(7-1), ranked as high as #2 in the nation, will play host to #4 South

Carolina (8-1) on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the first of

four scheduled matchups between the two rivals during the regular

season.  First pitch for Saturday's game between the top-five

teams is scheduled for 2:00 PM.  The game will be shown live via

webcast at ACCSelect.com.  The game will be broadcast live on the

radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network.  Live stats will be

available on Clemson's athletic website at ClemsonTigers.com.

  The two teams will also play at Sarge Frye Field

in Columbia on Sunday at 1:30 PM and then play two more contests in

April, including on April 11 at 7:15 PM at Doug Kingsmore Stadium and

on April 18 at 7:00 PM at Sarge Frye Field.

and South Carolina have met 275 times on the diamond, with Clemson

holding a 162-111-2 lead in the series dating back to 1899. 

South Carolina is Clemson's most-played rival in history.

       Last season,

Clemson won three of four meetings with the Gamecocks, including each

of the last three games.  South Carolina won the first game by a

score of 6-2 in Columbia, then Clemson won 6-4 the following day in

Tigertown.  Then in April, Clemson won by scores of 3-2 (at

Columbia) and 10-5 (at Clemson).

    The two teams split the four-game

season series in both 2004 and 2005.  The Tigers hold a 91-38

lead over South Carolina all-time in games played at Clemson and 44-21

lead in games played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Head Coach Jack Leggett is 27-20 against South Carolina as Clemson's

head coach, including a 13-9 record in games played at Clemson. 

The Tigers are 13-12 against a top-10 Gamecock club under Leggett as

well.

The Starting Pitchers

Carolina will start junior righthander Harris Honeycutt (3-0, 1.56

ERA) on the mound.  The Fuquay-Varina, NC native has made three

starts for a total of 17.1 innings pitched.  He has yielded 10

hits (.169 opponents' batting average) and five walks with 19

strikeouts.  He has also not allowed a home run.

  The Tigers will counter with junior righthander

David Kopp (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on Saturday.  The Margate, FL native

has made two starts for a total of 10.0 innings pitched.  He has

yielded 11 hits (.275 opponents' batting average) and three walks

with 11 strikeouts.  Kopp has made four career appearances,

including two starts, against the Gamecocks in his career.  He

has a 1-0 record and 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched against South

Carolina.

Carolina, led by 11th-year Head Coach Ray Tanner, enters Saturday's

game with an 8-1 overall record after sweeping Eastern Michigan in

three games last weekend.  The Gamecocks will have had six days

off when they take the field on Saturday.  The Gamecocks are

ranked as high as #4 in the country and have a 1-1 road record.

       South Carolina has

outscored its opponents by a combined score of 78-27 this season. 

Offensively, the team is hitting .314 with a .438 on-base percentage,

16 home runs, and 59 walks against only 51 strikeouts.  The team

has swiped seven bases in 10 attempts and has nine sacrifice bunts as

well.

        Phil Disher

is hitting a team-best .424 with four doubles, three homers, and 13

RBIs.  Freshman Lonnie Chisenhall is hitting .405 with seven

extra-base hits, seven multi-hit games, and 10 RBIs, while Cheyne

Hurst is batting .389.  James Darnell is hitting .308, but has a

.513 on-base percentage thanks to 11 walks.

     The pitching staff has a 2.41

ERA and .216 opponents' batting average.  The team has allowed

just three home runs and 20 walks with 88 strikeouts, good for a 4.4

strikeout-to-walk ratio.  Junior righty Curtis Johnson has the

team's lone save.

      The Gamecocks have one

of the nation's best defenses, as they have committed just five

errors in nine games, good for a .985 fielding percentage.

enters the game against #4 South Carolina with a 7-1 overall record

after rallying to defeat Winthrop 6-4 on Wednesday.  The Tigers

have won 23 of their last 24 home games dating back to last season. 

Clemson has also won six games in a row overall, all of which have

seen the Tigers been down by at least two runs in each contest.

team is hitting .303 with a .388 on-base percentage.  Brad Chalk

leads the way with a .433 batting average and .541 on-base percentage,

and has reached base via a hit or walk in 35 straight games. 

Doug Hogan is hitting .433 with four homers, two triples, and seven

RBIs, while Taylor Harbin is hitting .313 with a homer and eight

RBIs.

pitching staff has a 2.54 ERA and .245 opponents' batting average. 

It has combined to strike out 74 against only 21 walks.  Veteran

relievers Stephen Clyne and Daniel Moskos have combined to allow no

runs in 17.1 innings pitched this season.  The Tigers are

fielding at a .962 clip as well.

Six Wins in a Row, All in Comeback Fashion

has won six games in a row after starting the season 1-1.  And in

all six of those games, the Tigers have trailed by at least two runs

in each contest, meaning Clemson won all six games in come-from-behind

fashion.

has scored first in just four of its eight games this season, going

3-1 in those four games. And its opponents have scored first in the

other four games, as Clemson holds a 4-0 record in those four games. 

The Tigers are also 3-0 in one-run games and 1-0 in two-run games this

season.

2007 season has marked his third straight year as Clemson's starting

shortstop.  He hit .307 in 67 games as a sophomore on Clemson's

2006 ACC Championship and College World Series team.  He was also

the Tigers' leading hitter for the eight NCAA Tournament games last

year with a .387 batting average.

Moskos Moving Up Save Chart

lefthander Daniel Moskos (Alta Loma, CA) entered the 2007 season as

one of the most prolific closers in the country after serving in the

same role for Team USA during last summer when the club captured the

gold medal at the world championships in Cuba.  In 21.0 innings

pitched, he had an 0.86 ERA and six saves, as he allowed just eight

hits and four walks with 35 strikeouts.

        He has done

nothing to disappoint for the Tigers in 2007.  In four relief

appearances, he has a 2-0 record, one save, 0.00 ERA, and a .150

opponents' batting average.  The hard-thrower has allowed just

three hits (all singles), no runs, and two walks with seven

strikeouts.

had 10 saves in 2006, which alone placed him 10th all-time in Clemson

history in that category.  With his one save this season, he has

11 in his career, still 10th-best in school history.

Harbin's two-run homer in the seventh inning proved to be the

difference in #2 Clemson's 6-4 victory over Winthrop at Doug

Kingsmore Stadium on February 28.  The Eagles scored four runs in

the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead.  But Andy D'Alessio hit a

towering two-run homer in the sixth inning to cut Winthrop's lead to

one run.  After tying the score on an Eagle error in the seventh,

Harbin's long home run later in the frame put the Tigers on top for

good.  Winthrop outhit the Tigers 10-8, but five of Clemson's

hits went for extra bases.  Stephen Clyne pitched 3.0 scoreless

innings in relief of one-hit ball to earn the win, while Daniel Moskos

pitched a perfect ninth inning to record the save.

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