Monday 06/21/1999
May 3, 1999
Western Carolina (30-16-1, 16-6 SoCon) travels to Clemson Tuesday night for a 7:15 contest with the Tigers (29-18, 10-7 ACC). The game is an addition to the schedule due to the Clemson at Maryland rainout on Mar. 21. The two teams each won on their home fields from April 6-7. Clemson leads the all-time series 37-8 dating back to 1974.
The Catamounts won 9-8 in 10 innings in Cullowhee on April 6 when Charles Thomas hit a single up the middle plating the winning run. The Tigers won game two the next day 16-11 in a 3:38 marathon at Tiger Field. In the two games, the Catamounts hit a hefty .357 while Clemson hit at a .333 clip. Jason Harris was 5-for-7 (.714) with four RBIs while Henr Stanley had four hits and stole four bases in the first two meetings. Austin Smithwick of Western Carolina was 7-for-10 with two doubles and six RBIs while Eric Johnson was 5-for-10 with four runs scored in the first two games.
For the entire season, Western Carolina is led at the plate by Chris Moore, who is hitting .380 with 19 homers and 68 RBIs. Thomas is also hitting .404 with a .509 on base percentage and 16 stolen bases while Johnson is hitting .389 with eight homers, 42 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases. The Catamounts have won eight straight games away from home after falling at Clemson on April 7. The Tigers will start lefthander Brian Adams (5-5, 5.98 ERA).
1999 Clemson Baseball UPCOMING Promotional Dates
Date Day Opponent Time Promotion(s) May 9 Sun. North Carolina 4 p.m. #Senior Citizens Special *Mother's Day Special # - present AARP card and receive free admission * - Mothers receive free admission
Clemson Comes Back To Take Two Games From Virginia Clemson fell to Virginia in game one 9-3 but responded to win the last two over the Cavaliers by 5-4 (11 innings) and 12-5 scores from May 1-2 at Tiger Field. Clemson pitchers fared well in the series, racking up a 3.41 ERA and 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while the three Tiger starters averaged over seven innings. Virginia did, though, win for the first time at Tiger Field since 1974. The Tigers cemented themselves in fourth place in the ACC standings.
In game one (first game of a doubleheader) on May 1, Virginia (19-30, 8-13 ACC) defeated Clemson 9-3 and won for the first time at Tiger Field since 1974. Freshman John Kalamaya hit a 1-2 pitch with two outs and the bases loaded over the left field fence in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. Meanwhile, Brandon Creswell (6-6) pitched masterfully. He went the distance, allowing nine hits (all singles) and three walks while striking out six. Ryan Mottl (2-5) took the tough loss for the Tigers despite allowing just one earned run and no walks over 6.1 innings. Clemson (27-18, 8-7 ACC) scored its three runs on back-to-back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth inning.
Game two saw Clemson win its fourth consecutive one-run game as the Tigers (28-18, 9-7 ACC) won 5-4 in 11 innings on May 1 in the second game of a doubleheader. Patrick Boyd’s fourth hit of the game, a single up the middle in the 11th, plated the winning run. Virginia (19-31, 8-14 ACC), who tied the game in the ninth on an RBI groundout, was led by Mark Rueffert, who had three hits and an RBI. Mike Paradis pitched 8.0 strong innings, allowing just two earned runs. Chris Heck (2-0) continued his solid outings going 3.0 innings, allowing no earned runs and one hit.
In game three, Matt Additon (5-2) pitched a career-high 8.0 innings in his second career start to pick up the win in the Tigers’ 12-5 win on May 2. Additon allowed just three earned runs and one walk while striking out seven batters. The Tigers (29-18, 10-7 ACC) trailed 4-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning and scored 11 runs their final five innings. Kurt Bultmann hit two doubles, reaching the 80-double mark for his career. Brian Ellis and Bradley LeCroy each had three hits and three RBIs. Dan Street led the Cavaliers (19-32, 8-15 ACC) with two hits and two RBIs.
Makeup Games Announced The Clemson vs. Coastal Carolina game that was rained out earlier this season will be made up on May 8 at 7:00 at Tiger Field. The game will not be broadcast on the Clemson Sports Network.
Moving Up The ACC Standings In winning seven of its last nine ACC games, Clemson, who is 10-7 in league play, has moved into fourth place in the conference standings and is even with second place Wake Forest and third place North Carolina in the loss column. After losing two of three games at Florida State, the Tigers were 3-5 but has since moved into the upper-half of the conference race. Florida State is in first place (16-2), followed by Wake Forest (13-7), and North Carolina (11-7). The Tar Heels will visit Clemson for a crucial three-game series this weekend after taking a week off for exams.
Bultmann Sets Tiger Doubles Record, Nearing ACC Best Senior second baseman Kurt Bultmann gets the most out of his 5′-8″ frame. He showed he belonged when he hit .471 in the College World Series as a freshman after hitting just .243 in the first 41 games of his career. Then he hit a school record 31 doubles and 48 extra base hits as a sophomore. Now he has risen to the top of the Tiger career doubles list and is climbing the home run list as well. The Seminole, FL native hit his 78th career double against South Carolina on April 21 to set the record, surpassing Gary Burnham (1994-97). It was a memorable night for Bultmann, who also hit a home run, had a ninth-inning single with two outs, and scored the winning run in Clemson’s thrilling 5-4 win over the rival Gamecocks. He also has hit 38 career home runs, fifth best. His 80 doubles is also approching the ACC record of 82 held by Yellow Jacket Jason Varitek (1991-94).
Bultmann, who has 196 career RBIs and has scored 216 runs, is also vying to become just the third player in Clemson history and 10th in ACC history to score 200 runs and drive in 200 runs. He also needs just 16 hits along with four RBIs to become just the sixth player in ACC history and first in Clemson history to join the 300-hit, 200-run, and 200-RBI club. He is already just the fifth Tiger to score 200 career runs. The pressure he has endured has not effected Bultmann of late, as he is 23-for-55 (.418) in the last 14 games. Bultmann is also coming through with the bases loaded (5-for-7).
He had one of his best games against #24 Washington on Feb. 25 when he was 3-for-5 with two homers (grand slam and three-run) and eight RBIs. He also has shown why Baseball America listed him as the best defensive second baseman in the ACC. Bultmann went 29 consecutive games (dating back to last season) without committing an error (127 chances) before his streak ended on Feb. 26 at UNLV. He also had a streak of not committing an error in 15 games in March to early April of ’99 and a 14-game errorless streak from April 7 to the first game of a doubleheader on May 1. Bultmann has seen his fielding percentage rise to .967 (only seven errors) in ’99 after fielding at a .979 clip in ’98. He is a career .393 hitter (22-for-56) in NCAA Tournament play as well. All this for a player who was all but resigned to attending junior college out of high school. Below is a list where Bultmann ranks in the all-time Tiger doubles list:
Clemson Career DOUBLE Leaders
Rk. Name (Years) Doubles 1. Kurt Bultmann (1996-present) 80 2. Gary Burnham (1994-97) 77 3. Bert Heffernan (1985-88) 63 4. Chuck Baldwin (1984-87) 62 5. Shane Monahan (1993-95) 60
Bultmann has returned to his form of ’97 as he is hitting .360 with a …460 on base percentage, 21 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 56 runs scored, 54 RBIs, and four stolen bases in 46 this season.
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