Tiger Baseball Team to Play Host to North Carolina in Three-Game Series this Weekend

April 22, 2010

Clemson vs. North Carolina Clemson (24-14, 10-8 ACC), ranked as high as #20 in the nation, will host North Carolina (23-16, 6-12 ACC) in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. Game times are 6:30 PM (Friday), 11:00 AM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday). All three games will be available live via webcast on TigerCast. All three contests will also 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.

Watch Clemson vs. North Carolina on TigerCast: Friday | Saturday | Sunday

The Series Clemson and North Carolina have met 172 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 95-76-1 lead in the series dating back to 1901.

The two teams last met in the 2009 ACC Tournament at Durham, NC, as Doug Kingsmore Stadium, North Carolina swept the three-game series by scores of 8-2, 4-3, and 8-4.

The Tigers hold a 44-26-1 lead over the Tar Heels in games played at Clemson and a 36-12 lead at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers also hold a 75-57 advantage in ACC regular-season games.

Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Leggett was 0-3 against North Carolina as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he has a 30-23 all-time record against the Tar Heels.

The Starting Pitchers In game-one, North Carolina will start junior righthander Matt Harvey (4-2, 2.59 ERA) on the mound. The Mystic, CT native has made nine starts for a total of 59.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 44 hits (.207 opponents’ batting average) and 26 walks with 60 strikeouts this season.

The Tigers will counter with junior lefthander Casey Harman (5-0, 3.34 ERA) on Friday. The South Burlington, VT native has made nine starts for a total of 56.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 45 hits (.216 opponents’ batting average) and 15 walks with 49 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Tar Heels will send out freshman righthander Chris Munnelly (1-1, 6.27 ERA) on the mound. The Winston-Salem, NC native has made 15 relief appearances and two starts for a total of 37.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 37 hits (.255 opponents’ batting average) and 18 walks with 39 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore righty Scott Weismann (3-2, 3.98 ERA) on Saturday. The Boxborough, MA native has made nine starts for a total of 54.1 innings pitched. He has given up 51 hits (.245 opponents’ batting average) and 14 walks with 46 strikeouts.

In game-three, North Carolina will start junior righthander Patrick Johnson (3-3, 3.98 ERA) on the mound. The Conover, NC native has made eight starts for a total of 40.2 innings pitched. He has given up 49 hits (.302 opponents’ batting average) and 19 walks with 36 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with freshman righty Dominic Leone (2-0, 3.42 ERA) on Sunday. The Norwich, CT native has made nine relief appearances and three starts for a total of 26.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 24 hits (.233 opponents’ batting average) and eight walks with 24 strikeouts.

The Tar Heels North Carolina, led by 12th-year Head Coach Mike Fox, enters the series at #20 Clemson with a 23-16 overall record and 6-12 ACC mark after topping Davidson at home 13-0 on Wednesday. The Tar Heels, who were swept at Miami (FL) last weekend, are 4-7 on the road this season.

North Carolina is averaging 7.8 runs per game and hitting .313 with a .453 slugging percentage and .417 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 89 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs, and 62 stolen bases.

Jesse Wierzbicki leads the team with a .353 batting average along with nine doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 41 RBIs. Dillon Hazlett is batting .346 with three homers and 35 RBIs, while Levi Michael (12), Mike Cavasinni (11), and Tommy Coyle (10) have all totaled double-digit stolen bases.

The pitching staff has a 4.51 ERA and .260 opponents’ batting average along with 344 strikeouts against 174 walks in 347.1 innings pitched. Freshman righthander Michael Morin has a 5-1 record and three of the team’s seven saves along with 29 strikeouts against only seven walks in 24.1 innings pitched over 18 relief appearances. The Tar Heels are fielding at a .965 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #20 in the nation, enters the series against North Carolina with a 24-14 overall record and 10-8 ACC mark after blasting USC Upstate 22-4 on Wednesday. The Tigers, who were swept at #5 Georgia Tech last weekend, are 19-5 at home this season.

The Tigers are averaging 8.8 runs per game and hitting .303 with a .493 slugging percentage and .414 on-base percentage thanks to 236 walks and 34 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 79 doubles, seven triples, 53 homers, and 64 stolen bases.

John Hinson is hitting a team-high .376 with eight homers, 43 RBIs, and 13 steals in just 35 games (25 starts). Kyle Parker is batting .372 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs, while Jeff Schaus is batting .321 with eight homers and a team-high 51 RBIs. John Nester is riding a current 11-game hitting streak as well.

The pitching staff has a 4.71 ERA and .270 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 127 walks against 271 strikeouts. Righthanders Alex Frederick, and Jonathan Meyer all have two saves apiece. The Tigers are fielding at a .959 clip as well.

Back-to-Back Seven Spots Clemson scored seven runs in the second inning and seven runs in the third inning in its 22-4 win over USC Upstate on April 21. It was the first time the Tigers scored at least seven runs in consecutive innings since May 14, 1991, when Clemson scored seven runs in the fourth and eight runs in the fifth in a 24-8 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament at Greenville, SC.

Hinson Hits Three Homers in One Game Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 21. He entered the game mired in an 0-for-14 slump, but he broke out of it in a big way. The sophomore third-baseman went 5-for-6 with three home runs and seven RBIs. He hit a solo homer in the second inning, a three-run homer in the third inning, and another three-run home run in the sixth inning.

Hinson became the 13th player in school history to hit three home runs in game. The last Tiger to do it was his teammate Kyle Parker, who hit three long balls in the second game of a doubleheader at Wake Forest on March 9, 2008.

Tigers Pound USC Upstate 22-4 Behind Hinson Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 21. Hinson hit two three-run homers and a solo shot, while Kyle Parker hit a grand slam and Jeff Schaus went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs, while Freeman added four runs and four walks.