Clemson vs. Georgia
Clemson (13-10) will play host to Georgia (16-9) Wednesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM. The game will be broadcast live on the radio by the Clemson Tiger Sports Network and can be heard live via the internet at ClemsonTigers.com. Live stats will also be available on Clemson's website. The game will be televised by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast as well.
The Series
Clemson and Georgia have met 202 times on the diamond, with the Bulldogs holding a 109-91-2 lead in the series that dates back to 1900. Georgia is Clemson's second-most played rival in school history, trailing only South Carolina (265).
Last night, Clemson won at Georgia by a score of 6-2. Clemson defeated Georgia 7-3 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2003. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1959.
The Tigers lead 50-43-2 in games played at Clemson and 30-8 in games played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, including winning nine games in a row in the friendly confines. Jack Leggett is 14-7 against Georgia as Clemson's head coach, including a 9-0 record at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Starting Pitchers
Georgia will start sophomore lefthander Rip Warren (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Wednesday. The Roswell, GA native has started one game and relieved in six other games. In 10.0 innings pitched, he has allowed 10 hits and four walks while striking out seven. He has also yet to allow a homer this year.
Clemson will counter with freshman righthander Stephen Faris (0-2, 7.82 ERA) on the mound. The Richmond, VA native has started one game and relieved in six others. In 12.2 innings pitched, he has walked just two batters while striking out nine.
Georgia Overview
Georgia, led by third-year Head Coach David Perno, is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN over the weekend prior to the Tigers' 6-2 win last night and has lost five games in a row in all. The Bulldogs are 16-9 overall and 2-4 in SEC play. They are also 1-4 on opponents' home fields in 2004.
Freshman Josh Morris leads the team with a .389 batting average and is one of seven Bulldog regulars with at least a .315 average. Morris also has 12 of the team's 29 homers and has a team-high 38 RBIs. No other Bulldog has more than 22 RBIs. Georgia, who is averaging nearly nine runs per game, is hitting .321 as a team with a .407 on-base percentage.
The Bulldog pitching staff sports a 4.07 ERA and .253 opponents' batting average. Closer Will Startup has three saves and a .170 opponents' batting average in a team-high 12 relief appearances this year, including one last night in Athens. Georgia has also yielded only 10 homers and 21 stolen bases in 25 games.
Clemson Overview
Clemson enters Wednesday's game with Georgia fresh off a three-game sweep of Wake Forest over the weekend and a 6-2 win at Georgia last night. The four-game winning streak is the longest streak (winning or losing) of the season for the Tigers. Clemson moved into first place in the ACC standings with the sweep of Wake Forest
The Tigers are hitting .298 as a team, led by Brad McCann's .427 batting average. Lou Santangelo had 12 hits in 20 at-bats last week to raise his average to .364. Herman Demmink has cemented himself as the leadoff batter after going 7-for-15 against Wake Forest and 2-for-4 at Georgia last night.
The Tiger pitching staff has a 4.32 ERA and .251 opponents' batting average. Patrick Hogan has five of the team's eight saves. Clemson also has a .963 fielding percentage.
Tigers Take Down Bulldogs 6-2 in Athens Tuesday
Kris Harvey pitched 7.0 solid innings and Patrick Hogan closed out the last 2.0 innings in Clemson's 6-2 win at Foley Field in Athens on March 30. The Tigers' win broke a four-game losing streak at Foley Field. Harvey, who worked out of several jams, scattered seven hits and allowed two runs while striking out seven in the longest outing of his career. He improved to 5-0 with the victory. Hogan closed the door to record his fifth save of the year. Clemson scored in each of the first four innings to take a 5-2 lead and never looked back. Brad McCann, a Georgia signee out of high school, paced the Tigers with three hits, including two doubles and two RBIs. Herman Demmink added two runs and two hits, while Ryan Hub hit his first home run of the year.
McCann Leading Team With .427 Average
In 23 games this year, Brad McCann has 41 hits and leads the team with a .427 batting average along with five homers and 22 RBIs. He also has a team-best 23 runs scored and 10 doubles. The 2003 Second-Team All-ACC selection had eight RBIs in three games against #7 Auburn from March 12-14. McCann, whose brother is a rising star in the Braves' organization, has batted in the #3 spot in the lineup all season. He also has an .800 on-base percentage when leading off an inning. McCann has a career batting average of .369 (128-for-347) in two seasons as well.
Hogan Shutting the Door
Fifth-year senior righthander and tri-captain Patrick Hogan (Columbia, SC) has become the Tigers' stopper out of the bullpen. In nine relief appearances, Hogan has five saves in 15.2 innings pitched (3.45 ERA). He has also struck out 22 against only four walks and has been especially effective with two outs. In that situation, he has allowed just one hit in 17 at-bats (.059 batting average) this year. In four seasons, Hogan has 13 career saves, tied for sixth-most in Clemson history.
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