Tiger Baseball Team to Play Host to South Carolina Saturday

March 2, 2007

Watch Clemson vs. South Carolina Live!

Complete Game NotesDownload Free Acrobat Reader

Clemson vs. South Carolina Clemson (7-1), ranked as high as #2 in the nation, will play host to #4 South Carolina (8-1) on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the first of four scheduled matchups between the two rivals during the regular season. First pitch for Saturday’s game between the top-five teams is scheduled for 2:00 PM. The game will be shown live via webcast at ClemsonTigers.com.

The two teams will also play at Sarge Frye Field in Columbia on Sunday at 1:30 PM and then play two more contests in April, including on April 11 at 7:15 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium and on April 18 at 7:00 PM at Sarge Frye Field.

The Series Clemson and South Carolina have met 275 times on the diamond, with Clemson holding a 162-111-2 lead in the series dating back to 1899. South Carolina is Clemson’s most-played rival in history.

Last season, Clemson won three of four meetings with the Gamecocks, including each of the last three games. South Carolina won the first game by a score of 6-2 in Columbia, then Clemson won 6-4 the following day in Tigertown. Then in April, Clemson won by scores of 3-2 (at Columbia) and 10-5 (at Clemson).

The two teams split the four-game season series in both 2004 and 2005. The Tigers hold a 91-38 lead over South Carolina all-time in games played at Clemson and 44-21 lead in games played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Tiger Head Coach Jack Leggett is 27-20 against South Carolina as Clemson’s head coach, including a 13-9 record in games played at Clemson. The Tigers are 13-12 against a top-10 Gamecock club under Leggett as well.

The Starting Pitchers South Carolina will start junior righthander Harris Honeycutt (3-0, 1.56 ERA) on the mound. The Fuquay-Varina, NC native has made three starts for a total of 17.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 10 hits (.169 opponents’ batting average) and five walks with 19 strikeouts. He has also not allowed a home run.

The Tigers will counter with junior righthander David Kopp (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on Saturday. The Margate, FL native has made two starts for a total of 10.0 innings pitched. He has yielded 11 hits (.275 opponents’ batting average) and three walks with 11 strikeouts. Kopp has made four career appearances, including two starts, against the Gamecocks in his career. He has a 1-0 record and 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched against South Carolina.

The Gamecocks South Carolina, led by 11th-year Head Coach Ray Tanner, enters Saturday’s game with an 8-1 overall record after sweeping Eastern Michigan in three games last weekend. The Gamecocks will have had six days off when they take the field on Saturday. The Gamecocks are ranked as high as #4 in the country and have a 1-1 road record.

South Carolina has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 78-27 this season. Offensively, the team is hitting .314 with a .438 on-base percentage, 16 home runs, and 59 walks against only 51 strikeouts. The team has swiped seven bases in 10 attempts and has nine sacrifice bunts as well.

Phil Disher is hitting a team-best .424 with four doubles, three homers, and 13 RBIs. Freshman Lonnie Chisenhall is hitting .405 with seven extra-base hits, seven multi-hit games, and 10 RBIs, while Cheyne Hurst is batting .389. James Darnell is hitting .308, but has a .513 on-base percentage thanks to 11 walks.

The pitching staff has a 2.41 ERA and .216 opponents’ batting average. The team has allowed just three home runs and 20 walks with 88 strikeouts, good for a 4.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior righty Curtis Johnson has the team’s lone save.

The Gamecocks have one of the nation’s best defenses, as they have committed just five errors in nine games, good for a .985 fielding percentage.

The Tigers Clemson enters the game against #4 South Carolina with a 7-1 overall record after rallying to defeat Winthrop 6-4 on Wednesday. The Tigers have won 23 of their last 24 home games dating back to last season. Clemson has also won six games in a row overall, all of which have seen the Tigers been down by at least two runs in each contest.

The team is hitting .303 with a .388 on-base percentage. Brad Chalk leads the way with a .433 batting average and .541 on-base percentage, and has reached base via a hit or walk in 35 straight games. Doug Hogan is hitting .433 with four homers, two triples, and seven RBIs, while Taylor Harbin is hitting .313 with a homer and eight RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 2.54 ERA and .245 opponents’ batting average. It has combined to strike out 74 against only 21 walks. Veteran relievers Stephen Clyne and Daniel Moskos have combined to allow no runs in 17.1 innings pitched this season. The Tigers are fielding at a .962 clip as well.

Six Wins in a Row, All in Comeback Fashion Clemson has won six games in a row after starting the season 1-1. And in all six of those games, the Tigers have trailed by at least two runs in each contest, meaning Clemson won all six games in come-from-behind fashion.

Clemson has scored first in just four of its eight games this season, going 3-1 in those four games. And its opponents have scored first in the other four games, as Clemson holds a 4-0 record in those four games. The Tigers are also 3-0 in one-run games and 1-0 in two-run games this season.

Widmann Out Indefinitely Due to Neck Injury Starting shortstop Stan Widmann (Hurst, TX) is out indefinitely due to a neck injury. The junior was hitting .409 in the Tigers’ first six games of the season. He has one home run and six RBIs along with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 25 chances in the field.

The 2007 season has marked his third straight year as Clemson’s starting shortstop. He hit .307 in 67 games as a sophomore on Clemson’s 2006 ACC Championship and College World Series team. He was also the Tigers’ leading hitter for the eight NCAA Tournament games last year with a .387 batting average.

Moskos Moving Up Save Chart Junior lefthander Daniel Moskos (Alta Loma, CA) entered the 2007 season as one of the most prolific closers in the country after serving in the same role for Team USA during last summer when the club captured the gold medal at the world championships in Cuba. In 21.0 innings pitched, he had an 0.86 ERA and six saves, as he allowed just eight hits and four walks with 35 strikeouts.

He has done nothing to disappoint for the Tigers in 2007. In four relief appearances, he has a 2-0 record, one save, 0.00 ERA, and a .150 opponents’ batting average. The hard-thrower has allowed just three hits (all singles), no runs, and two walks with seven strikeouts.

Moskos had 10 saves in 2006, which alone placed him 10th all-time in Clemson history in that category. With his one save this season, he has 11 in his career, still 10th-best in school history.

Tigers Homer Past Winthrop 6-4 Doug Kingsmore Stadium on February 28. The Eagles scored four runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead. But Stephen Clyne pitched 3.0 scoreless innings in relief of one-hit ball to earn the win, while Daniel Moskos pitched a perfect ninth inning to record the save.