Tigers Take On Wolfpack In Raleigh

May 4, 2001

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Clemson (31-17, 12-6 ACC) at N.C. State (25-25, 8-13) May 5-6, 2001 Doak Field, Raleigh, NC Saturday: 1:00 PM (CTN, *RSN) & 7:00 PM (CTN) * Sunday: 1:30 PM (CTN)

*RSN – Indicates Regional Sports Networks (Fox Sports Net South, Sunshine and HTS)

Probable Starting Pitchers Sat., May 5, Game 1: Steve Reba (RHP, 8-3, 2.14 ERA) vs. Derek McKey (RHP, 3-2, 4.77 ERA) Sat., May 5, Game 2: Jarrod Schmidt (RHP, 5-3, 4.44 ERA) vs. Jason Blanton (RHP, 4-1, 4.72 ERA) Sun., May 6: Matt Henrie (RHP, 4-2, 3.54 ERA) vs. Corey Mattison (RHP, 1-3, 5.00 ERA)

Tigers Return to Action Clemson returns to action Saturday at N.C. State after five days off for final exams. The Tigers and Wolfpack will play a day-night doubleheader at 1:00 PM and at 7:00 PM on Saturday and will then conclude the season series at 1:30 PM on Sunday.

Saturday will be the first of back-to-back Saturdays that the Tigers will play doubleheaders. Clemson will host Virginia next Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM. This weekend will mark the third time this year that Clemson has played two games in the same time. The Tigers split games between Oregon State (W, 9-5) and UNLV (L, 6-14) on Friday, Feb. 23 and then swept two games from New York Tech on March 31, winning 13-0 and 14-0.

Clemson vs. N.C. State The first game on Saturday will be the 142nd meeting between the Tigers and the Wolfpack. Clemson leads the all-time series 82-58-1 and is 16-8 under head coach Jack Leggett who took the helm at Clemson in 1994 and won the first eight games he coached against N.C. State. The Tigers claimed the series last year in Clemson 2-1. After dropping the first game 5-1, the Tigers responded with 9-0 and 8-4 wins. N.C. State last won the season series in 1999, which was the last time Clemson played in Raleigh. The Wolfpack’s only sweep against Clemson came in 1997. Clemson’s last sweep against N.C. State was in 1995.

The Comeback Clemson’s sweep in 1995 in Raleigh almost did not happen. The Tigers trailed N.C. State 15-4 heading into the top of the ninth inning. That is when Tiger bats came alive. Clemson scored 11 runs in that inning to tie the game at 15 and then scored a pair of runs in the 10th inning to claim a 17-15 victory in the first game of the season series. It was the largest comeback in school history. Clemson went on to take 13-1 and 13-3 wins the remainder of the weekend. The Tigers went on to win the ACC regular season title with a 20-4 record and advanced to the College World Series.

Clemson has had its fair share of comebacks this season, the biggest was against Coastal Carolina on April 11 when the Tigers scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and send it to extra innings, where they won 8-7 in 11 innings.

Boyd Will Not Return This Year Senior preseason All-American center fielder Patrick Boyd will not return to the Clemson lineup this season and will need five more weeks of rehabilitation for his back Clemson head coach Jack Leggett announced Thursday at the conclusion of practice.

Clemson has been without the services Boyd for all but one game this season because of a stress fracture in his back. Boyd missed all of preseason practice and missed the team’s first 13 games of the season before appearing in the lineup March 11 in the Tigers’ 17-4 win over Ohio University.

Boyd was 1 for 3 with a double and scored two runs against Ohio, but the pain continued and forced him to miss the two games with Georgia Southern. On March 14, he flew with team doctor Byron Harder to Tampa, FL to be checked out by a back specialist, Dr. Tom Tolli, who works primarily with major league baseball players, including Jose Canseco. Boyd immediately began a six-week rehabilitation process and was expected to return to the lineup last weekend vs. North Carolina, but he decided to rest this week while Clemson was taking final exams. He anticipated returning this weekend for the Tigers’ three-game ACC series at N.C. State, but after further review by Dr. Tolli it was determined Boyd was not ready to come back.

“I’m obviously disappointed with the results,” Boyd said. “Right now my plan is to focus on getting 100 percent healthy and from their I’ll weigh my options and go in the direction that I think will best benefit my future in baseball.”

