Countdown to First Pitch – Regional
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net May 31, 2013

By Trey McCurry.

By Trey McCurry

Clemson (39-20) is the #2 seed at the Columbia (SC) Regional for the second consecutive year. The Tigers will face #3 seed Liberty (34-27) on Friday at 1:00PM in game one of the regional. Game two on Friday features #4 seed Saint Louis (41-19) against #1 seed, and host, South Carolina (39-18) at 7:00PM. Saturday’s game three, which matches the losers from Friday, is set for 2:00PM and game four, matching Friday’s winners, is set for 8:00PM. The loser of Saturday’s second game will face the winner from the first game on Sunday at 1:00PM while Saturday’s second game winner will play the winner of the earlier Sunday game in the championship round at 7:00PM. Should the unbeaten team lose the second game on Sunday, the same two teams will have a rematch at 7:00PM on Monday to determine the regional champion.

 

The Series (South Carolina)

Clemson and South Carolina have met 303 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 170-131-2 lead in the series. The 303 meetings with the Gamecocks are the most by Clemson against any one opponent. The first meeting took place in 1899 and the teams have met every year but one (1984) since 1945. 

Earlier this season, South Carolina won the three game series. The Gamecocks won 6-0 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in game one and 8-0 in game three in Columbia, while the Tigers took a 6-3 decision in game two at Fluor Field in Greenville. Last season, South Carolina won four of five meetings, including two games in the Columbia Regional (5-4 in 12 innings and 4-3). 

The teams have met nine previous times in the NCAA Tournament with the Gamecocks holding a 6-3 advantage, including a 2-1 lead in NCAA Tournament games in Columbia (one in 1976 and the two meetings last year). South Carolina holds an 80-66-2 lead in the series in games in Columbia (6-2 at Carolina Stadium with five consecutive wins). Jack Leggett is 38-38 all-time against the Gamecocks (35-40 at Clemson, 3-8 at Western Carolina), including a 16-19 record in Columbia.

 

The Series (Liberty)

Clemson and Liberty have met five times on the diamond, with the Flames holding a 3-2 lead in the series. The teams first met for a single game in 1988, played a three game series in 1999, and a single game in 2000. 

The Tigers won the first game in the series at home in 1988 (7-5), lost two of three games at home in 1999 (9-10, 8-11, & 11-6), and fell at Liberty in the last meeting in 2000 (4-6). 

The two teams have never met at a neutral site or in the NCAA Tournament. Jack Leggett is 4-3 all-time against the Flames (1-3 at Clemson, 3-0 at Western Carolina). 

The Series (Saint Louis)

Clemson and Saint Louis have never met on the diamond. 

The Gamecocks

South Carolina, led by first-year Head Coach Chad Holbrook, is a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks are 39-18 (17-12 SEC, 2nd East) on the season, including a 28-6 mark at home. South Carolina is ranked in the top-20 in all three major polls, coming in at #13 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll, #14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and #18 in the Baseball America Poll. The Gamecocks enter the regional off a 0-2 showing at SEC Tournament in Hoover, AL last week. South Carolina was picked by SEC coaches to finish third in the seven-team Eastern Division and is coming off a 49-20 (18-11 SEC) season in 2012 that ended in their third straight College World Series Championship Series (lost to Arizona). 

The Gamecocks are hitting .281 as a team in 2013 with 91 doubles, 13 triples, 47 homers, 53 stolen bases (in 78 chances), 248 walks, 45 hit-by-pitches, and 351 strikeouts while averaging 5.8 runs per game. South Carolina’s pitching staff has a 3.03 ERA this season, allowing 496 hits (.255 opponents’ batting average) and 135 walks against 445 strikeouts in 508.1 innings. The Gamecocks are fielding at a .972 clip, committing 58 errors in 2108 chances. 

