Tigers Play Host to Wofford and Elon in Mid-Week Games

May 7, 2002

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Clemson, SC – Top-ranked Clemson (39-8) will look to win its 40th game for the 17th consecutive season when it takes to the diamond Wednesday against Wofford (23-25) at 7:15 PM. Clemson will also play host to Elon (29-18) Thursday at 7:15 PM. The Wofford game will be televised by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast and broadcast on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Properties. There is no radio for the Elon game. Live stats will be available for both games on Clemson’s website.

Clemson leads the series with Wofford 67-23-1 dating back to 1898. The two schools have met only four times since 1949, with the Tigers winning all four of those games. The two teams met in 1999, a 12-4 Clemson win, and 2001, a 6-0 Tiger victory, meaning Head Coach Jack Leggett is 2-0 against the Terriers as the Tiger skipper. The Tigers have also won 25 of the last 27 meetings in the series. The Tigers are 1-1 all-time against Elon, with the first meeting coming in 1920 and the last meeting coming in 2000. The 1920 game saw Elon win 6-3, while Clemson won in 2000 17-5.

Wofford will send out 6-7 junior lefty Culley Kline (2-5, 5.87 ERA) to the mound Wednesday. Cline has started 10 games and relieved in three others this season. The Tigers will counter with sophomore righty Steven Jackson (5-1, 5.60 ERA). It will be Jackson’s first appearance since starting against Furman on April 23. Both starters for Thursday’s game have yet to be determined.

Wofford, who is 5-16 on the road this season, is coming off a three-game series at College of Charleston in which they went 1-2. Prior to that, Wofford played host to South Carolina and came away with a narrow 5-4 loss. A great play by Gamecock third-baseman Brian Buscher prevented Wofford from pulling off the upset. Wofford is hitting .284 as a team, led by freshman third-baseman Matt Lein, who is hitting .388 with six homers and 42 RBIs. The Terriers sport a 6.37 team ERA as well. Reliever and spot starter George Leir ranks tied for third in the nation with 11 wins, almost half of the team’s 23 victories. Leir also has seven saves in 81.2 innings pitched this season.

Elon, who plays UNC Greensboro Tuesday night, is 6-11 on the road this season and is coming off two wins in three games against visiting Charleston Southern. Earlier in the season, Elon defeated defending national champion Miami (FL) in two of three games in Coral Gables, FL. They also defeated Wake Forest 4-1 on March 6. The Phoenix is hitting .307, led by Whit Bryant, who is hitting .405 with eight homers and 46 RBIs. Jim Swenson has 11 homers and 48 RBIs as well. Jason Tuttle is among the NCAA leaders in steals, as he has swiped 35 bases in 41 attempts this season. Elon sports a 4.78 team ERA and has 13 saves.

Clemson, who is coming off two losses in three games at #9 Georgia Tech, is led by Khalil Greene. Greene is riding a 13-game hitting streak and is up to .476, second-best in the nation. He needs just eight hits to tie the ACC record for hits and one double to do the same in the doubles’ category. Clemson sports a .972 fielding percentage and 3.99 team ERA.