“It is an unfortunate situation, but the stress fracture has not healed the way it needed to heal,” Leggett said. “It is very disappointing it had to happen this way, but it is in his best interest not to play. If he were to come back and keep swinging, he could do permanent damage. It is just very disappointing for him because of the person that he is and the potential that he has.”

Boyd, who came back to Clemson for his senior year after getting drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, was a 1999 All-American and is a 2001 preseason second-team All-American by Baseball America. He is a career .341 hitter with a .442 on-base percentage and 49 stolen bases in three seasons. The senior from Palm Harbor, FL ranks in the school’s career top-10 lists in five different categories, including walks, doubles, runs scored, hits and RBIs.

Tigers Up Three Spots in Coaches Poll After going 3-2 last week with victories over Western Carolina and North Carolina, the Clemson baseball team fell as many as five spots in this week’s polls that were released on Monday.

Clemson fell from 12th to 17th in the Baseball America poll and fell two spots, from 12th to 14th in the Collegiate Baseball. Clemson is ranked 16th in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN coaches poll, down from last week’s ranking of 15th.

Clemson opened the week with an 8-2 win over Western Carolina on Tuesday before losing 2-1 at home to South Carolina. The Tigers rebounded for a pair of ACC wins against North Carolina, winning 6-3 and 10-9 in 10 innings, before falling 4-0 to the Tar Heels on Sunday.

Baker Invited to Team USA Trials Clemson third baseman Jeff Baker was one of 19 players invited May 1 to participate in the 2001 USA Baseball National Team Trials which will be held in Tucson, AZ June 16-19.

Baker will be trying to represent the United States for the fourth time in the last five years. The sophomore from Woodbridge, VA was a member of the 1997 USA Youth National Team that finished fifth at the IBA World Youth Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. He was also a member of the 1999 USA Junior National Team that won the gold medal at the IBA World Junior Championships in Kaohsiung China and in 2000 helped led the USA National Team to the gold medal at the Honkbal Classic in Holland.

The USA National Team will be selected from a pool of approximately 20-29 players, of which an additional 5-10 have yet to be determined. Team USA will play approximately 30 games on the Red, White and Blue Summer Tour, beginning on June 22 with the 30th annual USA vs Japan Collegiate All-Star Series, which this year will be played in Japan.

Clemson Rallies to Beat UNC 6-3 Khalil Greene slugged a two-out three-run home run in the sixth inning to key Clemson to a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over North Carolina in ACC baseball action on April 27.

North Carolina took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and then made it 3-0 by adding a run in the fifth. Showing just one hit in five innings off North Carolina starter Ralph Roberts, the Tigers finally got the bats going. Casey Stone led off the frame with a two-strike bunt single down the third-base line. One out later Jeff Baker walked. After Michael Johnson grounded out, Greene came to the plate with a chance to tie the contest with one swing. North Carolina went to its bullpen and brought on Kevin Brower. The Clemson shortstop quickly tied the game with his sixth home run of the season, a blast over the left field fence.

Clemson was not finished in the sixth. Chad Coder singled up the middle and moved to second when Jarrod Schmidt, who by now was out of the game as a pitcher, but remained in the game as the designated hitter, singled to load the bases. Steve Pyzik then hit a ground ball to shortstop Chad Prosser, who committed an error, allowing Coder to score the lead run.

The Clemson rally took the life out of North Carolina offensively, as the Tar Heels had just three base runners and two hits the last three innings of the contest. Meanwhile, Clemson added a pair of insurance runs. Jeff Baker belted a home run to right center in the seventh, his team best 15th of the season. The Tigers added another run in the eighth on a walk, a double by Schmidt and a squeeze bunt by Steve Pyzik.

Clemson relief pitcher Nick Glaser was outstanding in relief, as the senior shutout out the Tar Heels over the final 2 1/3 innings. He earned his first save of the year. Thomas Boozer got the win in relief and improved to 2-0 for the season. Kevin Brower was the loser in relief.

Schmidt, who did not bat until the sixth inning, was the only Tiger with two hits. Baker had the home run and reached safely twice in walks. North Carolina was led at the plate by Russ Adams and Sean Farrell who had two hits apiece.

