at Plainsman Park in 2010. Auburn defeated the Gamecocks 9-7 on May 18.

Jacksonville State is hitting .316 with a .510 slugging percentage and .405 on-base percentage. Jacksonville State, who is fielding at a .960 clip, has also totaled 117 doubles, 23 triples, 73 home runs, and is averaging 8.1 runs per game along with 91 stolen bases in 101 attempts.

Five Gamecocks have totaled double-digit home runs. Todd Cunningham has 10 homers, 16 doubles, four triples, 39 RBIs, and a .352 batting average along with 23 steals, while Bert Smith is batting a team-best .371 with a team-high 34 stolen bases. Daniel Adamson is hitting .348 with 13 homers, 10 doubles, five triples, 53 RBIs, and 12 steals, while Andrew Edge is batting .330 with 11 home runs and 62 RBIs. Kyle Bluestein has hit 12 long balls with 44 RBIs and Sam Eberle has a team-high 16 homers and 60 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 6.60 ERA and .309 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 228 walks against 370 strikeouts, good for a 1.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Senior righthander Austin Lucas is 6-0 with a 4.97 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts), while sophomore lefty Tanner Freshour is 6-1 with a 5.62 ERA in 28 relief appearances. Senior righty Alex Jones has a team-high six saves along with 60 strikeouts in 50.0 innings pitched over 27 relief outings, while sophomore righthander Todd Hornsby has added five saves.

Clemson and Jacksonville State have never met on the diamond.

Polls The Tigers fell two spots to #20 in the Sports Weekly coaches poll this week after going 1-2 in the ACC Tournament last week. The Tigers also fell out of the Baseball America ranking and stayed at #16 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. With Clemson’s top-25 ranking this week, it marks the 34th week in a row the Tigers have been ranked in the top 25 of at least one of the three major polls dating to the start of the 2009 season.

Clemson One of Eight With Major Sports Triple With its selection to the NCAA Baseball Tournament, Clemson became one of just eight Division I schools to participate in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the NCAA Baseball Tourney, and a football bowl game during the 2009-10 academic year.

Joining Clemson with the accomplishment in 2009-10 are California, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Texas, and Texas A&M. As you can see by the list below, the ACC was the only conference in the nation with three schools to do it.

Clemson also accomplished the “Major Sports Triple” in 2008-09. The only four schools to do it each of the last two years are Clemson, Florida State, Minnesota, and Texas.

This is the ninth year Clemson has been to a bowl game, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and the NCAA Baseball Tournament in the same academic year. It first occurred in 1979-80 when Clemson played in the Peach Bowl under first-year Head Coach Danny Ford, reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament under Head Coach Bill Foster, and advanced to the College World Series under Head Coach Bill Wilhelm.

This is the third time Clemson has achieved the feat in at least back-to-back years. Clemson also did it in 1988-89 and 1989-90 along with 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-98.

Clemson currently has seven teams ranked in the top 25 of their respective sports, including six in the top 16. Football finished #24 in the AP poll. Women’s indoor track finished #7 and the outdoor team is currently #6. Its final ranking will be determined by its finish in the NCAA meet in mid-June.

The Clemson rowing team finished #15 at the NCAA Championships, while the women’s tennis team had a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Its final ranking will be announced later this week. The Clemson men’s golf team is #14 in the latest Sagarin computer rating, while its final rating will be determined at the NCAA National Tournament at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, TN this week.

The Tiger baseball team is ranked #16 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball poll. Its final ranking will be determined after the College World Series.

27 That’s how many of Clemson’s 59 games have been against teams that will play in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, which equates to neary 46 percent. Clemson has a 14-13 record against the teams in the field. The Tigers have played nine different teams that are in the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson has played three top-eight national seeds in Virginia, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia Tech for a total of eight games. The Tigers are 2-6 in those eight contests, but only one of those games was played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers are also 6-5 against #1 seeds, 4-3 against #2 seeds, and 4-5 against #3 seeds. Clemson has not played a #4 seed this year.

Tigers Go 1-2 in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro Clemson, ranked #16 in the nation, went 1-2 in the ACC Tournament at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, NC from May 26-29. Clemson and its three opponents both scored 25 runs, while the Tigers hit .292 with six homers and a .528 slugging percentage. Brad Miller led the Tigers by going 6-for-12 with a homer, triple, double, four RBIs, six runs, and two walks in the tournament. Mike Freeman both went 5-for-12, while Shaffer added a homer, two doubles, five RBIs, and five runs. Jeff Schaus hit two long balls as well. In two relief appearances, Kevin Brady allowed three hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts in only 4.1 innings pitched.

In the Tigers’ first game of the ACC Tournament on May 26, N.C. State scored five runs with two outs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good in its 13-8 win over Clemson. The Tigers took a 4-3 lead on Schaus’ two-run homer in the fifth inning, but five straight run-scoring singles by the Wolfpack in the sixth was Clemson’s undoing. Kyle Wilson went 4-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs, and four runs to lead N.C. State’s 16-hit attack. Miller went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs, while Schaus went 3-for-4 with a homer, double, and three RBIs for Clemson, who had 11 hits. Casey Harman and Brady, two of five Tiger hurlers, combined for 14 strikeouts.

In the Tigers’ second game of the ACC Tournament on May 28, Sean Ryan’s two-out single in the eighth inning scored Andrew Rash to give #16 Virginia Tech a 9-8 win over Clemson. The Hokies jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, but Miller’s two-run homer in the second and a four-run frame in the fourth gave Clemson the lead. But Virginia Tech regained the lead with a run in the fifth. Chris Epps’ RBI groundout in the top of the eighth tied the score, but it was not enough for the Tigers. Austin Wates had a game-high three hits for Virginia Tech, who outhit the Tigers 13-7. Schaus added a solo homer, while Shaffer hit two doubles with two RBIs. It was the first-ever meeting between the two teams in the ACC Tournament.

In the Tigers’ third game of the ACC Tournament on May 29, Will Lamb pitched 6.1 strong innings to lead Clemson to a 9-3 win over #6 Georgia Tech. Lamb allowed six hits, two runs, and four walks to earn the win in his first start since April 18. Brady tossed 2.0 perfect innings with four strikeouts to close out the game. Shaffer’s three-run homer in the first inning gave Clemson a lead that it never relinquished. Parker added a solo homer in the eighth for the Tigers, who outhit Georgia Tech 13-10. Spencer Kieboom had a game-high three hits, while Shaffer added three runs. The win was Clemson’s 100th in ACC Tourney history.