The Clemson Insider

By Trey McCurry.

By Trey McCurry

Clemson (28-13, 13-8 ACC), ranked as high as #13 in the nation, hosts #19 Georgia Tech (27-14, 11-10 ACC) in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. Friday’s doubleheader is scheduled for 2:30PM and 7:00PM (on CSS) while Saturday’s finale is set for 6:30PM.

The Series

Clemson and Georgia Tech have met 210 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 105-102-3 lead in the series. The teams first met in 1902 and have played at least one game a year every year but one (1973) since 1955. The 210 all-time meetings are the most ever for Clemson against a current ACC opponent.

Last season the two teams split four games with the Tigers taking two of three games in Atlanta (5-6 in 13 innings, 13-7, and 11-8) and the Yellow Jackets winning 5-1 at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, NC. The last time the teams met at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson won the two of three games in the series (4-2, 1-5, and 3-1) while also downing Georgia Tech 9-0 at the 2011 ACC Tournament in Durham, NC.

The Tigers hold a 45-23-1 over the Yellow Jackets in games played at Clemson with a 35-16 advantage at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers also hold a 48-42 advantage over Georgia Tech in ACC regular-season games. Jack Leggett is 43-38 all-time against the Yellow Jackets (40-33 at Clemson, 3-5 at Western Carolina) and is 19-7 against Georgia Tech at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The 73 total meetings in Leggett’s 19 seasons at Clemson are tied for the highest (with Florida State) against any one opponent.

The Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech, led by 20th-year Head Coach Danny Hall, is 27-14 (11-10 ACC) on the season. The Yellow Jackets are ranked in all three major polls, coming in at #19 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, #20 in the Baseball America poll, and #21 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. Georgia Tech is 7-7 away from home in 2013 (7-6 on opponents’ home fields) and is 4-5 on the road in ACC play. The Yellow Jackets enter the weekend on a four game losing streak after being swept at home by NC State last weekend and falling to Georgia at Turner Field on Tuesday. Georgia Tech was picked by ACC coaches to finish second in the six-team Coastal Division and is coming off a 38-26 (12-18 ACC) season and Gainesville Regional appearance in 2012.

The Yellow Jackets are hitting .314 as a team in 2013 with 78 doubles, 13 triples, 38 homers, 53 stolen bases (in 74 chances), 185 walks, 27 hit-by-pitches, and 294 strikeouts while averaging 7.1 runs per game. Georgia Tech’s pitching staff has a 4.22 ERA this season, allowing 349 hits (.258 opponents’ batting average) and 141 walks against 303 strikeouts in 360.0 innings. The Yellow Jackets are fielding at a .975 clip, committing 39 errors in 1511 chances.

The Tigers

Clemson enters the game 28-13 after defeating Western Carolina on Wednesday night. The Tigers are ranked in two polls, #13 by Collegiate Baseball and #25 by Baseball America. Clemson is 18-7 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2013, including a 6-3 mark against ACC opponents. The Tigers were picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division in 2013 by ACC coaches and are coming off a 35-28 (16-14) season in 2012 that included an appearance in the Columbia Regional.

The Tigers are hitting .275 as a team in 2013 with 60 doubles, 10 triples, 13 homers, 62 stolen bases (in 91 chances), 146 walks, 16 hit-by-pitches, and 268 strikeouts while averaging 5.1 runs per game. Clemson’s pitching staff has a 3.03 ERA this season, allowing 361 hits (.257 opponents’ batting average) and 126 walks against 257 strikeouts in 371.0 innings. The Tigers are fielding at a .972 clip, committing 45 errors in 1578 chances.

Projected Starting Lineups

Georgia Tech

C #10 Zane Evans (JR/.336 BA with 6 2B, 11 HR, & 46 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

1B #9 A.J. Murray (SO/.282 BA with 7 2B, 4 HR, & 28 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

2B #14 Matt Gonzalez (FR/.329 BA with 6 2B, 3 HR, & 33 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

SS #3 Mott Hyde (JR/.259 BA with 10 2B, 1 HR, & 19 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

3B #31 Sam Dove (SR/.267 BA with 11 2B, 2 HR, & 21 RBI in 40 games in 2013)

LF #8 Kyle Wren (JR/.388 BA with 6 2B, 2 HR, & 21 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

CF #6 Brandon Thomas (SR/.395 BA with 13 2B, 1 HR, & 21 RBI in 32 games in 2013)