Tigers Rally Again To Beat UNC in 10 Innings Jeff Baker sent the game into extra innings and Steve Pyzik single drove in the winning run as Clemson defeated North Carolina 10-9 in 10 innings last Saturday night at Kingsmore Stadium North Carolina appeared to be headed for victory holding a 9-7 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth until Baker stepped to the plate. Clemson’s best hitter sent Jason Howell’s offering deep over the left field fence for a two-run home run that tied the game at nine and pushed it into extra innings. Baker had already homered earlier in the game and the two-homer night was his fifth multi-homer game of the season. The sophomore now has 17 home runs on the season, which is tied for tops in the ACC.

In the bottom of the 10th, Khalil Greene singled and stole second base to lead off the inning. Jarrod Schmidt was intentionally walked and Chad Coder laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third base with one out. After Zane Green was intentionally walked to load the bases, Pyzik hit a chopper to the right side of the infield that got through and scored the winning run. Josh Cram (2-1) got the win for Clemson for while Whitley Benson (3-2) took the loss for North Carolina.

UNC’s Autrey Blanks Clemson in Complete Game North Carolina pitcher Scott Autrey limited the Clemson offense to four hits as the Tar Heels defeated the Tigers 4-0 last Sunday. Autrey (2-3) struck out six over nine innings and did not allow a Tiger runner to reach third base. He out-dueled Clemson starter Steve Reba (8-3), who struck out five over 8.1 innings but was credited with all four earned runs.

Both pitchers dominated early and combined to allow only five hits in the first seven innings. North Carolina threatened to score in the fifth inning when Russ Adams doubled, advanced to third with only one out and then attempted to steal home plate after a pitch got past Tiger catcher Seth Miller. Miller recovered in time to toss the ball to Reba, who was covering the plate and tagged out the sliding Adams. The Tar Heels finally got to Reba with a two-out rally in the eighth inning. Ron Braun and Brandon Russell singled and then scored when Adam Greenberg doubled to left field. Clemson attempted a two-out rally of its own in the bottom of the inning after singles by Russell Triplett and Miller. The inning ended, however, after Casey Stone ground ball was fielded by first baseman Jason Howell and flipped to Autrey for the putout.

North Carolina padded its lead in the ninth with a pair of runs. Ralph Roberts doubled and scored after a single by Howell that also knocked Reba out of the game. Chad Prosser plated Howell off of reliever Josh Cram and Autrey retired Clemson in order in the bottom of the inning to seal the victory.

Complete Game Shutout Was the First vs. Clemson by an ACC Team Since 1997 Last Sunday’s pitching performance by North Carolina starter Scott Autrey was something that no other conference pitcher has been able to do against Clemson in almost four years. The sophomore right hander tossed a complete game shutout against the Tigers, the first in ACC play since May 17, 1997 when Florida State’s Chris Chavez blanked the Tigers 10-0 in the ACC Tournament championship. The last time Clemson was shutout in a complete game not in an ACC contest was the opening weekend of the 2000 season. Central Florida beat the Tigers 5-0 in the ACC Disney Blast on Jan. 30.

The Long Ball Clemson now has 63 home runs as a team this season. The Tigers hit only 37 home runs a year ago, paced by Jeff Baker 11. Fifteen of the 37 homers came at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, while this year Clemson has almost tripled the total having hit 41 out of Kingsmore Stadium. Baker hit his 15th home run of the season in Friday night’s 6-3 win over North Carolina and then hit his 16th and 17th homers in Saturday’s come-from-behind extra inning victory over the Tar Heels. His 17th home run, which ties him for the lead in the ACC, came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 9-9 and force extra innings, where Clemson found victory. The two home runs in Saturday’s game marked the fifth time this season and the seventh time of his career that he hit two homers in the same game. Both are records (see other column).

Baker is tied with Virginia’s Jon Benick with 17 home runs this season, though Baker has reached 17 in fewer games (45), while Benick has hit his in 48 games. Baker’s total ranks 10th in the nation. Jarrod Schmidt has hit 14 home runs to rank third behind Baker and Benick while Michael Johnson is tied for sixth with 11.