The Tigers

Clemson, led by 20th-year Head Coach Jack Leggett, is 39-20 (18-12 ACC, 3rd Atlantic) on the season including a 13-11 mark away from home (12-8 on opponents’ home fields and 1-3 at neutral sites). The Tigers are ranked in all three major polls, coming in at #17 in the Collegiate Baseball poll, #22 in the Baseball America poll, and #24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Clemson enters the regional off a 0-3 showing at the ACC Tournament in Durham, NC last week. 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 82 doubles, 15 triples, 19 homers, 110 stolen bases (in 149 chances), 250 walks, 33 hit-by-pitches, and 377 strikeouts while averaging 5.5 runs per game. Clemson’s pitching staff has a 3.17 ERA this season, allowing 532 hits (.260 opponents’ batting average) and 191 walks against 386 strikeouts in 537.0 innings. The Tigers are fielding at a .971 clip, committing 68 errors in 2350 chances. 

The Flames

Liberty, led by sixth-year Head Coach Jim Toman, is a member of the Big South Conference. The Flames are 34-27 (13-11 Big South, 4th North) on the season, including a 9-18 mark away from home. Liberty enters the regional as the Big South Tournament Champions where they won five games in four days after falling in their opener. The Flames were picked by Big South coaches to finish first in the six-team North Division and are coming off a 41-19 (14-10 Big South) season in 2012. 

The Flames are hitting .266 as a team in 2013 with 98 doubles, 13 triples, 32 homers, 83 stolen bases (in 105 chances), 191 walks, 61 hit-by-pitches, and 368 strikeouts while averaging 5.0 runs per game. Liberty’s pitching staff has a 4.06 ERA this season, allowing 529 hits (.261 opponents’ batting average) and 229 walks against 376 strikeouts in 532.1 innings. The Flames are fielding at a .974 clip, committing 58 errors in 2252 chances. 

The Billikens

Saint Louis, led by sixth-year Head Coach Darin Hendrickson, is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Billikens are 41-19 (17-7 Atlantic 10, T-1st) on the season, including a 24-12 mark away from home (15-7 on opponents’ home fields and 9-5 at neutral sites). Saint Louis enters the regional as the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Champions where they won five games in three days, including four wins in the final two days, after falling in their opener. The Billikens were picked by Atlantic 10 coaches to win the league and are coming off a 41-18 (17-7 Atlantic 10) season in 2012. 

The Billikens are hitting .307 as a team in 2013 with 108 doubles, 14 triples, 43 homers, 64 stolen bases (in 92 chances), 247 walks, 52 hit-by-pitches, and 343 strikeouts while averaging 6.3 runs per game. Saint Louis’s pitching staff has a 3.58 ERA this season, allowing 553 hits (.266 opponents’ batting average) and 204 walks against 421 strikeouts in 540.2 innings. The Billikens are fielding at a .967 clip, committing 79 errors in 2392 chances. 

Worth Noting

  • Clemson is 4-4 all-time on May 31 with a 1-3 mark at neutral sites. The Tigers are 4-3 all-time on June 1 with a 0-1 mark on the road and a 2-2 mark at neutral sites. Clemson is 4-3 all-time on June 2 with a 0-2 mark on the road and a 1-1 mark at neutral sites. The Tigers are 8-3 all-time on June 3 with a 1-1 mark on the road and a 3-2 mark at neutral sites.
  • Only 12 of the 27 players on Clemson’s postseason roster played in a game in a Tiger uniform prior to 2013.
  • Clemson is 19-2 when scoring in the first inning and 29-4 when scoring first.
  • The Tigers are 33-4 when scoring at least four runs and 27-2 when scoring at least six runs.
  • Clemson is 29-3 when it outhits the opposition and 10-17 when it does not outhit the opposition.
  • The Tigers have five walkoff hits in 2013, including each of the last four by freshmen (Tyler Krieger – 2, Kevin Bradley – 1, & Steven Duggar – 1).
  • Four Tiger freshmen (Matthew Crownover, Zack Erwin, Brody Koerner, & Clate Schmidt) have combined to start 34 of Clemson’s 59 games (58%) on the mound. The Tigers have a 24-10 record in those games.

