Wednesday 03/26/2003
March 26, 2003
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Clemson vs. Georgia Clemson (17-4) will take on Georgia (11-10) Wednesday at 7:15 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Properties and can be heard live via the internet at www.clemsontigers.com. Live stats will also be available on Clemson’s website. The game will be broadcast live on television by Comcast/Charter Southeast as well.
The Series Wednesday’s meeting will be the 200th meeting between the two, with the Bulldogs holding a 108-89-2 advantage in the series dating back to 1900. The two teams most recently met twice in 2002, with each team winning on its home field. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1959. The last six meetings have been won by the home team.
Last season, Collin Mahoney hit a two-run, opposite-field homer in the eighth inning to give Clemson a 6-5 win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers trailed 4-0 before the comeback. Jack Leggett is 12-6 against Georgia as the Tiger skipper, including 8-0 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. He was also 3-12 against the Bulldogs as the Western Carolina head coach, meaning he is 15-18 all-time facing Georgia.
The Starting Pitchers Georgia will start junior lefthander Paul Lubrano (2-2, 4.87 ERA). Lubrano has made two starts and has a complete game to his credit, the only by a Bulldog this season. He has also struck out 21 while walking just seven in 20.1 innings pitched. It will be the third-straight game the Tigers have faced a lefty starter. Clemson will counter with junior righthander Steven Jackson (1-1, 5.79 ERA). Jackson has made four starts this season.
Georgia Overview Georgia, who is 0-6 in SEC play, has lost six games in a row, three to #16 Louisiana State and three at #19 Alabama. The Bulldogs are 1-3 on opponents’ home fields and are hitting .323. The team also has a 5.54 team ERA and .970 fielding percentage. David Coffey leads the team with a .403 batting average along with 17 RBIs. Eight different Bulldogs have homered in 2003. The pitching staff has a respectable 2.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Clemson Overview Clemson, who had won 14 games in a row prior to its 9-5 loss Tuesday at Western Carolina, is hitting .314 and sports a 3.38 ERA. The Tigers also have a .972 fielding percentage. At Doug Kingsmore Stadium, they are a perfect 13-0. Zane Green leads the team with a .368 batting average, while back-to-back 3-for-4 games for Russell Triplett have upped his batting average to .351.
N.C. State Series to Be Played at Kinston, NC The Clemson at N.C. State series from March 28-30 will be played at Kinston, NC, announced Monday by N.C. State University. Renovations at Doak Field in Raleigh have yet to be completed. The Wolfpack have played all of their “home” games at several locations, including Grainger Stadium in Kinston. Grainger Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,800 and is the home of the Kinston (A) Indians, is located 80 miles east of Raleigh on U.S. Highway 70. The games, which will still be played at 7:00 Friday, 1:30 Saturday, and 1:30 Sunday, will be considered home games for N.C. State and away games for Clemson due to NCAA rules.
Cats End Tigers Winning Streak Tuesday Western Carolina defeated Clemson 9-5 March 25 at Hennon Stadium, ending the Tigers’ 14-game winning streak. It was Western Carolina’s first home night game in school history, as the program also set an attendance record at the game. Russell Triplett had three hits for the second straight game.
Tigers Won 14 Games in a Row After starting the season 3-3, Clemson won 14 games in a row before falling at Western Carolina on March 25. The streak tied for the seventh longest in school history. In 2002, Clemson started the season 13-0, lost, then won 13 more games in a row. The 14-game winning streak was its longest streak since 1996, when the Tigers won 15 games in a row.
Clemson’s Longest Winning Streaks
Rk. Games Year Ended By Date Score 1. 26 1977 South Carolina 3/28 2-1 2. 25 1995 at South Carolina 3/28 4-2 3. 21 1988 South Carolina 4/23 11-7 4. 17 1992 Maryland 3/15 10-9 5. 15 1988 vs. Brigham Young 3/15 9-2 15 1996 at Duke *3/16 7-4 7. 14 1989 at Maryland *4/16 5-4 14 2003 at Western Carolina 3/25 9-5 9. 13 1991 vs. Creighton 6/1 8-4 13 2002 South Alabama 3/16 6-4 13 2002 N.C. State 4/6 3-0* - game one of a doubleheader
Tigers Ranked #2 in Latest RPI The only rating system the NCAA uses to determine selections and seedings is the RPI, or the Ratings Percentage Index. Although the NCAA does not release its official RPI, Boyd Nation has come up with an RPI index that is all but the same as the official RPI. He uses numbers from previous seasons to verify his formulas.
In his March 24 release, Nation’s RPI index has Clemson #2, depsite the Tigers only being ranked as high as #10 in the polls. Clemson can thank a brutal non-conference schedule for its high RPI ranking, which already includes three games against Auburn (#) and many other games against quality foes. The RPI only counts games against Division I teams and are for games through March 23.
Boyd Nation's Unofficial RPI By Team Rk Team W-L Rating 1. Auburn 18-5 .688 2. Clemson 16-3 .673 3. Rice 24-1 .666 4. Baylor 21-6 .656 5. Stanford 15-8 .644 6. Louisiana State 16-7 .637 7. Long Beach State 16-7 .635 8. Cal. State-Fullerton 21-5 .630 9. Georgia Tech 19-2 .630 10. Mississippi State 17-3 .624
Boyd Nation’s Unofficial RPI By Conference Rk Conference W-L Rating 1. Southeastern 186-88 .588 2. Big XII 157-83 .586 3. Atlantic Coast 142-64 .574 4. Pacific 10 141-93 .555 5. Southland 126-106 .554
Pitchers Dominating at Home In 13 home games this season, the Tiger pitchers have combined for a 2.33 team ERA to lead Clemson to a 13-0 record. In 116.0 innings pitched, Clemson has allowed just 30 earned runs, 33 walks, and 93 hits while striking out 105. The pitchers have combined to hold opponents to a .217 batting average and only 17 extra base hits, 14 of which have been doubles.
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