With Baker, Schmidt and Johnson all with more than 10 home runs this season, the trio has combined for 42 home runs (66.7 percent of the home runs hit by the Tigers this year. Only Jeff Baker had a double-figure total in 2000 with his 11 round-trippers. Clemson last had three players with 10 or more home runs in 1999. Patrick Boyd led the Tigers that year with 17 home runs, followed by Kurt Bultmann’s 12 and Jason Harris’ 10. Clemson hit 72 homers that season. That trio ended the year with 39 home runs.

Baker’s 17 home runs this season now tie him for sixth on the school’s season home run list. He is tied with three others: Mike Couture (1988), Jim Crowley (1991) and Patrick Boyd (1999). The Clemson season record is 24 by Eric Macrina (1991) and Matthew LeCroy (1997).

Baker Gunning for Most Homers in First Two Years With Jeff Baker 17 home runs this season put with the 11 dingers he hit in 2000 as a freshman, the sophomore now has 28 career home runs. With one home run this weekend at N.C. State he would tie Matthew LeCroy for home runs hit by a Clemson player in his first two season. LeCroy hit 29 home runs in his first two seasons (1995 and 1996) to set the Clemson record.

Most Home Runs in First Two Seasons

Multiple Home Run Games Clemson has had the same player hit two home runs in the same game nine times this season paced by Jeff Baker five (Richmond, Ohio, Florida State, Coastal Carolina and North Carolina). Michael Johnson has hit two home runs in the same game twice (New York Tech and Duke) and Jarrod Schmidt hit two home runs April 6 at Florida State and again April 14 vs. Duke. The nine multi-home run games this season is the most in school history.

Multi HR Games This Season

Multi HR Games in a Season by Individual

20 tied at 2 including current Tigers:

Multi HR Games in a Season by Team

Back-to-Back First baseman Khalil Greene hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning the April 17 10-4 win over Georgia. It marked the third time this season that Clemson has launched consecutive home runs. The Tigers did it in the very first game of the year when Jarrod Schmidt hit homers in the bottom of the first inning against Richmond. The Tigers did it again in the series finale at Wake Forest as Ryan Riley and Schmidt belted blasts in the third inning en route to a 9-1 victory and series win.

Greene Sets HBP Records Who is the Ron Hunt of Clemson baseball? The answer is starting shortstop Khalil Greene who believes in getting on base anyway he can. Hunt set many records for being hit by a pitch in his major league career with the Mets and Expos. Greene is establishing records in that area at Clemson.

Greene was hit for the 18th time this season April 24 against Western Carolina to set the school season record. Greene had been tied for two weeks with Mike Hampton in 1994 and Gary Burnham in 1995. Greene had not been hit since the series at Florida State April 6-8. Greene has now been hit 44 times in his career, an all-time Clemson record. He is just a junior. Burnham owned the all-time record with 39 HBP recorded between 1994-97. Greene was hit five times in the New York Tech series, including a single game record three times in the first game of the series, a 24-3 win. That included being hit twice in one inning in that game, also a first in Clemson baseball history. Greene has now been hit by a pitch 18 times and walked 19 times this season. He has a .410 on-base percentage for his 181 at bats.

Pitching Paces Tigers Clemson ranks second in the ACC in pitching with a 4.13 team ERA. Florida State owns the best team ERA with 3.38, while Georgia Tech is third with a 4.28 ERA. In ACC games only, Clemson has a 3.17 ERA to top the league. Florida State is just behind with a 3.38 ERA, while Georgia Tech is third with a 5.06 ERA.

Right handed pitcher Steve Reba owns the best ERA in the ACC. The junior from Fort Wayne, IN sports a 2.14 ERA and also leads the league with an 8-3 record and opponents batting average. The ACC Pitcher of the Week last week is holding opposing batters to a measly .180. Reba is second in the league in strike outs with 72, just one behind Florida State’s Blair Varnes.

Reba got the loss against South Carolina on Wednesday and then got his second conference loss last Sunday vs. North Carolina. He pitched his first complete game on April 20, a 3-0 shut out of Georgia Tech last Friday. Against Duke on April 14, Steve Reba struck out a career-high 12 batters to lead Clemson to a 10-1 victory over the Blue Devils. Reba went six innings, allowed just two hits and one run. He struck out 12 and walked just three. His strikeout total was the high mark by a Clemson pitcher since Ryan Mottl had 12 in a loss to Virginia on April 4, 1998.

