Clemson (32-21, 16-11 ACC) will travel to Winston-Salem, NC to close the regular season against Wake Forest (29-22, 10-17 ACC) in a three-game series at Wake Forest Baseball Park starting Thursday. Game times are 6:00 PM (Thursday), 6:00 PM (Friday), and 1:00 PM (Saturday). All three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will also be available at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.
The Series
Clemson and Wake Forest have met 172 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 121-50-1 lead in the series dating back to the 1901 season. The two teams have faced each other at least one time every year since 1954.
Last season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers won the first (2-0) and last (10-4) games of the series, while Wake Forest won game-two 9-3. In 2010 at Wake Forest Baseball Park, the Demon Deacons won two of the three games.
The Tigers hold a 46-27 lead in games played at Wake Forest and a 104-38-1 advantage in ACC regular-season games. Jack Leggett has a 42-18 record against Wake Forest as Clemson’s head coach, including a 17-10 mark in Winston-Salem. Leggett was 1-1 against the Demon Deacons as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 43-19 all-time against Wake Forest.
The Starting Pitchers
In game-one, Wake Forest will start junior lefthander Tim Cooney (5-6, 3.76 ERA) on the mound. The Collegeville, PA native has made 13 starst for a total of 83.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 83 hits (.264 opponents’ batting average) and 36 walks with 76 strikeouts.
The Tigers will counter with junior righty Dominic Leone (6-3, 5.19 ERA) on Thursday. The Norwich, CT native has made 13 starts for a total of 67.2 innings pitched. He has surrendered 72 hits (.287 opponents’ batting average) and 32 walks with 53 strikeouts.
In game-two, the Demon Deacons will send out sophomore righty Jack Fischer (4-4, 3.21 ERA) on the mound. The Hinsdale, IL native has made 17 relief appearances and three starts for a total of 47.2 innings pitched. He has given up 43 hits (.247 opponents’ batting average) and 25 walks with 26 strikeouts.
In game-three, Wake Forest will start junior lefty Brian Holmes (6-2, 2.82 ERA) on the mound. The Lawrenceville, GA native has made 12 starts for a total of 70.1 innings pitched. He has yielded 54 hits (.214 opponents’ batting average) and 43 walks with 68 strikeouts.
Due to Clemson’s doubleheader against Florida State on Monday, the Tigers’ starting pitchers for game-two on Friday and game-three on Saturday have yet to be determined.
The Demon Deacons
Wake Forest, led by third-year Head Coach Tom Walter, enters the series against Clemson with a 29-22 overall record and 10-17 ACC mark after defeating Charlotte 18-2 on Tuesday. The Demon Deacons are also coming off one win in three games at #21 Miami (FL) last weekend. Wake Forest, who is 4-8 in one-run games, is 22-5 at home compared to 7-17 on the road in 2012.
The series is an important one for the Demon Deacons, who currently stand in ninth place in the overall ACC standings. They are one game behind both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech in the standings and need to finish in the top eight to make next week’s ACC Tournament at Greensboro, NC.
Wake Forest is averaging 6.3 runs per game and hitting .265 with a .398 slugging percentage and .368 on-base percentage thanks to 249 walks and 45 hit-by-pitches against 387 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 100 doubles, four triples, 40 home runs, and 73 stolen bases in 96 attempts.
Conor Keniry leads Wake Forest with a .303 batting average and 11 stolen bases. Evan Stephens is hitting .296 with 11 steals, while Carlos Lopez is batting .295 with 17 doubles, nine home runs, and 47 RBIs. Pat Blair has a team-high 19 steals. Mac Williamson is batting .282 with a team-high 17 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 11 steals.
The pitching staff has a 4.14 ERA and .256 opponents’ batting average along with 352 strikeouts against 218 walks in 447.1 innings pitched. Senior righthander Michael Dimock has 11 of the team’s 12 saves along with a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched over 24 relief appearances. Wake Forest, who has allowed 56 steals in 77 attempts, is fielding at a .967 clip as well.
The Tigers
Clemson enters the series at Wake Forest with a 32-21 overall record and 16-11 ACC mark after defeating Furman 9-2 on Tuesday. The Tigers, who are also coming off two wins in three games over #1 Florida State at home last weekend, are 9-6 on opponents’ home fields in 2012.
The Tigers are averaging 6.0 runs per game and hitting .277 with a .398 slugging percentage and .367 on-base percentage thanks to 232 walks and 45 hit-by-pitches against 332 strikeouts. Clemson has also totaled 84 doubles, 15 triples, 37 homers, and 54 stolen bases in 72 attempts.
Richie Shaffer, who has reached base via a hit or walk in 31 consecutive games and is the lone Tiger from the state of North Carolina, leads the team with a .343 batting average along with 16 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 43 RBIs, 50 walks, seven steals, and a .472 on-base percentage. Steve Wilkerson is hitting .324 and is riding a 14-game hitting streak. Thomas Brittle is batting .323 with six doubles, eight triples, 33 RBIs, and 10 steals. Phil Pohl has added eight homers, 50 RBIs, and a .302 batting average as well.
The pitching staff has a 3.86 ERA and .272 opponents’ batting average in 487.0 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 200 walks against 393 strikeouts, good for a 1.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior righty Scott Firth is 4-0 with two saves, a 2.32 ERA, and .236 opponents’ batting average in 42.2 innings pitched over 19 relief appearances. The Tigers are fielding at a .973 clip as well.
Worth Noting
• Clemson has turned at least one double play on defense in 11 consecutive games.
Pohl Not Afraid to Take One for the Team
Phil Pohl was named an NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American prior to the 2012 season. That toughness can be seen in the batter’s box, as he has totaled a team-high 12 hit-by-pitches in 2012. That total is tied for sixth-most in school history is the highest total by a Tiger since 2001, when Khalil Greene was hit-by-pitch a school-record 21 times. Pohl has been hit-by-pitch 32 times in his career as well.
