Tiger Baseball Team to Play Host to Western Carolina Wednesday Evening

April 13, 2010

Clemson vs. Western Carolina Clemson (23-10), ranked as high as #16 in the nation, will host Western Carolina (21-9-1) on Wednesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM. The game will be broadcast live on the radio by WCCP (104.9 FM) out of Clemson and can be heard live on the internet at WCCPFM.com. Live stats will also be available at ClemsonTigers.com.

The Series Clemson and Western Carolina have met 64 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 52-12 lead in the series that dates back to 1974. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1978.

Last season, Clemson won both games of a home-and-home midweek series by scores of 11-1 (at Western Carolina) and 13-2 (at Clemson). In 2008, the teams split a home-and-home series, including a 6-2 Catamount win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers lead 37-3 in games played at Clemson, all of which have been played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Leggett served as the head coach at Western Carolina from 1983-91 and won 302 games in nine years there. He was also 3-15 against the Tigers as the Catamount skipper.

The Starting Pitchers The Catamounts will start freshman lefthander Mat Batts (3-0, 3.26 ERA) on the mound. The Pfafftown, NC native has made 14 relief appearances and two starts for a total of 19.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 23 hits (.284 opponents’ batting average) and four walks with 22 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with freshman righthander Dominic Leone (2-0, 3.38 ERA) on Wednesday. The Norwich, CT native has made seven relief appearances and two starts for a total of 18.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 17 hits (.227 opponents’ batting average) and seven walks with 16 strikeouts.

The Catamounts Western Carolina, led by third-year Head Coach Bobby Moranda, enters Wednesday’s game at #16 Clemson with a 21-9-1 overall record and 5-6-1 Southern Conference mark after beating Wofford twice in a three-game series at home over the weekend. The Catamounts, who are 7-2 in one-run games, are 5-5-1 on opponents’ home fields as well.

Western Carolina is averaging 7.2 runs per game and hitting .309 with a .484 slugging percentage and .399 on-base percentage. The team has also totaled 61 doubles, four triples, 41 home runs, and 62 stolen bases on the season.

Ollie Goulder is hitting a team-high .366 with nine homers and 23 RBIs, while Tyler Kirkpatrick is hitting .339 with eight home runs, nine doubles, and 30 RBIs. Four Catamounts have totaled double-digit steals, Dylan de Graaf (18), Matt Johns (11), Trevor Collias (11), and Austin Schultz (10).

The pitching staff has a 4.71 ERA and .263 opponents’ batting average along with 249 strikeouts against 111 walks in 275.0 innings pitched. Senior righthander Daniel Ottone has six of the team’s seven saves along with 16 strikeouts against only three walks in 16.2 innings pitched over 17 relief appearances. The Catamounts are fielding at a .963 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson, ranked as high as #16 in the nation, enters Wednesday’s game against Western Carolina with a 23-10 overall record and 10-5 ACC mark after falling twice in three games at Duke over the weekend. The Tigers are also 18-4 at home in 2010.

The Tigers are averaging 9.0 runs per game and hitting .307 with a .492 slugging percentage and .421 on-base percentage thanks to 214 walks and 31 hit-by-pitches. Clemson has also totaled 70 doubles, seven triples, 43 homers, and 61 stolen bases.

John Hinson is riding a current 13-game hitting streak and batting .396 with four homers, 34 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Kyle Parker is hitting .375 with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs, and a .500 on-base percentage, while Brad Miller is batting .327 with a .473 on-base percentage. Jeff Schaus has amassed seven long balls and 45 RBIs. Chris Epps has totaled 14 stolen bases and has reached base via a hit, walk, or hit-by-pitch at least two times in eight straight games.

The pitching staff has a 4.43 ERA and .262 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 113 walks against 227 strikeouts. Righthanders Alex Frederick, and Jonathan Meyer all have two saves apiece. The Tigers are fielding at a .956 clip as well.

Worth Noting Clemson is 14-3 when committing two or more errors and 9-7 when committing less than two errors.