RF #32 Daniel Palka (JR/.358 BA with 10 2B, 11 HR, & 43 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

DH #13 Thomas Smith (SO/.289 BA with 2 2B, 1 HR, & 8 RBI in 26 games in 2013)

Clemson

C #30 Garrett Boulware (SO/.315 BA with 6 2B, 7 HR, & 35 RBI in 40 games in 2013)

1B #12 Jon McGibbon (JR/.237 BA with 4 2B, 23 RBI, & 21 R in 41 games in 2013)

2B #17 Steve Wilkerson (JR/.295 BA with 11 2B, 1 HR, & 21 RBI in 38 games in 2013)

SS #3 Tyler Krieger (FR/.261 BA with 6 2B, 1 3B, & 15 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

3B #11 Shane Kennedy (JR/.314 BA with 5 2B, 2 HR, & 22 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

LF #18 Tyler Slaton (SO/.333 BA with 3 2B, 1 3B, & 9 RBI in 38 games in 2013)

CF #4 Thomas Brittle (*SR/.253 BA with 4 2B, 1 HR, & 13 RBI in 40 games in 2013)

RF #9 Steven Duggar (FR/.296 BA with 6 2B, 2 HR, & 22 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

DH #5 Joe Costigan (JR/.345 BA with 5 2B, 1 3B, & 6 RBI in 14 games in 2013)

Projected Starting Pitchers

In game one, Georgia Tech will start senior righthander Buck Farmer. The Conyers, GA native is 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 10 starts for a total of 69.0 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 58 hits (.233 opponents’ batting average) and 16 walks against 79 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with sophomore righthander Daniel Gossett. The Lyman, SC native is 6-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 10 starts for a total of 63.1 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 52 hits (.218 opponents’ batting average) and 22 walks against 61 strikeouts.

In game two, the Yellow Jackets will start junior righthander Dusty Isaacs. The Lebanon, OH native is 4-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) for a total of 54.1 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 50 hits (.248 opponents’ batting average) and 17 walks against 46 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with freshman lefthander Matthew Crownover. The Ringgold, GA native is 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) for a total of 43.1 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 41 hits (.256 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks against 23 strikeouts.

In game three, Georgia Tech will start sophomore righthander Cole Pitts. The Moultrie, GA native is 5-3 with a 3.91 ERA in 11 starts for a total of 53.0 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 46 hits (.234 opponents’ batting average) and 20 walks against 34 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with freshman Clate Schmidt. The Acworth, GA native is 3-2 with a 4.53 ERA in 11 appearances (nine starts) for a total of 45.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 65 hits (.339 opponents’ batting average) and 20 walks against 22 strikeouts.

Worth Noting

Clemson is 45-18 all-time on April 26 with a 23-11 mark at home. The Tigers are 31-22 all-time on April 20 with a 18-6 mark at home.
Both coaches are in their 20th seasons at their respective schools. In the previous 19 seasons, the two teams have met four or more times 11 seasons including seven games against each other in 2006.
The Tigers are 15-0 when scoring in the first inning and 20-2 when scoring first.
Clemson is 23-2 when scoring at least four runs and 18-0 when scoring at least six runs.
The Tigers are 21-1 when they outhit the opposition and 7-12 when they do not outhit their opponents.

Tiger Career Stats vs. Georgia Tech

Player AVG G-S AB R H RBI HR

Steve Wilkerson .286 5-4 21 3 6 4 1

Jon McGibbon .263 4-4 19 4 5 2 0

Thomas Brittle .238 4-4 21 2 5 3 1

Jay Baum .235 4-4 17 4 4 2 0

Joe Costigan .000 1-0 1 0 0 0 0

Tyler Slaton —– 2-0 0 0 0 0 0

Player ERA G-S W-L IP H ER BB SO

Joseph Moorefield 0.00 2-0 0-0 1.0 0 0 2 0

Mike Kent 1.80 1-0 1-0 5.0 4 1 0 1

Scott Firth 3.68 3-0 0-0 7.1 8 3 6 4

Matt Campbell 3.86 1-0 0-0 2.1 0 1 2 4

Jonathan Meyer 5.14 2-1 0-2 7.0 7 4 5 5

Daniel Gossett 6.75 1-0 1-0 5.1 3 4 3 7

Kevin Pohle 11.12 2-2 0-1 5.2 12 7 3 2