By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
DURHAM, N.C. — Clemson head coach Jack Leggett, hitting coach Bradley LeCroy and operations manager Brad Owens sat along the third base line at Durham Bulls Athletic Park Friday morning intensely watching NC State’s contest with Miami.
Not only were the Clemson coaches scouting the Hurricanes, but they were also pulling for them. The 14th-ranked Tigers needed Miami to knock off the Wolfpack to stay alive in the ACC Tournament. Well, they didn’t get it.
Tenth-ranked NC State beat Miami, 7-1, meaning tonight’s game against No. 3 North Carolina means very little to either team, though Clemson (39-18) would like to get the win to cement its chances of hosting a regional in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Saturday’s UNC-NC State winner will play of the ACC Championship on Sunday.
“The main thing for us is that we have to win ball games,” Leggett said. “We have to get ourselves locked in and focused on what we have to do Friday. We just have to win on Friday and not worry about what anybody else is doing.
“We have to beat North Carolina and we will have to have our A-game to do it. We are looking forward to that challenge.”
The question is who will the Tar Heels (49-8) throw? Benton Moss is scheduled to start, but with this game meaning nothing to UNC, head coach Mike Fox could go with someone else and save his No. 2 pitcher in case the Heels advance to Sunday’s championship game.
Moss had six strikeouts against the Tigers through two and 2/3 innings in their March 31 contest before the game was delayed due to rain. The righty has an 8-1 record with a 3.21 ERA.
Clemson enters the game on a three-game losing streak after dropping Wednesday’s game to NC State, 6-3, in Day 1 of the ACC Championships. The Tigers have been hitting the ball, but have struggled as of late to bring runners home.
In each of the three losses Clemson has either out-hit or had as many hits as its opponent.
“It’s disturbing,” Leggett said. “It does not matter how many hits you get, you have to get them at the right time. That’s where we are having a little trouble. We are getting guys on base and then we are killing some innings.”
The Tigers killed a bases loaded no-out situation in the bottom of the sixth inning against NC State when catcher Garrett Boulware hit into a double play. Clemson scored only one run that inning and then in the bottom of the seventh the Wolfpack loaded the bases with one out and scored four runs to break what was a 2-2 game at the time.
“You can’t change your approach, you just have to keep hitting,” Boulware said. “Hopefully, things start to fall for you. We are on it. Really, the only thing that is killing us right now is situational hitting.”
To beat North Carolina, the Tigers will need to pick up those runs when they can to help out starter Zack Erwin, who is 5-1, but has struggled in his previous two starts. He has given up six runs and 12 hits in the last seven innings he has pitched.
The freshman lefty’s earned run average was well under three at one point, but now it has elevated to 3.29.
“We just have to execute when it matters,” Boulware said.
And that is the question – does tonight’s game really matter?