Polls The Tigers fell five spots to #16 in the Sports Weekly coaches poll this week after going 3-2 in five games last week. The Tigers also dropped one spot to #16 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and fell one spot to #17 in the Baseball America poll.

ACC Standings The Tigers are in a tie for first place in the ACC Atlantic Division standings with a 10-5 league record. In the division, the Tigers are tied with Florida State, who is also 10-5. N.C. State and Boston College are tied for third at 6-9, Maryland (4-11) is fifth, and Wake Forest (2-13) is sixth in the division. Georgia Tech is atop the Coastal division with a 12-3 record, while Miami (FL) is second with an 11-4 mark.

On Base Hits…walks…hit-by-pitches. When it comes to those three cumulative categories, Clemson is having one of its best seasons in recent history. In 33 games, the Tigers have totaled 354 hits, 214 walks, and 31 hit-by-pitches. That adds to 599 times on base, an average of 18.2 per game. It is better than the 2002 team’s mark of 17.0. That squad featured the likes of Khalil Greene, Jeff Baker, and Michael Johnson. The 2010 mark is the best by a Tiger team since 1999 (18.2).

Miller on Base in All 33 Games Brad Miller has reached base via a hit or walk in all 33 games in 2010. He has hit safely in 24 of the 33 games, while in those nine games when he was hitless, he walked at least once in all nine. Miller is hitting .327 and has a stellar .473 on-base percentage thanks to 33 walks and two hit-by-pitches in 33 games this season. In 15 ACC regular-season games, he is hitting .354 with a team-best .536 on-base percentage thanks to 19 walks.

Miller is not the only Tiger to get on base in a consistent manner in 2010. John Hinson 20 starts, he has hit safely in 18 games and has reached base via a hit or walk in all 20 of those starts. Finally, freshman Richie Shaffer, who has missed a lengthy portion of the season due to injury, has reached base via a hit, walk, or hit-by-pitch in 16 of his 17 games.

Blue Devils Hand Tigers Two Losses in Durham Duke won two of three games over #11 Clemson at Durham Bulls Athletic Park from April 9-11. Both teams scored 22 runs in the series, while the Tigers put 60 runners on base and Duke put 44 runners on base. Duke outhit the Tigers .317 to .295, while Clemson had a .421 on-base percentage thanks to 21 walks and five hit-by-pitches. But Clemson left 31 runners on base to Duke’s 14 in the series. John Hinson led Clemson by going 8-for-16 with three doubles and four RBIs, while Jeff Schaus added a homer, double, and five RBIs.

In game-one on April 9, Duke scored five runs in the eighth inning and held on for a 10-9 win over Clemson. The back-and-forth game saw the Blue Devils score four runs in the third to take a 4-3 lead, then the Tigers held an 8-5 lead entering the bottom of the eighth inning. But Duke scored five runs in the eighth, including four with two outs, and Clemson struck out twice with runners on second and third in the ninth to end the game. Hinson went 4-for-5, while Kyle Parker both hit three-run homers. Both teams had 12 hits, while Duke was 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

In game-two on April 10, Clemson scored six runs in the 11th inning to defeat Duke 11-5. Will Currier’s grand slam in the sixth inning erased the Tigers’ 3-0 lead, but Clemson scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the score. Duke scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, but Clemson worked out of jams in the ninth and 10th inning to stay alive. In the 11th, Clemson took advantage of a costly Duke error and scored six runs on only two hits, including two-run hits by Schaus and Hinson. Tomas Cruz allowed just one run in 4.0 innings pitched to earn the win and Clemson overcame 16 runners left on base, including 12 left in scoring position.

In game-three on April 11, freshman righthander Chase Bebout pitched 7.1 strong innings to lead Duke to a 7-2 win over Clemson. Currier hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Duke never gave up the lead. Both teams put 14 batters on base, but Clemson was 0-for-7 with two outs. Mike Freeman had a team-high two hits and a double to lead Clemson, who totaled nine hits and five walks in the game. Duke turned three key double plays as well.