After Reba’s complete game shutout on Friday, Schmidt followed with a complete game of his own on Saturday against the Yellow Jackets. In his second complete game of his career, the sophomore showed his form from a year ago when he amassed a perfect 9-0 record. On Saturday against Georgia Tech, he did not allow Tech to score a run until the ninth inning. On April 15 vs. Duke, he got the win in 5 1/3 innings allowing just four runs (three earned) off eight hits. He improved to 4-3 on the year and struck out four batters. Schmidt is hold opposing batters to a .251 average, sixth best in the league.

Sophomore Matt Henrie is the most improved pitcher on the Clemson staff in 2001. The sophomore from Jupiter, FL and Cardinal Newman High School appeared in just five games in 1999 and had an ERA of 13.50. He pitched just 3.1 innings for the season. He red-shirted the 2000 season. So far this year, Henrie has a 4-2 record and a 3.54 ERA, which ranks sixth in the ACC. He is holding opposing batters to a .228 average, fourth best in the conference. Henrie was named ACC Pitcher of the Week earlier this year when he shutout Maryland 7-0. He pitched six innings and allowed just three hits, no runs and struck out five of the 25 batters he faced.

Tigers in the ACC Rankings Jeff Baker has 17 home runs which ties him with Virginia’s Jon Benick for the most in the ACC this season. Jarrod Schmidt ranks third in the league with 14 home runs, while Michael Johnson is tied for sixth with 11. Schmidt’s eight home runs in ACC games is tied for the best in the conference.

Jeff Baker is second in the ACC in RBIs with 58, just one behind John-Ford Griffin of Florida State (59). Baker’s 1.29 RBIs per game average is best in the conference. Baker is second in slugging percentage (.753), second in total bases (131) and second in on-base percentage (.469). Baker is fourth in the individual batting race with a .379 average and Casey Stone is eighth with a .373 average. Casey Stone is tied for fourth in the ACC in stolen bases. He is averaging .44 stolen bases per game and is 21 of 25 (.840) on the base paths this season. Chad Coder is ninth in the stolen base department and was perfect on the paths in 15 tries until being thrown once out last weekend in the North Carolina series. He is now 15 of 16 (.938) this season.

Johnson is tied for sixth in walks. He has boarded base 32 times this season by bases on balls. Johnson also ranks 10th in slugging percentage (.589), just behind Schmidt, who is ninth (.598) In the pitching department, Steve Reba is tops in wins (eight), ERA (2.14) and opponents’ batting average (.180). His ERA ranks 32nd in the nation. He is second in strike outs with 72, just one behind Blair Varnes of FSU.

Joining Reba to rank among the leads best against batters, Matt Henrie is fourth versus opposing batters who have a .228 average against Henrie. Schmidt is hold batters to an average of .251, good enough for sixth in the league. Henrie’s ERA of 3.54 is sixth best in the league.

As a team, Clemson leads the ACC in fielding with a .966 fielding percentage. The Tigers are third in batting with a .304 average, behind Georgia Tech (.341) and Wake Forest (.328) and are second in pitching with a 4.13 ERA behind Florida State (3.38).

Clemson Wins Georgia Tech Series 2-1 The Tigers got back to back complete games from Steve Reba on Friday and Jarrod Schmidt on Saturday as Clemson took 3-0 and 5-1 victories against Georgia Tech last weekend to remain in second place in the ACC standings.

Reba struck out seven in Clemson’s first complete game shutout in ACC play since 1996. Last Friday’s effort came against the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets, who entered the game with a .352 team batting average, the best in the nation. The right hander improved to 8-1 and kept the Tech hitters off-balanced and gave up only an infield single in the first five innings.

Schmidt produced his best outing of the season as Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 5-1 last Saturday night. The right hander allowed five hits and one run while striking out four over nine innings. Schmidt helped his own cause in the eighth inning with a blast over the left field fence for a 5-0 lead.

On Sunday, Georgia Tech used a solid pitching effort from Kyle Bakker and 11 hits by its offense to take a 5-3 victory against the Tigers. Bakker scattered seven hits over eight innings and gave up three runs, none of which were earned.

The First Complete Game Shutout Since… Steve Reba struck out seven Friday night in Clemson’s first complete game shutout in ACC play since Ken Vining’s 2-0 win over Florida State on May 6, 1996. Friday’s effort came against the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets, who entered the game with a .352 team batting average, the best in the nation. The complete game was the first in Reba’s career.

