By Will Vandervort.
Jack Leggett does not anticipate either team running away with this weekend’s series when Clemson and South Carolina renew what is called the best rivalry in college baseball.
The Clemson coach says it will all come down to timely hitting, good defense and throwing strikes.
“Simple things that we always talk about – just relax and go play,” he said.
But lately in the rivalry it as seemed like the Gamecocks have been the team that has been more relaxed and has made those plays Leggett talks about. USC has won 24 of the last 32 meetings, including seven of the last eight. Last year, the Gamecocks swept the weekend series.
Clemson has not won a regular-season series in the rivalry since 2010.
“We have not had great success against them lately, but I think this year we are going to turn that around,” said third baseman Weston Wilson.
The Tigers (5-2) come in playing with the confidence they need to turn it around. They have won four straight games heading into today’s 6:30 p.m. showdown at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson.
They have recorded at least 10 runs in three of the last four games, while banging out at least 10 hits in each of the last five, including 13 in Wednesday’s victory over Wofford. That was the Terriers first loss in eight games this season.
Numbers like that make Clemson starter Matthew Crownover feel even more confident when he gets on the mound.
“Teams play different when you are up 1-0 as opposed to being down 1-0,” he said. “It is a proven fact. If we can get a run on the board early like we did the other day, we loosened up and played pretty well.
“I have the up most confidence in these guys. They will get some hits for me and hopefully I pitch good enough to give them a win.”
Through two games that has not been an issue. The Tigers’ ace has yet to give up an earned run in his first two appearances this year and has 15 strikeouts and no walks allowed. West Virginia and Maine batted just .170 combined in the two games against him.
Of course that was against West Virginia and Maine. The 10th-ranked Gamecocks will be a whole other story. Last year, South Carolina ran Crownover off in the third inning as he allowed five runs (one earned) on six hits in a 10-2 loss at Greenville’ Fluor Field.
“It’s a new season for me. We will be ready to go and I’ll be ready to go,” Crownover said. “I feel like most of our guys have been ready to go.”
The Gamecocks (6-1) should be ready to go, too. They come into the series riding a six-game winning streak after losing the season-opener to the College of Charleston. They are batting .306 as a team and have scored at least six runs in every win.
They will counter Crownover tonight with Wil Crowe (1-0, 0.87 ERA), who started the season as the No. 2 guy. But after recording a career-high 10 strikeouts against the College of Charleston and then seven against Northeastern last weekend, he has been given the ball for Game 1 against Clemson.
Last year, the righty went deep into the seventh inning at Clemson as he got a no-decision in what turned out to be a 5-3 victory for the Gamecocks.
“It is a good test. I think that is what it is,” Crownover said. “It’s a rivalry game. It’s a rivalry series and I think we will be up for the task this weekend.”