Clemson wraps ACC schedule at Pitt |
The Tigers close the 2018 regular season with a Thurday-Saturday series at Pittsburgh.
SERIES SETUP • Who - Clemson (40-13, 19-8 ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (27-22, 11-16 ACC) • Best Rankings - CU - No. 4 Collegiate Baseball; PIT - NR • When - Thursday (6 p.m.), Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) • Where - Pittsburgh, Pa. (Charles L. Cost Field) • Watch - ACC Network Extra • Video Announcers - Jeff Hatthorn, Josh Rowntree • Listen (Radio) - WCCP (105.5 FM), ESPN Upstate • Listen (Internet) - ClemsonTigers.com, TuneIn • Live Stats - ClemsonTigers.com • Social Media - ClemsonBaseball SERIES HISTORY • Overall Record - Clemson leads 4-2 (2014-16) • Record at Pittsburgh - Clemson leads 2-1 (2014) STARTING PITCHERS • Thursday - RHP Spencer Strider (CU - 4-1, 3.67 ERA) vs. RHP Dan Hammer (PIT - 2-4, 6.79) • Friday - RHP Brooks Crawford (CU - 7-2, 3.60) vs. RHP Matt Pidich (PIT - 5-1, 2.74) • Saturday - LHP Jake Higginbotham (CU - 6-1, 3.39) vs. TBA (PIT) CLEMSON OVERVIEW • Clemson defeated Kennesaw State on the road 7-2 on Tuesday night. • The Tigers are averaging 6.2 runs per game and hitting .256 with a .374 on-base percentage and 47 steals. • The pitching staff has a 3.41 ERA, .233 opponents’ batting average and 2.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio and Clemson is fielding .974. PITTSBURGH OVERVIEW • Pittsburgh is led by 21st-year head coach Joe Jordano. • The Panthers were swept at home by Louisville last weekend. They are hitting .240 and have a 4.27 ERA and .976 fielding percentage. • Liam Sabino is hitting .299 with 15 homers, 16 doubles, 43 RBIs and 18 steals, while Frank Maldonado is batting .295 with five homers. QUICK HITS • Clemson’s eight-game winning streak in ACC regular-season road games is its longest since winning 10 in a row from 1994 (1) to 1995 (9). • Clemson’s 40 regular-season wins are its most since the 2006 team totaled 43 regular-season victories. • Clemson finished its non-conference schedule with a 21-5 record in 2018. The Tigers were 22-4 in both 2016 and 2017 in non-conference games. TIGERS RECOGNIZED FOR APR SCORE • Baseball was one of seven Tiger programs in the top-10 percent of their sport in the eligibility, graduation and retention metric. • It was the second year in a row the Clemson baseball program was lauded by the NCAA for its APR. • Clemson was one of only three ACC institutions (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech) to earn recognition for baseball. STRIDER PITCHING AS TOP FRESHMAN • Righthander Spencer Strider has been Clemson's most impactful freshman in 2018 as a reliever and spot starter. • He is 4-1 with a save, a 3.67 ERA, .195 opponents' batting average and 60 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched over 19 outings (three starts). • He leads the team in strikeouts and has allowed four extra-base hits, including only one home run. • In ACC regular-season games, he is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 16.0 innings pitched over eight relief appearances.
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now