Countdown to First Pitch – Furman
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net May 7, 2013

Clemson (32-15), ranked as high as #15 in the nation, will play Furman (26-20) in a home-and-home series on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday’s contest at Doug Kingsmore Stadium is set for a 6:30PM start while Wednesday’s matchup at Fluor Field in Greenville is slated for 7:00PM.

 

 

The Series

Clemson and Furman have met 201 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 140-57-4 lead in the series. The teams first met in 1896 (the first two games in school history) and have played at least one game every year since 1983. 

Clemson has won seven in a row in the series including both meetings in 2012. The Tigers won 12-5 at Fluor Field on April 10 and then won 9-2 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on May 15. The Paladins last win in the series came on March 3, 2009 by a score of 4-2 in 14 innings. 

Clemson holds a 77-26-1 lead in games at Clemson (28-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium) and a 5-0 lead at Fluor Field. Jack Leggett is 50-12 all-time against Furman (21-5 at Clemson, 29-7 at Western Carolina) and is 15-4 against the Paladins at Doug Kingsmore Stadium and 5-0 at Fluor Field. 

The Paladins

Furman, led by 20th-year Head Coach Ron Smith, is a member of the Southern Conference. The Paladins are 26-20 on the season, including a 13-9 mark on the road (two games as the road team at Fluor Field) and a 6-1 mark at Fluor Field this season. Furman enters the game after winning two of three games at Georgia Southern last weekend. The Paladins were picked to finish seventh in the SoCon by league coaches and ninth by the media after coming off a 28-31 (13-17 SoCon) season in 2012. 

The Paladins are hitting .291 as a team in 2013 with 91 doubles, four triples, 41 homers, 55 stolen bases (in 83 chances), 155 walks, 47 hit-by-pitches, and 340 strikeouts while averaging 6.2 runs per game. Furman’s pitching staff has a 5.01 ERA this season, allowing 464 hits (.280 opponents’ batting average) and 195 walks against 336 strikeouts in 422.0 innings. The Paladins are fielding at a .960 clip, committing 72 errors in 1730 chances. 

The Tigers

Clemson enters the game 32-15 after taking a doubleheader from Maryland on Monday to win the series with the Terrapins. The Tigers are ranked as high as #15 in the country, by Collegiate Baseball, and is ranked #19 by Baseball America and #22 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Clemson is 22-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2013 and 9-7 away from home (1-0 on neutral sites). 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 .273 as a team in 2013 with 65 doubles, 11 triples, 14 homers, 72 stolen bases (in 102 chances), 189 walks, 21 hit-by-pitches, and 300 strikeouts while averaging 5.3 runs per game. Clemson’s pitching staff has a 3.04 ERA this season, allowing 429 hits (.262 opponents’ batting average) and 145 walks against 301 strikeouts in 427.0 innings. The Tigers are fielding at a .970 clip, committing 56 errors in 1813 chances.

 

Projected Starting Lineups

Furman

C        #18 Paul Nitto (SR/.282 BA with 13 2B, 3 HR, & 30 RBI in 45 games in 2013)

1B      #9 Alex Abrams (JR/.323 BA with 8 2B, 5 HR, & 28 RBI in 41 games in 2013)

2B      #27 Jordan Simpson (FR/.297 BA with 7 2B, 1 HR, & 20 RBI in 45 games in 2013)

SS      #1 Hunter Burton (JR/.289 BA with 8 2B, 11 RBI, & 32 R in 46 games in 2013)

3B      #7 Chris Ohmstede (SO/.288 BA with 6 2B, 10 HR, & 34 RBI in 46 games in 2013)

LF      #21 Griffin Davis (FR/.280 BA with 7 2B, 12 RBI, & 14 R in 39 games in 2013)

CF      #2 Will Muzika (SR/.293 BA with 11 2B, 5 HR, & 24 RBI in 45 games in 2013)

RF      #23 Taylor Johnson (SR/.310 BA with 13 2B, 9 HR, & 45 RBI in 46 games in 2013)

DH     #42 Jarrod Rickman (SO/.239 BA with 2 2B, 1 HR, & 13 RBI in 31 games in 2013)

 

Clemson

C        #30 Garrett Boulware (SO/.308 BA with 7 2B, 7 HR, & 39 RBI in 46 games in 2013)

1B      #12 Jon McGibbon (JR/.254 BA with 4 2B, 31 RBI, & 23 R in 47 games in 2013)

2B      #17 Steve Wilkerson (JR/.293 BA with 13 2B, 1 HR, & 23 RBI in 44 games in 2013)

