Countdown to First Pitch – Georgia Southern
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net May 10, 2013

By Trey McCurry.

By Trey McCurry

Clemson (34-15), ranked as high as #15 in the nation, will host Georgia Southern (25-23) in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. Friday’s opener is set for 7:00PM, Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 6:30PM, and Sunday’s finale is slated for 1:00PM.

 

 

The Series

Clemson and Georgia Southern have met 79 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 51-27-1 lead in the series. The teams first met in 1959 and meet for a three-game series for the first time since 1989.

The teams last met in 2010, when Clemson defeated the Eagles 22-6 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers hold a 26-12 lead over Georgia Southern in games at Clemson with a 25-11 advantage at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Jack Leggett is 18-11 all-time against the Eagles (12-5 at Clemson, 6-6 at Western Carolina) and is 7-4 against Georgia Southern at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Eagles

Georgia Southern, led by 14th-year Head Coach Rodney Hennon, is a member of the Southern Conference. The Eagles are 25-23 on the season, including a 9-10 mark on the road. Georgia Southern enters the game off a series loss to Furman last weekend. The Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the SoCon by both league coaches and the media after coming off a 33-27 (15-15 SoCon) campaign in 2012.

The Eagles are hitting .266 as a team in 2013 with 88 doubles, eight triples, 29 homers, 62 stolen bases (in 84 chances), 199 walks, 59 hit-by-pitches, and 424 strikeouts while averaging 6.0 runs per game. Georgia Southern’s pitching staff has a 5.31 ERA this season, allowing 546 hits (.309 opponents’ batting average) and 157 walks against 373 strikeouts in 432.1 innings. The Eagles are fielding at a .965 clip, committing 66 errors in 1799 chances.

The Tigers

Clemson enters the game 34-15 after a doubleheader sweep (14-2 and 12-2) of Furman on Wednesday at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC. The Tigers are ranked in all three major polls, coming in at #15 in the Collegiate Baseball poll, #19 in the Baseball America poll, and #22 in the USA Today coaches poll. Clemson is 22-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2013, including a 12-4 mark against non-conference 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 .278 as a team in 2013 with 69 doubles, 13 triples, 15 homers, 84 stolen bases (in 116 chances), 207 walks, 24 hit-by-pitches, and 313 strikeouts while averaging 5.6 runs per game. Clemson’s pitching staff has a 2.93 ERA this season, allowing 442 hits (.260 opponents’ batting average) and 154 walks against 316 strikeouts in 445.0 innings. The Tigers are fielding at a .970 clip, committing 59 errors in 1894 chances.

 

Projected Starting Lineups

Georgia Southern

C        #23 Chase Griffin (SO/.291 BA with 8 2B, 4 HR, & 46 RBI in 48 games in 2013)

1B      #38 T.D. Davis (SR/.302 BA with 14 2B, 11 HR, & 42 RBI in 48 games in 2013)

2B      #5 Tyler Avera (SO/.277 BA with 7 2B, 21 RBI, & 16 R in 41 games in 2013)

SS      #18 Ben Morgan (JR/.297 BA with 13 2B, 5 HR, & 32 RBI in 48 games in 2013)

3B      #13 Brent Pugh (JR/.186 BA with 4 2B, 3 HR, & 16 RBI in 42 games in 2013)

LF      #24 Scooter Williams (SR/.233 BA with 9 2B, 2 HR, & 13 RBI in 44 games in 2013)

CF      #6 Kyle Streicher (*FR/.216 BA with 6 2B, 2 3B, & 12 RBI in 42 games in 2013)

RF      #44 Robbie Dodds (JR/.339 BA with 10 2B, 3 HR, & 29 RBI in 43 games in 2013)

DH     #9 Zac Lenns (SO/.324 BA with 4 2B, 9 RBI, & 10 R in 32 games in 2013)

 

Clemson

C        #30 Garrett Boulware (SO/.298 BA with 7 2B, 7 HR, & 39 RBI in 48 games in 2013)

1B      #12 Jon McGibbon (JR/.274 BA with 5 2B, 35 RBI, & 28 R in 49 games in 2013)

