Tigers Take on Gardner-Webb Tuesday

March 26, 2007

Complete Release in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader

Clemson vs. Gardner-Webb Clemson (15-7), ranked as high as #11 in the nation, will play host to Gardner-Webb (12-16) on Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 7:15 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 Gardner-Webb have met three on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 3-0 lead. The two last faced each other on March 15, 2006. Clemson defeated the Bulldogs 10-5 in that game. On March 3, 2004 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers were victorious 8-5. The other meeting also took place at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, this time on March 1, 1975. Clemson also won that game by a score of 9-6.

The Starting Pitchers Gardner-Webb will start junior lefthander Wes Cogdill (1-0, 5.16 ERA) on the mound Tuesday. The Wilkesboro, NC native has made 11 relief appearances for a total of 29.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 34 hits (.283 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 11 strikeouts. He has also yet to allow a home run this season. The Tigers will counter with sophomore righty Matt Vaughn (1-0, 2.19 ERA) on Tuesday. The Summerville, SC native has made five relief appearances for a total 12.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 10 hits (.213 opponents’ batting average) and three walks with 15 strikeouts. The only other start in his career came in 2006 against Western Carolina.

The Bulldogs Gardner-Webb, led by fifth-year Head Coach Rusty Stroupe, enters Tuesday’s game with a 12-16 overall record and 2-4 mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference after winning two of three games against Lipscomb over the weekend. The Bulldogs, who are 2-7 on opponents’ home fields, also won two of three games at Georgia from March 9-11.

The Bulldogs are hitting .279 as a team with a .358 on-base percentage. They have totaled 33 doubles, 10 triples, and 15 home runs. The team is one of the national leaders in steals, and it has swiped 81 bases in 101 attempts.

Jeremiah Lokken is hitting a team-best .338 with two homers and 16 RBIs. Josh Drewery is hitting .327 with 17 RBIs. Jay McConnell has a team-high four home runs and 15 RBIs, while Matt Rizzuto is batting .316 with six doubles, three triples, and three long balls along with a team-best 21 RBIs. Jamaal Kinard (19), Daniel Cooke (16), and Jon Ahearn (11) have all stolen at least 11 bases on the season as well.

The Gardner-Webb pitching staff has a 5.35 ERA and .267 opponents’ batting average. It has struck out 148 against 118 walks in 255.2 innings pitched. Senior righthander Nate MacDonald has a team-high two saves. The team is fielding at a .966 clip as well.

The Tigers Clemson enters Tuesday’s game against the Bulldogs with a 15-7 overall record and 4-2 mark in ACC play after falling twice in three games at Maryland over the weekend. In the Tigers’ win on Sunday, Jack Leggett picked up career-win #1,000, becoming the 29th head coach in Division I history to reach the 1,000-win plateau. The Tigers, who are 14-3 at home this season, also brings a #11 national ranking into Tuesday’s game.

The team is hitting .278 with a .359 on-base percentage. Brad Chalk is hitting a team-best .429 with a .541 on-base percentage. He has also reached base via a hit, walk, or hit-by-pitch in 49 straight games dating back to 2006. Doug Hogan is hitting .366 with four homers and 11 RBIs, and he is riding a current 10-game hitting streak.

The pitching staff has a 2.96 ERA and .232 opponents’ batting average. It has combined to strike out 187 against 64 walks. Daniel Moskos has a team-high five saves, while Stephen Clyne has an 0.46 ERA and .169 opponents’ batting average. The team is fielding at a .970 clip as well.

Leggett will not be at Tuesday’s game. He went directly from Clemson’s series at Maryland to Vermont to be with his ailing father.

Polls Clemson fell to #11 in the Baseball America poll and #12 in the Collegiate Baseball poll on Monday after going 1-3 in four games last week. Clemson also fell to #11 in the Sports Weekly poll.

Leggett Reaches 1,000 Career Wins Head Coach Jack Leggett, in his 14th season at Clemson and 28th overall, won his 1,000th game on March 25 in the Tigers’ 5-0 victory at Maryland. He has a 1000-556 overall record, including a 623-266 mark at Clemson. At the age of 53, Leggett became one of the youngest coaches to reach 1,000 career wins. Leggett became the 29th head coach in Division I history to reach the 1,000-win mark. He also became the 10th active head coach at the Division I level to reach 1,000 career wins.

Hinson Showing Consistency on the Mound Sophomore lefthander Ryan Hinson (Rock Hill, SC) has been a weekend starter all season. In six starts, he is 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA along with 27 strikeouts against 10 walks in 33.2 innings pitched. He has also yielded just one home run. He has been perhaps Clemson’s most consistent starter in 2007. In each of his six starts, he has allowed two earned runs or less. In 2006, he made 18 relief appearances and one start. In only one of those 19 appearances did he allow more than two earned runs.

His nemesis in his young career has been Georgia Tech. He has made four relief appearances against the Yellow Jackets, allowing eight earned runs in 7.0 innings pitched (10.29 ERA). Therefore in his other 57.1 innings pitched against all other teams, he has allowed just 13 earned runs, good for a 2.04 ERA. Overall in his career, Hinson is 5-1 with a 2.94 ERA in 18 relief appearances and seven starts.

Terrapins Take Two of Three From Tigers Maryland won two of three games at Shipley Field from March 23-25 despite Clemson outscoring the Terrapins by a combined score of 9-8 in the series. Clemson hit .238 in the series, including a team-best 4-for-11 performance by Andy D’Alessio. Clemson’s pitching staff had a 2.13 ERA and struck out 30 against nine walks in the series. The Tigers also allowed just two extra-base hits, both doubles.

In game-one, Chad Durakis’ walkoff double in the ninth inning gave Maryland a 4-3 victory over Clemson on March 23. Durakis’ two-bagger was the only extra-base hit of the game, as Maryland outhit Clemson 11-8. The Tigers had scored three runs in the ninth inning, highlighted by Alex Burg’s two-run single up the middle, to tie the score. Terrapin starter Casey Baron pitched 8.0 superb innings, allowing four hits, no runs, and one walk with seven strikeouts, but did not factor in the decision. Clemson reliever Alan Farina struck out eight in 4.0 innings pitched, as four Tiger pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts.

In game-two, Maryland scored four runs in the fifth inning en route to a 4-1 win over Clemson on March 24. After scoring a run in the fifth, A.J. Casario hit a potential inning-ending, double-play grounder, but David Bunnell could not field the ball. The Terrapins, who had seven hits (all singles), made Clemson pay with three more runs in the frame. The Tigers, who had four hits, scored a run in the eighth on a double off the top of the fence in left field by Taylor Harbin, but the Tigers were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the game. Ryan Hinson suffered his first career loss despite pitching 6.2 effective innings.

In game-three, Head Coach David Kopp pitched 7.0 innings, allowing six hits, no runs, and no walks with five strikes to earn the win. Three Tiger pitchers combined to face just three batters over the minimum. Clemson scored three runs in the second inning and two more in the sixth inning. The Tigers had 12 hits and 19 baserunners, but stranded 12 on base. Five different Tigers had two hits apiece, while the Terrapins committed four errors.