Thursday February 18, 2010

Clemson Baseball Preview

Clemson Baseball Preview
Every coach will tell you that until his team takes the field or court they really don’t know what they have. However, Jack Leggett knows more about his position players and less about his pitching as he enters the 2010 season.

This is an experienced group at eight of the nine positions. The only position where there is inexperience is at first base where freshman Richie Schaffer is expected to replace Ben Paulson who left after he was drafted after his junior season. The Charlotte native is one of the highest rated freshmen in the ACC this season.

The rest of the positions have experience and some depth. I really like Jason Stolz at third base but John Hinson may also get a look there. Last season Stolz came on at the plate late in the year and his defense was exceptional. Stolz hit .315 as a freshman.

The middle infield returns sophomore shortstop Brad Miller and senior second baseman Mike Freeman. Miller led the team in walks last season and had a .405 OBP. Freeman enjoyed his second consecutive successful season at the place. He batted .328 and had a .414 OBP last season.

There is a good battle for playing time behind the plate. Junior John Nester surprised last year with his production and he held off Phil Pohl for a majority of the starts. Nester’s .304 batting average was a pleasant surprise.

Pohl had a good freshman season and is expected to have a better season after a year of experience. Freshman Spencer Kieboom is another talented freshman catcher that may grab some at-bats despite a crowded depth chart here.

The outfield is also crowded with five players with experience including four juniors and a senior. Wilson Boyd is the lone senior and he will once again battle Addison Johnson for time in center. Boyd hit .341 as a junior. Johnson struggled at the plate last season but is poised to rebound this season.

Jeff Schaus enjoyed a terrific sophomore season and will be counted on as a run producing corner outfielder. The junior hit .320 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs last season.

Kyle Parker and Chris Epps have played in the outfield and have been used as a DH in their first two seasons. Parker is a power bat in the lineup that is hoping to rebound with a year that looks more like his freshman season as opposed to his slight slump last year. Parker hit 12 homers and had 52 RBIs last season.

Epps’ experience is just the opposite. He became much more comfortable last season and started to drive the ball as the season progressed. He ended up batting .297 and proved to be spark in the lineup later in the season.

This year’s DH spot will be manned by one of the outfielders on most occasions.

The pitching staff features many more questions and much less experience. Junior lefthander Casey Harmon will begin the season as the Friday night starter after a solid sophomore campaign. The Vermont native was 7-3 with a 3.95 ERA last season. Harmon appeared in 22 games last year but worked his way into the rotation with 13 starts. The southpaw has excellent control and had 89 strikeouts and only 16 walks in 86.2 innings last season.

Scott Weismann started and was a reliever last season but will begin his sophomore season as the Saturday starter. The Massachusetts native was 3-1 as a freshman in his 17 appearances including three starts. He will look to improve on his walks as he allowed 15 free passes in 36.2 innings. His stuff is very good when he has command though as teams hit just .206 against Weismann in his freshman campaign.

Kevin Brady had big expectations as a true freshman last season but suffered from injuries and ended up red-shirting. He once again will start the season as a key starter but this time it will be on Sunday. The Maryland native actually started three games last year and had a 1.69 ERA in his four games he pitched. However after his injuries he was granted a medical hardship.

The mid-week starters and the bullpen have more question marks. Tomas Cruz is not a guy that will look impressive in the fall or pre-season because his teammates are used to seeing his bread and butter change up. However, each spring Cruz gets better and his role increases.

Two freshmen to keep an eye on early are Scott Firth and Dominic Leone.

Will Lamb is a key utility player again this season. As a freshman Lamb pitched, played centerfield, DHed and pinch ran for the Tigers. His role will be another key to the success of this squad.

Pre-season Ranking
Leggett’s 17th club as Clemson begins ranked 15th in the pre-season poll by both Baseball America and Sports Weekly. Collegiate Baseball has the Tigers 16th in its pre-season poll.

The Schedule
Usually Clemson plays one of the toughest schedules in the country but it eases up a little in 2010. Non-conference opponents include Miami (OH), Michigan State, Furman, Wright State, Dayton, Gardner-Webb, Charlotte, Georgia Southern, Elon, Coastal Carolina, Western Carolina, USC-Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast. As usual two games with Georgia are a highlight of the schedule but the South Carolina series has been cut down to three games.

The ACC is once again loaded. Clemson has home conference series with NC State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, North Carolina and Florida State. The Tigers go on the road to Virginia, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Wake Forest. Clemson does not play Miami in the regular season. The ACC tournament is in Greensboro this May.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Bob Pollock, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Candace Fallaw, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty.