Countdown to First Pitch – BC
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net April 5, 2013

By Trey McCurry.

By Trey McCurry

Clemson (18-11, 5-5 ACC) will travel to Chestnut Hill, MA to take on Boston College (5-22, 0-11 ACC) in a three-game series at Commander Shea Field this weekend. Friday’s opener is scheduled for a 2:30PM start, Saturday’s contest is set for 1:30PM, and Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 12:00PM. 

 

The Series

Clemson and North Carolina have met 21 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 15-6 lead in the series. The teams first met in 2006 during the Eagles first season in the ACC. 

Last season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers swept the Eagles by scores of 6-4, 6-3, and 5-1. The last times the teams met in Chestnut Hill, Clemson swept three games from Boston College by a combined score of 25-9. The Eagles last win (11-5) in the series came at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 3, 2010. 

The Tigers hold a 7-2 lead in games played at Boston College and all 21 meetings have been ACC regular-season matchups. Jack Leggett is 16-7 all-time against the Eagles (15-6 at Clemson, 1-1 at Vermont). 

The Eagles

Boston College, led by third-year Head Coach Mike Gambino, is 5-22 (0-11) on the season and have played just one game at home this season (a 8-6 win over Harvard on Wednesday). The Eagles enter the weekend off wins at Connecticut (7-4) and the win over Harvard after being swept in three games at Duke last weekend. Boston College was picked by ACC coaches to finish sixth in the six-team Atlantic Division and is coming off a 22-32 (10-20 ACC) season in 2012. 

The Eagles are hitting .204 as a team in 2013 with 36 doubles, four triples, six homers, 14 stolen bases (in 19 chances), 93 walks, 13 hit-by-pitches, and 180 strikeouts while averaging 3.0 runs per game. Boston College’s pitching staff has a 7.00 ERA this season, allowing 291 hits (.319 opponents’ batting average) and 119 walks against 149 strikeouts in 225.0 innings. The Eagles are fielding at a .958 clip, committing 43 errors in 972 chances.

 

The Tigers

Clemson enters the game 18-11 (6-6 ACC) off a midweek win over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday after dropping two of three games at top-ranked North Carolina last weekend. The Tigers are 5-4 away from Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2013, including a 4-4 mark on opponents’ home fields. Clemson was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division in 2013 by ACC coaches and is coming off a 35-28 (16-14) season in 2012 that included an appearance in the Columbia Regional. 

The Tigers are hitting .270 as a team in 2013 with 48 doubles, three triples, 10 homers, 41 stolen bases (in 61 chances), 91 walks, 14 hit-by-pitches, and 196 strikeouts while averaging 5.0 runs per game. Clemson’s pitching staff has a 3.49 ERA this season, allowing 269 hits (.266 opponents’ batting average) and 86 walks against 182 strikeouts in 263.0 innings. The Tigers are fielding at a .972 clip, committing 32 errors in 1114 chances.

 

Projected Starting Lineups

Clemson

C        #30 Garrett Boulware (SO/.357 BA with 5 2B, 5 HR, & 27 RBI in 28 games in 2013)

1B      #12 Jon McGibbon (JR/.236 BA with 4 2B, 16 RBI, & 15 R in 29 games in 2013)

2B      #17 Steve Wilkerson (JR/.286 BA with 9 2B, 1 HR, & 16 RBI in 28 games in 2013)

SS      #3 Tyler Krieger (FR/.220 BA with 5 2B, 10 RBI, & 11 R in 29 games in 2013)

3B      #13 Jay Baum (SO/.216 BA with 4 2B, 6 RBI, & 10 SB in 29 games in 2013)

LF      #18 Tyler Slaton (SO/.292 BA with 3 2B, 5 RBI, & 7 R in 26 games in 2013)

CF      #4 Thomas Brittle (*SR/.295 BA with 3 2B, 1 HR, & 11 RBI in 29 games in 2013)

RF      #9 Steven Duggar (FR/.293 BA with 5 2B, 1 HR, & 16 RBI in 29 games in 2013)

DH     #11 Shane Kennedy (JR/.316 BA with 3 3B, 2 HR, & 16 RBI in 29 games in 2013) 

Boston College

C        #8 Matt Pare (SR/.226 BA with 3 2B, 1 HR, & 3 RBI in 17 games in 2013)

1B      #4 Travis Ferrick (SO/.157 BA with 1 2B, 6 RBI, & 5 R in 22 games in 2013)

2B      #3 Blake Butera (SO/.198 BA with 4 2B, 3 RBI, & 8 R in 25 games in 2013)

SS      #44 Joe Cronin (FR/.220 BA with 6 2B, 5 RBI, & 6 R in 20 games in 2013)

3B      #10 John Hennessy (JR/.260 BA with 5 2B, 2 3B, & 10 RBI in 22 games in 2013)

LF      #6 Logan Hoggarth (FR/.207 BA with 4 2B, 6 RBI, & 4 R in 25 games in 2013)

CF      #7 Tom Bourdon (JR/.257 BA with 7 2B, 6 RBI, & 10 R in 27 games in 2013)

RF      #18 Matt McGovern (SR/.148 BA with 1 2B, 2 RBI, & 4 R in 19 games in 2013)

DH     #32 Chris Shaw (FR/.160 BA with 2 2B, 4 HR, & 12 RBI in 26 games in 2013)

 

Projected Starting Pitchers

In game one, Clemson will start sophomore righthander Daniel Gossett. The Lyman, SC native is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA in seven starts for a total of 43.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 38 hits (.232 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks against 35 strikeouts. 

Boston College will counter with senior righthander Hunter Gordon. The Swampscott, MA native is 0-3 with a 4.24 ERA in seven appearances (two starts) for a total of 17.0 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 18 hits (.277 opponents’ batting average) and five walks against eight strikeouts. 

In game two, The Tigers will start freshman Clate Schmidt. The Acworth, GA native is 2-1 with a 4.40 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) for a total of 28.2 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 44 hits (.349 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks against 18 strikeouts. 

The Eagles will counter with junior righthander Eric Stevens. The Pompton Lakes, NJ native is 0-6 with a 5.58 ERA in seven starts for a total of 40.1 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 56 hits (.344 opponents’ batting average) and 19 walks against 11 strikeouts. 

In game three, Clemson will start freshman lefthander Matthew Crownover. The Ringgold, GA native is 3-0 with a 3.62 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) for a total of 27.1 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 25 hits (.245 opponents’ batting average) and six walks against 15 strikeouts. 

Boston College will counter with freshman lefthander Andrew Chin. The Newton, MA native is 1-6 with a 5.52 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) for a total of 31.0 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 38 hits (.306 opponents’ batting average) and 18 walks against 23 strikeouts. 

Worth Noting

  • Clemson is 36-22 all-time on April 5 with a 9-11 mark on the road. The Tigers are 34-20-1 all-time on April 6 with a 13-8-1 mark on the road. Clemson is 39-19-1 all-time on April 7 with a 15-12 mark on the road.
  • The Tigers have won the last seven games in the series and 10 of the last 11 meetings overall.
  • Clemson is 10-0 when scoring in the first inning and 11-1 when scoring first.
  • The Tigers are 12-1 when they outhit the opposition and 6-10 when they do not outhit their opponents.

 

Tiger Career Stats vs. Boston College

Player                             AVG   G-S     AB      R        H       RBI     HR

Garrett Boulware    1.000  2-0     1        0        1        0        0

Joe Costigan                   .500    4-1     4        0        2        3        0

Steve Wilkerson     .400    5-3     15      2        6        1        0

Thomas Brittle       .300    3-3     10      2        3        1        0

Tyler Slaton           .250    2-1     4        0        1        1        0

Jon McGibbon        .182    4-3     11      1        2        0        0

Mike Dunster                   .000    2-0     2        0        0        0        0

Jay Baum               .000    1-0     1        0        0        0        0

 

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

Joseph Moorefield  0.00    2-0     0-0     0.1     1        0        0        1

Kevin Pohle            1.04    2-1     1-0     8.2     9        1        2        6

Scott Firth             3.86    2-1     0-0     4.2     8        2        3        5

Matt Campbell *     4.50    1-0     0-0     2.0     1        1        1        3

Jonathan Meyer *   5.40    4-1     1-0     11.2    12      7        1        14

* – has one save