Tiger Baseball Team to Play Host to Boston College Friday, Saturday and Sunday

April 1, 2010

Clemson vs. Boston College Clemson (18-7, 7-2 ACC), ranked as high as #10 in the nation, will host Boston College (11-13, 3-6 ACC) in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. Game times are 6:30 PM (Friday), 6:30 PM (Saturday), and 12:05 PM (Sunday). 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 Boston College have met 12 times, with the Tigers holding a 7-5 lead in the series dating back to 2006, the Eagles’ first baseball season in the ACC. Last year at Boston College, the Eagles won the first game of the series 13-1 before Clemson answered with two wins (7-6, 5-3) in the final two games. In 2008 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Eagles won the first two games by scores of 6-4 and 7-6 before Clemson won game-three 16-2.

The series is tied 3-3 in games played at Clemson, all of which have taken place at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. All 12 games have also been ACC regular-season contests and all 12 have been with Jack Leggett as Clemson’s head coach. Leggett was 1-1 against Boston College as Vermont’s head coach, meaning he has an 8-6 all-time record against the Eagles.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, Boston College will start sophomore righthander Mike Dennhardt (1-4, 8.04 ERA) on the mound. The Oradell, NJ native has made six starts for a total of 28.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 40 hits (.339 opponents’ batting average) and 15 walks with 14 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with junior lefty Casey Harman (4-0, 2.25 ERA) on Friday. The South Burlington, VT native has made six starts for a total of 36.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 24 hits (.188 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks with 24 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Eagles will send out junior lefty Pat Dean (4-0, 2.37 ERA) on the mound. The Naugatuck, CT native has made five starts for a total of 38.0 innings pitched. He has given up 33 hits (.246 opponents’ batting average) and six walks with 27 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore lefty Will Lamb (3-0, 1.88 ERA) on Saturday. The Seaford, VA native has made five starts and one relief appearance for a total of 28.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 23 hits (.228 opponents’ batting average) and 12 walks with 10 strikeouts.

In game-three, Boston College will start sophomore righthander Taylor Lasko (1-0, 3.06 ERA) on the mound. The Stratford, CT native has made five relief appearances and two starts for a total of 17.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 16 hits (.242 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 10 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with sophomore righty Scott Weismann (3-1, 3.15 ERA) on Sunday. The Boxborough, MA native has made six starts for a total of 34.1 innings pitched. He has given up 32 hits (.239 opponents’ batting average) and seven walks with 29 strikeouts.

The Eagles Boston College, led by fourth-year Head Coach Mik Aoki, enters the series at #10 Clemson with an 11-13 overall record and 3-6 ACC mark after defeating Northeastern 5-4 on the road on Wednesday. The Eagles are also coming off two wins in the three-game home series against Duke last weekend. Boston College is 7-11 on opponents’ home fields as well, as it has only played four home games all season.

Boston College is averaging 5.8 runs per game and hitting .275 with a .431 slugging percentage and .366 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 40 doubles, nine triples, 23 home runs, and 27 stolen bases.

Robbie Anston is hitting a team-best .357 with 10 doubles, four triples, and eight stolen bases. Matt Watson is batting .333 with three homers and 19 RBIs, while John Spatola is tied for third in the ACC with seven homers along with 22 RBIs. Mickey Wiswall has also added five homers and a team-high 27 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 6.50 ERA and .307 opponents’ batting average along with 118 strikeouts against 103 walks in 206.1 innings pitched. Sophomore righthander Matt Brazis has four of the Eagles’ five saves in 10 relief appearances. The Eagles are fielding at a .975 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #10 in the nation, enters the series against Boston College with an 18-7 overall record and 7-2 ACC mark after falling at home to #14 Coastal Carolina 4-3 in 11 innings on Wednesday. The Tigers also lost two of three games at #1 Virginia last weekend. Clemson is 15-3 at home as well.

The Tigers are averaging 8.5 runs per game and hitting .295 with a .487 slugging percentage and .409 on-base percentage thanks to 155 walks and 22 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 49 doubles, four triples, 36 homers, and 44 stolen bases.

Kyle Parker is hitting a team-high .394 with 11 homers, 26 RBIs, 34 runs, and a .513 on-base percentage, while Jeff Schaus is batting .323 with six homers, six doubles, one triple, and a team-high 33 RBIs. Brad Miller is hitting .310 with eight doubles and a .450 on-base percentage. Chris Epps (10) and John Hinson (8) lead the team in stolen bases as well.

The pitching staff has a 3.66 ERA and .250 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 86 walks against 164 strikeouts. Righthanders Alex Frederick, and Jonathan Meyer all have two saves apiece. The Tigers are fielding at a .950 clip as well.

Worth Noting Clemson has lost its seven games by a combined 13 runs and its last four games by a combined five runs.

Weismann Solidifying Weekend Rotation Sophomore righthander Casey Harman and Will Lamb to make a formidable weekend rotation in 2010. In 34.1 innings pitched over six starts, Weismann is 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA and .239 opponents’ batting average. He has allowed 32 hits and seven walks against 29 strikeouts, good for a 4.1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In his two-year career Weismann is 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA and .223 opponents’ batting average in 71.0 innings pitched over 23 appearances (nine starts).

Chanticleers Outlast Tigers 4-3 in 11 Innings Rico Noel’s solo home run with two outs in the 11th inning lifted #14 Coastal Carolina to a 4-3 win over #10 Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on March 31. The Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning on Kyle Parker two-run homer. But the Tigers did not tally a hit or run in the final seven innings despite putting 10 runners on base (nine walks, one hit-by-pitch) during that span. Dominic Leone pitched 5.1 strong innings in his first career start, allowing just four hits and one unearned run. Clemson committed four errors in the game, while the Chanticleers were errorless.