SS      #3 Tyler Krieger (FR/.277 BA with 8 2B, 1 3B, & 21 RBI in 47 games in 2013)

3B      #11 Shane Kennedy (JR/.304 BA with 5 2B, 3 HR, & 25 RBI in 47 games in 2013)

LF      #18 Tyler Slaton (SO/.295 BA with 3 2B, 1 3B, & 10 RBI in 44 games in 2013)

CF      #4 Thomas Brittle (*SR/.250 BA with 4 2B, 1 HR, & 18 RBI in 46 games in 2013)

RF      #9 Steven Duggar (FR/.283 BA with 6 2B, 2 HR, & 22 RBI in 47 games in 2013)

DH     #13 Jay Baum (SO/.227 BA with 4 2B, 1 3B, & 7 RBI in 44 games in 2013)

 

Projected Starting Pitchers

In game one, Furman will start junior lefthander Ryan Dittmar. The Follansbee, WV native is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 17 relief appearances for a total of 16.1 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 14 hits (.233 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks against nine strikeouts.

 

Clemson will counter with freshman righthander Brody Koerner. The Concord, NC native is 0-1 with a 3.43 ERA in eight appearances (three starts) for a total of 21.0 innings pitched in 2013. He has allowed 20 hits (.250 opponents’ batting average) and 15 walks against 20 strikeouts.

 

Neither team has determined a starter for Wednesday’s contest at Fluor Field.

 

Worth Noting

  • Clemson is 34-16 all-time on May 7 with an 18-6 mark at home. The Tigers are 33-28-1 all-time on May 8 with a 16-21 mark on the road.
  • The Tigers have faced three SoCon teams so far in 2013. The defeated Wofford 9-2 on March 6, won at Western Carolina 12-9 on April 9, and beat Western Carolina 12-1 on April 24. Clemson faces Georgia Southern in a three-game series May 10-12.
  • Clemson has faced 10 of the 11 baseball-playing members of the SoCon (Chattanooga does not have a team). The Tigers are 492-159-6 in the previous matchups, including a 167-83-3 mark on the road.
  • 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 233-81 in his previous matchups against SoCon teams, including a 120-28 mark as Clemson’s head coach.

 

Clemson at Fluor Field

The Tigers are 12-3 all-time at Fluor Field. The park, home of the Boston Red Sox A affiliate Greenville Drive, opened in 2006 and Clemson played their first game there in 2007. In the 15 games at Fluor Field, the Tigers have outscored the opposition 118-51 (7.9-3.4).

 

Date            Opponent                       Result

5/8/07          vs. Wofford                     W, 12-3

4/23/08        vs. Presbyterian College   W, 12-7

5/7/08          @ Furman                        W, 11-5

3/11/09        vs. Michigan State            W, 6-1

5/11/09        @ Furman                        W, 8-5

2/20/10        vs. Michigan State            W, 10-2

3/6/10          vs. South Carolina           L, 5-7

5/11/10        @ Furman                        W, 12-1

2/27/11        vs. Michigan State            W, 8-0

3/8/11          vs. South Carolina           L, 4-5

3/16/11        vs. Presbyterian College   L, 3-4

5/10/11        @ Furman                        W, 5-1

3/21/12        vs. Elon                           W, 4-2

4/10/12        @ Furman                        W, 12-5

3/2/13          vs. South Carolina           W, 6-3

 

Tiger Career Stats vs. Furman

Player                             AVG   G-S     AB      R        H       RBI     HR

Thomas Brittle       .667    2-2     6        5        4        0        0

Jay Baum               .429    2-2     7        0        3        2        0

Jon McGibbon        .400    4-2     10      4        4        7        2

Garrett Boulware    .333    2-1     3        1        1        0        0

Joe Costigan                   .250    2-0     4        1        1        0        0

Steve Wilkerson     .000    2-1     3        2        0        0        0

Mike Dunster          .000    2-1     2        0        0        0        0

Tyler Slaton           .000    2-0     2        0        0        1        0

 

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

Matt Campbell        0.00    1-0     0-0     1.2     0        0        3        1

Joseph Moorefield  0.00    2-0     0-0     1.1     2        0        1        0

Kevin Pohle            0.00    1-0     0-0     1.0     1        0        0        1

Scott Firth             1.00    2-1     2-0     9.0     9        1        1        8

Mike Kent              1.69    2-0     0-0     5.1     6        1        0        3

Jonathan Meyer     4.26    3-1     0-0     6.1     7        3        0        2

* – has one save.