Back-to-Back Complete Games Steve Reba complete game shutout of the Yellow Jackets on Friday. The feat of back-to-back complete games was last accomplished in the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Clemson in 1996. Billy Koch pitched in a 5-1 victory over Old Dominion on May 24 and Ken Vining defeated West Virginia 6-3 a day later.

Clemson had just three complete games in all of 2000. Ryan Mottl pitched complete games in the 8-4 win over Florida State (5/18) in the ACC Tournament and then again in the 4-0 victory against Middle Tennessee (5/26) in the Clemson Regional. Mottl’s pair of complete games were in back-to-back starts. Schmidt had the first of his career at North Carolina (4/1) in a 10-2 victory.

Reba Grabs ACC Weekly Pitching Honors Clemson’s Steve Reba earned Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week honors April 23 while Virginia’s Dan Street was selected the ACC Player of the Week honors.

Pitcher of the Week honors were claimed by Reba, a junior right-handed pitcher for the Tigers. The Fort Wayne, IN native threw a complete game shutout of seventh-ranked Georgia Tech to open the series with a 3-0 win over the Yellow Jackets. In nine innings, Reba faced 33 batters, striking out seven and allowing just three hits and one walk. He held the Jackets to a .097 batting average and was the first Clemson complete game shutout versus an ACC opponent since Ken Vining took home a 2-0 victory against Florida State in 1996.

Tigers Complete 3-Game Sweep of Duke Clemson scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on its way to a 6-4 victory and a three-game sweep of the Duke Blue Devils on April 15.

Clemson’s three-game sweep coupled with Wake Forest’s 2-1 series win over Georgia Tech vaulted the Tigers from fourth place in the ACC standings on Friday into second place behind only Florida State on Sunday. Duke, which had failed to score a run before the fourth inning in either of the two previous games, scored one run in the first inning on Sunday. The Blue Devils added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 3-0 lead.

Clemson scored five runs on four hits in the fifth inning to go on top 5-3. Casey Stone led off with a double and then Ryan Riley was hit by Duke starter Justin Dilucchio. Michael Johnson followed with a single to score Stone and then Khalil Greene doubled to score Riley. Schmidt tied the game with a base hit that scored Johnson. The Tigers added two runs on a throwing error by Alleva at third base.

Duke got one run back in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Scott Grossi that scored Kevin Kelly, but Clemson added an insurance run in the eighth on a base hit by Riley that scored Steve Pyzik.

Clemson Swept by Florida State The Tigers dropped all three games April 6-8 in Tallahassee to fall to 5-4 in the ACC. Florida State won 7-4 on Friday, 7-6 on Saturday and then claimed a 6-1 win on Sunday to complete its first sweep of the Tigers since 1995. Clemson threw undefeated pitchers in all three contests and all were charged with their first loss of the season, including the starters in the first two games that ranked one and two in the ACC in ERA. Steve Reba entered Friday night’s game with a 1.99 ERA yet allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Matt Henrie entered the game with a 3-0 record and a 2.08 ERA but allowed six earned runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for his first defeat. On Sunday, Nick Glaser let three earned runs score on five hits in 1 2/3 innings. The Orange and Purple had their moments on offense. Jarrod Schmidt belted two home runs on Friday in a 2 for 3 night and then on Saturday Jeff Baker put up two homers, including a shot in the ninth that could have tied the game had Kyle Jernigan not roped in a shot to deep center field by Chad Coder the batter before Baker. Clemson gave up big innings on both Friday and Saturday. The Seminoles scored five runs in the sixth inning on Friday and then scored four runs in the fifth on Saturday.

Clemson Wins 2 of 3 at Wake Forest The Tigers took two of the three meetings from Wake Forest in Winston-Salem March 23-25. Clemson won the first game 4-1 in 12 innings and took the rubber game on Sunday with a convincing 9-1 victory. Wake Forest won 12-3 on Saturday.