 

Regional Teams in the NCAA Tournament

  • Clemson is making its 38th NCAA Tournament appearance, including their 26th appearance in the last 27 years. The Tigers are 112-81 in their previous 37 appearances with 18 Regional/District titles and 12 College World Series appearances.
  • Jack Leggett is making his 24rd appearance as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. In his previous 23 appearances, Leggett is 71-51 with 11 regional titles and six super regional titles. Leggett is 67-41 in 18 previous NCAA Tournament at Clemson, including 19-18 (11-4 in regionals) in neutral site contests and 8-14 (6-5 in regionals) on his opponents’ home field.
  • South Carolina is making its making its 29th NCAA Tournament appearance, including their 14th straight appearance. The Gamecocks are 122-60 in their previous 28 appearances with 14 Regional/District titles and 11 College World Series appearances with two titles. South Carolina has won all 13 NCAA Tournament games they have played at Carolina Stadium.
  • Chad Holbrook is making his first NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach in his first season as a head coach.
  • Liberty is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2000. The Flames are 1-6 in their previous three appearances, with their only win coming over Seton Hall (10-2) at the 2000 Columbia (SC) Regional.
  • Jim Toman, a former South Carolina assistant, is making his first NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach in his sixth season as a head coach.
  • Saint Louis is making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance (third since 2006) and first appearance since 2010. The Billikens are 5-11 in their previous six appearances.
  • Darin Hendrickson is making his second NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach in his sixth season as a head coach.

 

Clemson Career NCAA Tournament Stats

Player                             AVG   G-S     AB      R        H       RBI     HR     3B      2B      BB      SO          SB

Joe Costigan                   1.000  5-0     1        0        1        0        0        0        1        1        0          0-0

Mike Dunster          .500    2-0     2        0        1        0        0        0        0        0        0        0-0

Jay Baum               .300    4-4     10      2        3        1        0        0        0        5        2        0-0

Thomas Brittle *     .235    6-4     17      4        4        3        0        0        1        2        6        4-5

Jon McGibbon        .150    7-4     20      1        3        1        0        0        2        2        5        0-1

Steve Wilkerson     .100    7-4     20      2        2        1        0        0        1        1        4        0-0

Tyler Slaton           —–    4-0     0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0-0

* – includes 2010 appearance with College of Charleston.

 

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

Joseph Moorefield  0.00    2-0     0-0     1.1     0        0        0        0        2        .000

Daniel Gossett       2.57    1-1     0-0     7.0     4        2        2        3        8        .160

Scott Firth *           3.48    5-2     1-0     10.1    14      5        4        3        9        .318

Jonathan Meyer     4.35    3-0     0-0     10.1    12      5        5        3        6        .316

Matt Campbell        10.13  1-0     0-0     2.2     2        3        3        2        2        .222

* – has one save.

 

Clemson Career Stats vs. South Carolina

Player                             AVG   G-S     AB      R        H       RBI     HR

Joe Costigan                   .333    4-1     6        1        2        1        0

Steven Duggar        .273    3-3     11      1        3        2        0

Jon McGibbon        .235    10-8    34      1        8        1        0

Garrett Boulware    .227    6-6     22      1        5        1        0

Steve Wilkerson     .222    8-8     36      4        8        3        0

Tyler Krieger          .222    3-3     9        1        2        1        0

Jay Baum               .188    7-5     16      2        3        0        0

Thomas Brittle       .156    8-8     32      3        5        4        0

Maleeke Gibson      .125    2-2     8        0        1        0        0

Shane Kennedy       .000    3-3     9        0        0        0        0

Kevin Bradley         .000    2-1     3        0        0        0        0

Tyler Slaton           —–    4-0     0        0        0        0        0

 

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

Zack Erwin             0.00    2-0     0-0     1.2     0        0        0        3

Mike Kent              0.00    2-0     0-0     1.0     0        0        0        0

Kyle Schnell            0.00    1-0     0-0     1.0     0        0        0        0

Matt Campbell *     1.69    2-0     0-0     5.1     3        1        1        6

Clate Schmidt        2.57    1-1     1-0     7.0     5        2        3        5

Daniel Gossett       3.00    3-2     0-2     15.0    10      5        8        15

Scott Firth             3.65    4-1     1-1     12.1    16      5        4        8

Joseph Moorefield  4.15    5-0     1-0     4.1     4        2        1        2

Jonathan Meyer     4.91    6-0     0-0     14.2    17      8        6        10

Patrick Andrews     7.71    1-0     0-0     2.1     3        2        0        2

Jackson Campana  27.00  1-0     0-0     0.1     1        1        2        0

* – has one save.