May 12, 2008

Complete Game Notes

Clemson vs. College of Charleston
Clemson (26-25-1) will play host to College of Charleston (34-17) on Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the Tigers' final home game of the regular season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM. The game will be shown live via webcast at ACCSelect.com. The game will also be broadcast live on the radio by WCCP (104.9 FM) out of Clemson and can be heard live on the internet at WCCPFM.com. Live stats will also be available at ClemsonTigers.com.

Watch Clemson vs. College of Charleston Live on ACC Select!

Mary Louise Pawlowski Fund Presentation
Prior to the Clemson vs. College of Charleston game on Tuesday night, Clemson will make a special presentation to Mary Louise Pawlowski and her family. Fans and media are encouraged to be at Doug Kingsmore Stadium at 6:45 PM for the presentation.

The 13-year-old daughter of Cougar Head Coach John Pawlowski was stricken with a rare form of cancer last year. She has undergone numerous treatments, including a recent surgery where doctors removed a tumor. She is scheduled to be at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Tuesday night for the presentation.

In February, the Clemson Baseball Office initiated the Mary Louise Pawlowski Fund to raise money for her medical costs. Prior to the Tigers' game at College of Charleston on February 29, Head Coach Jack Leggett presented Mary Louise with several Tiger memorabilia items, including a purple #43 jersey. Her father wore that number as pitching coach at Clemson under Leggett from 1994-98. He also was a standout pitcher at Clemson from 1983-85. Mary Louise was born in the Clemson area while her father was an assistant coach in Tigertown.

As the Tigers did on February 29, they will wear purple jerseys on Tuesday against the Cougars. Purple is Mary Louise's favorite color.

The Series
Clemson and College of Charleston have met 19 times on the diamond. The Tigers have won all 19 games, including a 7-6 victory at Patriots Point Stadium on February 29, 2008. In that game, Clemson hit three home runs, while J.D. Burgess' eighth-inning double that scored two runs gave the Tigers a one-run victory. Doug Hogan, Ben Paulsen, and Kyle Parker totaled three hits apiece as well.

The Tigers were victorious 19-7 over the Cougars at Doug Kingsmore Stadium during the 2007 season, the only meeting that year. The Tigers hit four home runs in the contest, including one each by D.J. Mitchell, Hogan, and Burgess. The Tigers also scored 10 runs in the fourth inning en route to the 12-run victory.

During the 2006 season, Clemson defeated College of Charleston twice, including a 6-0 victory at Patriots Point Stadium and 1-0 win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers also registered victories over College of Charleston in 2005 (2), 2004 (2), 2003 (2), 2002 (2), and 2001 (1). Prior to the matchup in the 2001 season, the two teams had not played since 1912.

The Tigers hold a 12-0 lead over the Cougars in games played at Clemson and 8-0 advantage at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Jack Leggett is 13-0 against College of Charleston as Clemson's head coach, including an 8-0 mark in games played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Starting Pitchers
College of Charleston will start junior righty Clay Caulfield (4-2, 6.90 ERA) on the mound. The Toronto, Ontario native and former Clemson signee has made nine starts and two relief appearances for a total of 44.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 53 hits (.306 opponents' batting average) and 22 walks with 33 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with junior righthander Matt Vaughn (1-2, 3.37 ERA) on Tuesday. The Summerville, SC native, who last started on March 27, 2007 against Gardner-Webb, has made 26 relief appearances for a total of 34.2 innings pitched this season. He has allowed 35 hits (.263 opponents' batting average) and 11 walks with 38 strikeouts.

The Cougars
College of Charleston, led by ninth-year Head Coach John Pawlowski, enters Tuesday's game at Clemson with a 34-17 overall record and 16-8 Southern Conference mark after sweeping Wofford over the weekend by a combined score of 40-8. The Cougars are 9-9 on the road this season.

Pawlowski lettered at Clemson three times (1983-85) and went on to play two years (1987,88) in the Major Leagues with the Chicago White Sox. He later went on to be Clemson's pitching coach from 1994-98, coaching the likes of Kris Benson, Billy Koch, and Ken Vining.