On, Wake Forest left the bases loaded in the ninth after a couple of squandered bunting situations and then again failed to score on three singles in the 11th. Clemson made the Deacons pay in the very next inning and loaded the bases with just one hit. A hit by pitch, sacrifice bunt, an error and a single filled the bases full of Tigers before Michael Johnson’s single to left brought in one run. Zane Green lined a single to left to score two more runs and give Clemson the 4-1 victory. On Saturday, Wake Forest senior Cory Sullivan was the star of the game throwing a complete game win and going three-for-five at the plate with three RBI as the Demon Deacons won 12-3.

Clemson fought back to win Sunday’s series deciding game. Wake Forest pitchers had allowed just six home runs in the first 24 games but four Clemson batters went deep for the Tigers on Sunday. Michael Johnson and Ryan Riley hit back-to-back homers in the fourth to give the Clemson a 5-0 lead. Jeff Baker tacked on insurance runs via the long ball. It was Greene’s second home runs of the year and the eighth for Baker. It was more than enough for Tiger starter Matt Henrie who pitched eight strong innings and yielded just one run on six hits. He struck out five and surrendered just one extra base hit all day. Henrie earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the season. Thomas Boozer pitched the final three outs.

Tigers Sweep Maryland Clemson opened the 2001 ACC schedule with a three-game sweep at Maryland. The Tigers won Friday’s contest 8-6, despite allowing four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jeff Baker was 3 for 5 with four RBIs and his fifth double of the season. Casey Stone was also 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Chad Coder and Steve Pyzik also had multiple hits for the Tigers.

Ryan Riley was 4 for 4 with and RBI and scored two runs in Clemson’s 9-6 win in the middle game. The game was halted in the top of the ninth on Saturday because of rain. The Tigers were in front 8-5 with no outs and the bases loaded, but Clemson scored one run before allowing one Maryland run to claim the 9-6 decision on Sunday. Matt Henrie allowed just three hits in 6.0 innings in the series finale as Clemson went on to a 7-0 shutout victory of the Terrapins. Jarrod Schmidt was 2 for 3 with two RBI and Michael Johnson was 2 for 4 with three RBI thanks to his sixth home run of the season. Schmidt and Coder also homered for Clemson.

Jeff Baker Wins Bob Bradley MVP Award Jeff Baker was awarded the first-ever Bob Bradley Award following Wednesday’s game against South Carolina. The award goes to the Clemson MVP in the annual series versus the Gamecocks and is named for the school’s longtime sports information director. Drew Meyer was selected South Carolina’s MVP and was presented the Tom Price Award, named for the Gamecocks former sports information director. Voting was done by the media.

Baker batted .615 (8 for 13) in his three games vs. South Carolina this season. He was a perfect 5 for 5 in the first meeting in Columbia on March 4, a game Clemson won 7-4. It was South Carolina’s first loss of the season against 13 victories. Baker missed the second game in Columbia on April 18 with a head cold. For the series, he hit two home runs, batted in three teammates and scored five times. Meyer was 7 for 15 (.467) with two doubles and two home runs that scored four.

Riley Named ACC Player of the Week Clemson’s Ryan Riley earned ACC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 26 after the Tigers went 3-2 in five games in Las Vegas, NV against UNLV and Oregon State.

Riley, a senior second baseman, earned ACC Player of the Week honors after leading Clemson in a three-game series vs. Oregon State and a two-game series at UNLV. For the week, the Seattle, WA, native notched 11 hits, nine RBIs and a .524 batting average. He finished the five-game stretch with 21 at bats as well as contributing seven runs, three doubles and two home runs. Riley had at least one hit in all five contests and went 3 for 4 on two occasions and missed hitting for the cycle in the finale vs. Oregon State by a triple. He had a single, a double and an inside-the-park home run.

Leggett Selected for Western Carolina Hall of FameJack Leggett, the winningest baseball coach at Western Carolina with 302 victories in nine seasons, will be inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 12-13. Leggett led the Catamounts to an unprecedented five consecutive Southern Conference Championships and five straight NCAA tournament bids from 1985-89. Two of his teams, 1985 and 1987, finished the season ranked among the nation’s top 30. The 1987 squad reached the NCAA Midwest Regional championship game. Western averaged 33 wins per season during Leggett’s tenure and played in the SoCon Championship game in eight of his nine seasons. In addition to his success on the field 100 percent of the players who completed their eligibility with the Catamounts, received a degree from WCU. Three players earned Academic All-American honors.