2B      #17 Steve Wilkerson (JR/.308 BA with 14 2B, 1 HR, & 28 RBI in 46 games in 2013)

SS      #3 Tyler Krieger (FR/.275 BA with 8 2B, 1 3B, & 22 RBI in 49 games in 2013)

3B      #11 Shane Kennedy (JR/.315 BA with 5 2B, 4 HR, & 27 RBI in 49 games in 2013)

LF      #18 Tyler Slaton (SO/.289 BA with 3 2B, 1 3B, & 10 RBI in 46 games in 2013)

CF      #4 Thomas Brittle (*SR/.261 BA with 5 2B, 1 HR, & 21 RBI in 48 games in 2013)

RF      #9 Steven Duggar (FR/.286 BA with 7 2B, 2 HR, & 25 RBI in 49 games in 2013)

DH     #1 Maleeke Gibson (FR/.231 BA with 1 2B, 10 RBI, & 12 R in 28 games in 2013)

 

Projected Starting Pitchers

In game one, Georgia Southern will start senior righthander Justin Hess. The Panama City, FL native is 4-4 with a 3.79 ERA in 19 appearances (10 starts) for a total of 73.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 82 hits (.280 opponents’ batting average) and 24 walks against 92 strikeouts.

 

Clemson will counter with sophomore righthander Daniel Gossett. The Lyman, SC native is 7-3 with a 2.48 ERA in 12 starts for a total of 72.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 62 hits (.224 opponents’ batting average) and 26 walks against 68 strikeouts.

 

In game two, the Eagles will start freshman lefthander Jason Richman. The Alpharetta, GA native is 4-3 with a 5.62 ERA in 12 starts for a total of 65.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 86 hits (.320 opponents’ batting average) and 24 walks against 41 strikeouts.

 

The Tigers will counter with freshman lefthander Matthew Crownover. The Ringgold, GA native is 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) for a total of 54.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 51 hits (.252 opponents’ batting average) and 13 walks against 31 strikeouts.

 

Georgia Southern has yet to determine its start for game three.

 

Clemson is expected to start freshman lefthander Zack Erwin. The Duluth, GA native is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA in 18 appearances (two starts) for a total of 45.0 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 32 hits (.209 opponents’ batting average) and 14 walks against 25 strikeouts.

 

Worth Noting

  • Clemson is 26-17 all-time on May 10 with a 9-5 mark at home. The Tigers are 37-17-1 all-time on May 11 with a 15-7 mark at home. Clemson is 27-18-1 all-time on May 12 with a 12-5-1 mark at home.
  • The Tigers have faced four SoCon teams so far in 2013. They defeated Wofford 9-2 on March 6, won at Western Carolina 12-9 on April 9, beat Western Carolina 12-1 on April 24 at Clemson, and swept a doubleheader from Furman 14-2 and 12-2 on Wednesday at Fluor Field.
  • The two teams have six common opponents in 2013 (Charleston Southern, Furman, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Western Carolina, & Wofford). Clemson is 9-2 against those opponents (5-2 at home) while Georgia Southern is 9-8 (2-3 on the road).
  • Clemson has faced 10 of the 11 baseball-playing members of the SoCon (Chattanooga does not have a team). The Tigers are 494-159-6 in the previous matchups.
  • Jack Leggett has also faced 10 of the current 11 baseball-playing members of the SoCon and spent nine seasons in the SoCon as the head coach at Western Carolina. He is 235-81 in his previous matchups against SoCon teams, including a 122-28 mark as Clemson’s head coach.
  • The Tigers are 16-1 when scoring in the first inning and 25-2 when scoring first.
  • Clemson is 28-3 when scoring at least four runs and 22-1 when scoring at least six runs.
  • The Tigers are 25-1 when they outhit the opposition and 9-14 when they do not outhit their opponents.
  • Clemson has outscored its opposition in all nine innings and in extra innings.

 

Tiger Career Stats vs. Georgia Southern

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

Mike Kent              0.00    1-0     1-0     3.1     2        0        1        3

Joseph Moorefield  0.00    1-0     0-0     1.0     1        0        1        1

Scott Firth             4.91    1-1     0-0     3.2     5        2        4        2