The Cougars are hitting .334 with a .438 on-base percentage and are averaging 10.6 runs per game. They have totaled double-digit runs 25 times in 2008, including each of the last five games. The team has also totaled 141 doubles, 16 triples, and 106 home runs, good for a .600 slugging percentage. The Cougars have amassed 43 sacrifice bunts and 70 stolen bases in 91 attempts as well.

All nine regulars in the field are hitting above .300. Jeremie Tice is batting .398 with 20 doubles, three triples, 15 homers, and 64 RBIs. Stuart Haywood is hitting .335 with a team-high 14 steals, while Brandon Sizemore is batting .332 with 15 homers and 69 RBIs. Michael Harrington is also hitting .318 with 23 homers and 74 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 6.12 ERA and .296 opponents' batting average. Righthander Jesse Simpson has six saves along with 63 strikeouts in 53.0 innings pitched over a team-high 20 appearances. The team is fielding at a .963 clip as well.

The Tigers
Clemson enters Tuesday's game against College of Charleston with a 26-25-1 overall record and 11-18-1 ACC mark after winning one of three games at #25 Georgia Tech over the weekend. Clemson has a 17-13 home record as well.

Clemson is hitting .285 with a .370 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 96 doubles, eight triples, and 50 home runs along with 49 steals in 72 attempts.

Ben Paulsen is hitting .318 with 16 doubles, 12 homers, and 42 RBIs. Jeff Schaus is batting .326 and has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games. Kyle Parker is batting .306 with 11 homers and 41 RBIs, while Doug Hogan has totaled 15 doubles, three triples, 11 homers, and 51 RBIs on the season.

The pitching staff has a 4.77 ERA and .288 opponents' batting average. Righthander Matt Vaughn has struck out 38 against 11 walks in 34.2 innings pitched and has nine saves in 26 relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .966 clip as well.

Georgia Tech Takes Two From Tigers
Georgia Tech, ranked #25 in the nation, won two of three games against Clemson at Russ Chandler Stadium from May 9-11. Both teams scored 18 runs in the series, while Georgia Tech outhit the Tigers .353 to .304. John Hinson went 5-for-8 (.625), Jeff Schaus went 6-for-13 (.462) with two doubles and four RBIs, and Mike Freeman went 6-for-14 (.429) with four runs scored. Tiger pitchers combined for 26 strikeouts against four walks. Clemson also committed just one error in the series.

In game-one on May 9, David Duncan pitched 8.0 strong innings to lead Georgia Tech to a 5-1 victory over Clemson at Russ Chandler Stadium. Duncan allowed six hits, one run, and no walks with five strikeouts to record the win. D.J. Mitchell pitched a complete game, as he tossed 8.0 innings, allowing 14 hits, four earned runs, and no walks with nine strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets scored three runs in the second inning after putting their first two batters on base. Kyle Parker hit an opposite-field home run in the sixth inning for the Tigers' lone run. Parker and Freeman tallied two hits apiece. Charlie Blackmon and Tony Plagman had three hits apiece for Georgia Tech, who totaled 14 hits in the contest.

In game-two on May 10, Eddie Burns pitched 8.0 solid innings to lead Georiga Tech to a 7-1 win over Clemson at Russ Chandler Stadium. Burns yielded seven hits, one run, and no walks with three strikeouts to earn the victory. The Tigers had 11 baserunners, but they could only plate one run. The Yellow Jackets scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead and coasted to the six-run win. Clemson's lone run came on Parker's RBI groundout in the eighth inning. Luke Murton went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to pace Georgia Tech's 10-hit attack. John Hinson went 3-for-4 for Clemson, who totaled eight hits.

In game-three on May 11, eight Tigers had at least two hits in Clemson's 16-6 victory over Georgia Tech at Russ Chandler Stadium. Schaus went 5-for-6 with four RBIs to lead the Tigers' 20-hit attack. Ben Paulsen added two of Clemson's five doubles, as the Tigers totaled seven extra-base hits in the contest. Every Tiger starter had a hit and scored a run by the end of the sixth inning. Wilson Boyd hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, then the Tigers added six runs on five hits in the ninth inning. Starter Trey Delk pitched 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, two runs, and one walk with four strikeouts to earn the win.