Tigers to Tangle With Buccaneers At Home Wednesday at 7:15 PM.

April 22, 2003

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Clemson vs. East Tennessee State Clemson (27-13), ranked as high as #20, will play host to East Tennessee State (11-25) Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM. 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 Series Clemson and East Tennessee State have met 24 times, with the Tigers holding an 18-6 advantage in the series dating back to 1969. Clemson has won eight in a row in the series by a combined score of 102-19, as Clemson has scored at least 11 runs in seven of the eight games and the Buccaneers have not scored more than four runs in a game during that stretch. East Tennessee State’s last win came at Johnson City on March 12, 1985, a 10-6 decision. The last meeting came last season, a 7-1 Tiger win on April 2. Leggett is 19-6 against the Buccaneers in his career (17-6 while at Western Carolina and 2-0 while at Clemson).

The Starting Pitchers East Tennessee State will start freshman righthander Jeremy Hall Wednesday. Hall has a team-bst 5.46 ERA to go along with an 0-3 record in four starts and six relief appearances. Clemson’s starter has not been determined as of Tuesday PM.

East Tennessee State Overview East Tennessee State, who lost to Gardner-Webb 4-3 Tuesday, is coming off two losses in three games at The Citadel over the weekend. The team has a 3-17 road record and is hitting .251 on the season. Steven Calicutt is second on the team with a .312 average. Calicutt is a native of Spartanburg, SC and attended Dorman High School. Andy Howdeshell leads the team in both homers (7) and RBIs (28). East Tennessee State also has a .949 fielding percentage and 6.17 team ERA.

Clemson Overview Clemson is coming off a 9-3 loss at Georgia Tuesday and is hitting .307 on the season, led by Zane Green’s .351 average. Brad McCann has a team-best eight homers, but just one has come at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers sport a 4.11 ERA and .971 fielding percentage. Clemson is also 19-2 at home this season, as the .905 home winning percentage is the sixth best in Tiger history.

Georgia Avenges Earlier Loss to Clemson Georgia scored three runs in the first and six runs in the fourth on its way to a 9-3 win over #20 Clemson at Foley Field in Athens, GA on April 22. Jon Armitage had a team-high three hits, while Lee Mitchell hit a three-run double to break the game open. Zane Green’s, another Georgia native, also hit two doubles. Tiger relievers did not allow an earned run in 4.2 innings pitched. Starter Michael Hyle pitched 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits to earn the win for the Bulldogs. The loss was Clemson’s fourth straight at Foley Field.

Tigers Rated #7 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 the April 21 release, his RPI index has Clemson #7, despite the Tigers only being ranked as high as #20 in the polls and not even being ranked by Baseball America. Clemson can thank a brutal non-conference schedule for its high RPI ranking, which includes three games at Auburn (#1) and many other games against quality foes. The RPI only counts games against Division I teams and is for games through April 20. The Atlantic Coast Conference is only one point out of first place in the unofficial RPI, trailing only the SEC. The ACC, which was the #1 conference a season ago, sports six of the top 18 teams in the RPI, including #12 N.C. State, #17 Virginia, and #18 North Carolina.

Tigers Near Perfect at Home Clemson has a 19-2 record at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this season, which has helped Clemson rank #3 in the latest RPI. The .905 winning percentage is one of the best marks by a Clemson team in Doug Kingsmore Stadium’s existence, ranking seventh all-time at Clemson. The Tigers first played their home games there in 1970, therefore it is in its 34th season as the home of Tiger baseball.